EXHIBIT 10.1
CAPITAL LEASE FUNDING,
INC
DOCS ® Financing
Program
2,400,000 Shares of Common
Stock,
$0.01 par value
SALES AGREEMENT
August 15, 2005
THIS SALES AGREEMENT (the
“Agreement”) dated as of August 15, 2005 between
Brinson Patrick Securities Corporation, having its principal office
at 330 Madison Avenue, 9 th Floor, New York, New York
10017 (the “Sales Manager”) and Capital Lease Funding,
Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the
State of Maryland (the ”Company”).
WHEREAS, the Company desires to issue and sell
through the Sales Manager up to 2,400,000 shares (the
“Maximum Amount”) of its common stock, $0.01 par value
(the “Stock”), on the terms set forth in Article II
below. The Maximum Amount shall be appropriately adjusted for stock
splits and reverse splits.
IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants
contained in this Agreement, the Company and the Sales Manager
agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I.
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES
OF THE COMPANY
1.1
For purposes of this Agreement,
unless the context requires to the contrary, the term
“Company” shall also include all significant
subsidiaries (as defined by Section 1-02 of Regulation S-X) of the
Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with,
the Sales Manager that:
(a)
The Company meets the requirements
for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “Act”), and the rules and regulations thereunder
(“Rules and Regulations”). A registration statement on
Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-124003) with respect to, among other
securities, the Stock, including a form of prospectus, has been
prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the
Act and the Rules and Regulations and filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and has become
effective. Such registration statement and prospectus may have been
amended or supplemented prior to the date hereof. Any such
amendment or supplement was so prepared and filed, and any such
amendment or supplement filed after the effective date of such
registration statement and prior to the date hereof has become
effective. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of such
registration statement has been issued, and no proceeding for that
purpose has been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened by the Commission. Copies of such registration statement
and prospectus, any such amendment or supplement and all documents
incorporated by reference therein that were filed with the
Commission prior to the date hereof have been made available to the
Sales Manager. Such registration statement, as it may have
heretofore been or may hereafter be amended, is referred to herein
as the “Registration Statement,” and the final form of
prospectus included in the Registration Statement for purposes of
offers and sales of the Stock contemplated herein, as amended or
supplemented from time to time, is referred to herein as the
“Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto
shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated
(or deemed to be incorporated) by reference therein, and any
reference herein to the terms
“amend,”“amendment” or
“supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement
or Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing
after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission
deemed to be incorporated by reference therein.
(b)
(1) Each part of the Registration
Statement, when such part became or becomes effective, and the
Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, on the date of
filing thereof with the Commission and at each Settlement Date (as
hereinafter defined), conformed or will conform in all material
respects with the requirements of the Act and the Rules and
Regulations; each part of the Registration Statement, when such
part became or becomes effective, did not or will not contain an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and the Prospectus and any
amendment or supplement thereto, on the date of filing thereof with
the Commission and at each Settlement Date, did not or will not
include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading; except that the foregoing shall not apply to statements
in or omissions from any such document in reliance upon, and in
conformity with, written information furnished to the Company by or
on behalf of the Sales Manager, specifically for use in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or
supplement thereto.
(c)
The documents incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any
amendment or supplement thereto, when they were or are filed with
the Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”), conformed or will conform
in all material respects with the requirements of the Act or the
Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder.
(d)
The financial statements of the
Company, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, set
forth or included in the Registration Statement and Prospectus,
fairly present the financial condition of the Company as of the
dates indicated and the results of operations, changes in financial
position, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the
periods therein specified, in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles consistently applied throughout the periods
involved (except as otherwise stated therein). The summary and
selected financial and statistical data included in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the
information shown therein and, to the extent based upon or derived
from the financial statements, have been compiled on a basis
consistent with the financial statements presented
therein.
(e)
The accountants who certified the
financial statements and the supporting schedules included in the
Registration Statement are and, during the periods covered by their
reports, were qualified and independent public accountants as
required by Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(f)
The Company has been duly organized
and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the
laws of the State of Maryland. The Company is duly qualified and in
good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in
which the character or location of its assets or properties (owned,
leased or licensed) or the nature of its business makes such
qualification necessary (including, if required, every jurisdiction
in which it owns or leases real property), except for such
jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify would not have a
Material Adverse Effect on the Company. For purposes of this
Agreement, “Material Adverse Effect” means any adverse
effect on the business, operations, properties or financial
condition of the Company that is (either alone or together with all
other adverse effects) material to the Company, and any material
adverse effect on the transactions contemplated under this
Agreement or any other agreement or
document contemplated hereby. Each
of the Company’s significant subsidiaries is validly existing
as a corporation, limited liability company or partnership, as
applicable, in its respective jurisdiction of formation. Schedule
1.1(f) hereto identifies each of the Company’s subsidiaries
that is a significant subsidiary (as defined in Section 1-02 of
Regulation S-X) of the Company. All of the issued and outstanding
capital stock, limited liability company interests or partnership
interests, as applicable, of each significant subsidiary has been
duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and nonassessable
and (except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus) is owned by the Company, directly or
indirectly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage,
pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity. Except as disclosed in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company does not
own, lease or license any asset or property or conduct any business
outside the United States of America. The Company has all requisite
corporate power and authority and all necessary authorizations,
approvals, consents, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of
and from all governmental orders or regulatory bodies or any other
person or entity, to own, lease, license and operate its assets and
properties and conduct its business as now being conducted and as
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; except
for such authorizations, approvals, consents, orders, licenses,
certificates and permits the absence of which would not have a
Material Adverse Effect; and no such authorization, approval,
consent, order, license, certificate or permit contains a
materially burdensome restriction other than as disclosed in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(g)
The Company has good and marketable
title to, or leasehold interests in, all properties and assets
(including, without limitation, mortgaged assets) as described in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus owned by the Company,
free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances or restrictions,
except such as are described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus and except such as would not have a Material Adverse
Effect on the Company. The Company has such consents, easements,
rights-of-way or licenses (collectively,
“rights-of-way”) from any person as are necessary to
conduct its business in the manner described in the Registration
Statement, except for those which if not obtained would not, singly
or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company,
and none of such rights-of-way contains any restriction that is
materially burdensome to the Company.
(h)
The debt financing employed by the
Company to acquire its portfolio of mortgage assets is not
convertible into shares of common stock of the Company or other
equity interests in the Company.
(i)
There is no litigation or
governmental or other proceeding or investigation before any court
or before or by any public body or board pending or, to the
knowledge of the Company, threatened against, or involving the
assets, properties or businesses of the Company which would
materially adversely affect the value or the operation of any such
assets or otherwise have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company
except as described in the Registration Statement.
(j)
The Company maintains insurance
(issued by insurers of recognized financial responsibility) of the
types and in the amounts generally deemed adequate for its
businesses and, to the knowledge of the Company, consistent with
insurance coverage maintained by similar companies in similar
businesses, including, but not limited to, insurance covering real
and personal property owned or leased by the Company against theft,
damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and all other risks
customarily insured against, all of which insurance is in full
force and effect.
(k)
Subsequent to the respective dates
as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus, except as described therein, (i) there has not been
any material adverse change in the assets or properties, business,
results of operations, or financial condition of the Company,
whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of
business; (ii) the Company has not sustained any material loss or
interference with its assets, businesses or properties (whether
owned or leased) from fire, explosion, earthquake, flood or other
calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor
dispute or any court or legislative or other governmental action,
order or decree; (iii) since the date of the latest balance sheet
included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, except as reflected in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not undertaken any
liability or obligation, direct or contingent, except such
liabilities or obligations undertaken in the ordinary course of
business; and (iv) there has not been any transaction that is
material to the Company, except transactions in the ordinary course
of business or as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus.
(l)
There is no document or contract of
a character required to be described in the Registration Statement
or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement that is not described or filed as required. Except as
otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement or Prospectus,
each document, instrument, contract and agreement of the Company
described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or
incorporated by reference therein or listed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement is in full force and effect and is valid and
enforceable by and against the Company in accordance with their
terms, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery
thereof by each of the other parties thereto. The Company is not,
nor to the knowledge of the Company is any other party, in default
in the observance or performance of any term or obligation to be
performed by it under any such agreement, and no event has occurred
which with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute such a
default, which default or event would have a Material Adverse
Effect. No default exists, and no event has occurred which with
notice or lapse of time or both would constitute a default, in the
due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition,
by the Company of any other agreement or instrument to which the
Company is a party or by which it or its properties or business may
be bound or affected, which default or event would have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(m)
The Company is not in violation of
any term or provision of its charter or by-laws. The Company is not
in violation of any franchise, license, permit, judgment, decree,
order, statute, rule or regulation, where the consequences of such
violation would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(n)
Neither the execution, delivery and
performance of this Agreement by the Company nor the consummation
of any of the transactions contemplated hereby (including, without
limitation, the issuance and sale by the Company of the Stock) will
give rise to a right to terminate or accelerate the due date of any
payment due under, or conflict with or result in the breach of any
term or provision of, or constitute a default (or an event which
with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute a default)
under, or require any consent or waiver under, or result in the
execution or imposition of any lien, charge, encumbrance, claim,
security interest, restriction or defect upon any properties or
assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of, any indenture,
mortgage, deed of trust or other agreement or instrument to which
the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound, or any of
its properties are bound, or any franchise, license, permit,
judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or regulation applicable to
the Company or violate any provision of the charter or by-laws of
the Company, except for such consents or waivers which have already
been obtained and are in full force and effect.
(o)
All of the outstanding shares of
common stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly
issued and are fully paid and nonassessable and none of such shares
were issued in violation of any preemptive or other similar right.
The Stock, when issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, will be
duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable
and will not be issued in violation of any preemptive or other
similar right. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, there is no outstanding option, warrant or
other right calling for the issuance of, and there is no
commitment, plan or arrangement to issue, any capital stock of the
Company or any security convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for such capital stock, except for standard dividend
reinvestment plans. The Stock conforms in all material respects to
all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus.
(p)
Subsequent to the respective dates
as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus, except as (x) described or referred to therein, or
(y) are not material (as to clauses (i) and (ii) only), are
consistent with past practice (as to clauses (i) and (ii) only),
and are publicly disclosed, the Company has not (i) issued any
securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or
contingent, except such liabilities or obligations incurred in the
ordinary course of business including, without limitation, debt
financing to acquire and develop properties, (ii) entered into any
transaction not in the ordinary course of business or (iii)
declared or paid any dividend or made any distribution on any
shares of its capital stock or redeemed, purchased or otherwise
acquired or agreed to redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any
shares of its capital stock.
(q)
Except as disclosed in the
Registration Statement and Prospectus, no holder of any security of
the Company has the right, which has not been waived, to have any
security owned by such holder included in the Registration
Statement.
(r)
All necessary corporate action has
been duly and validly taken by the Company to authorize the
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the
Company. This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized,
executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes and will
constitute the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.
Except for any “blue sky” filings or Stock Exchange
listing applications to be filed pursuant hereto, each approval,
consent, order, authorization, designation, declaration or filing
by or with any regulatory, administrative or other governmental
body necessary in connection with the execution and delivery by the
Company of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby and the issuance and sale of the Stock by the
Company has been obtained or made and is in full force and effect.
The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause
the Stock to be listed for trading on the Trading Market. For
purposes of this Agreement, the “Trading Market” is (i)
the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., and (ii) each other securities
exchange or market on which the common stock of the Company trades
or is admitted for trading.
(s)
The Company has not incurred any
liability for a fee, commission or other compensation on account of
the employment of a broker or finder in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement other than as
contemplated hereby or as described in the Registration
Statement.
(t)
The Company is conducting its
business in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and
regulations of the jurisdictions in which it is conducting
business, except where the failure to be so in compliance would not
have a Material Adverse Effect.
(u)
No transaction has occurred between
or among the Company and any of its officers or directors or any
affiliate or affiliates of any such officer or director that is
required to be described in and is not described in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(v)
The Company has not taken, nor will
it take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or which
might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, or which has
constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute,
the stabilization or manipulation of the price of the common stock
of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the
Stock.
(w)
The Company has filed all federal,
state, local and foreign tax returns that are required to be filed
through the date hereof (and will file all such tax returns when
and as required to be filed after the date hereof), or has received
extensions thereof, and has paid all taxes shown on such returns to
be due on or prior to the date hereof (and will pay all taxes shown
on such returns to be due after the date hereof) and all
assessments received by it to the extent that the same are material
and have become due except where the failure to file such a return
or pay such amount would not have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(x)
The Company has met the
qualification requirements for a “real estate investment
trust” during its taxable years ending December 31, 2004
and, based on its proposed method of
operations, the Company expects to continue to meet the
requirements for qualification and taxation as a “real estate
investment trust” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the “Code”), assuming no change in the
applicable underlying law. The Company does not know of any event
that would cause or is likely to cause the Company to fail to
qualify as a “real estate investment trust” at any
time.
(y)
The Company is not an
“investment company” within the meaning of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(z)
The Company’s systems of
internal accounting controls taken as a whole are sufficient to
meet the broad objectives of internal accounting control insofar as
those objectives pertain to the prevention or detection of errors
or irregularities in amounts that would be material in relation to
the Company’s financial statements; and, to the best of the
Company’s knowledge, neither the Company nor any employee or
agent thereof has made any payment of funds of the Company or
received or retained any funds, and no funds of the Company have
been set aside to be used for any payment, in each case in
violation of any law, rule or regulation.
(aa)
The Company is not involved in any
labor dispute and, to the knowledge of the Company, no such dispute
has been threatened, except for such disputes as would not have a
Material Adverse Effect on the Company, or subject the Company or
its shareholders to any material liability or
disability.
(bb)
Except as disclosed in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (i) there has been no
storage, disposal, generation, manufacture, refinement,
transportation, handling or treatment of toxic wastes, hazardous
wastes or hazardous substances by the Company or any of its
subsidiaries (or to the knowledge of the Company, any of their
predecessors in interest) at, upon or from any of the property now
or previously owned or leased by the Company or its subsidiaries in
violation of any applicable law, ordinance, rule, regulation,
order, judgment, decree or permit or which would require remedial
action under any applicable law, ordinance, rule, regulation,
order, judgment, decree or permit, except for any violation or
remedial action which would not have a Material Adverse Effect;
(ii) there has been no material spill, discharge, leak, emission,
injection, escape, dumping or release of any kind onto such
property or into the environment surrounding such property of any
toxic wastes, solid wastes, hazardous wastes or hazardous
substances due to or caused by the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, except for any such spill, discharge, leak emission,
injection, escape, dumping or release which would not have a
Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) the terms “hazardous
wastes,”“toxic wastes” and “hazardous
substances” shall have the meanings specified in any
applicable local, state, federal and foreign laws or regulations
with respect to environmental protection.
ARTICLE
II.
SALE AND DELIVERY OF
SECURITIES
2.1
Sale and Delivery of
Securities.
(a)
On the basis of the representations,
warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the
terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue
and sell through the Sales Manager, as agent, and the Sales Manager
agrees to sell, as agent for the Company, on a best efforts basis,
up to the Maximum Amount of the Stock during the term of this
Agreement on the terms set forth herein. The Stock will be sold
from time to time as described in the Registration Statement and
Prospectus, in amounts, and subject to price limitations, as
directed by the Company and as agreed to by the Sales
Manager.
(b)
The Company or the Sales Manager
may, upon notice to the other party hereto by telephone (confirmed
promptly by telecopy), at any time and from time to time suspend
the offering of Stock; provided , however , that such
suspension shall not affect or impair the parties’ respective
obligations with respect to the Stock sold hereunder prior to the
giving of such notice.
(c)
The compensation to the Sales
Manager for sales of Stock shall be at the following commission
rates for the shares of Stock sold under this Agreement: 3.0% of
the gross sales price per share (“sales proceeds”) for
the first $25 million of aggregate sales proceeds raised in each
year; 2.5% of sales proceeds for the next $25 million of aggregate
sales proceeds raised in such year and 2.0% of sales proceeds for
any additional aggregate sales proceeds raised in such year. For
purposes of this section 2.1(c), the first year shall end on
December 31, 2005 and each subsequent year shall end on the next
succeeding December 31. The remaining proceeds, after further
deduction for any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or
self-regulatory organization in respect to such sale shall
constitute the net proceeds to the Company for such Stock (the
“Net Proceeds”).
(d)
The Company shall open and maintain
a trading account (the “Trading Account”) at a clearing
agent designated by the Sales Manager to facilitate the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company shall,
with respect to each sale of Stock, effect delivery of the
applicable number of Stock to the Trading Account, on or before the
third business day (or such other day as is industry practice for
regular-way trading) following each sale of the Stock (each, a
“Settlement Date”). The Net Proceeds from the sale of
the Stock shall be available in the Trading Account following the
settlement of the sale on the Settlement Date. The Sales
Manager’s compensation shall be withheld from the sales
proceeds on each Settlement Date and shall be paid to the Sales
Manager.
(e)
At each Settlement Date, the Company
shall be deemed to have affirmed each representation, warranty,
covenant and other agreement contained in this Agreement. Any
obligation of the Sales Manager under this Agreement shall be
subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and
warranties of the Company herein, to the performance by the Company
of its obligations hereunder and to the continuing satisfaction of
the additional conditions specified in Article IV below.
(f)
If the Company shall default on its
obligation to deliver Stock on any Settlement Date, the Company
shall (i) hold the Sales Manager harmless against any loss, claim
or damage arising from or as a result of such default by the
Company and (ii) pay the Sales Manager any commission to which it
would otherwise be entitled absent such default.
ARTICLE
III.
COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
3.1
The Company covenants and agrees
with the Sales Manager that:
(a)
[Intentionally
Omitted]
(b)
During the period in which a
prospectus relating to the Stock is required to be delivered under
the Act, the Company will notify the Sales Manager promptly of the
time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement
has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus
has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any
amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or for additional information; the Company will prepare
and file with the Commission, promptly upon the Sales
Manager’s reasonable request, any amendments or supplements
to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in the Sales
Manager’s reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable
in connection with the sale of the Stock pursuant to this
Agreement; during the period in which a prospectus relating to the
Stock is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will
not file any
amendment or supplement to the
Registration Statement or Prospectus (other than a supplement to
the Prospectus that (i) relates solely to the issuance of
securities other than the Stock of the Company and (ii) does not
materially change the information about the Company or its
business, operations, properties or financial condition disclosed
in the Registration Statement or Prospectus previously thereto (an
“Excluded Supplement”)) unless a copy thereof has been
submitted to the Sales Manager a reasonable period of time before
the filing and the Sales Manager has not reasonably objected
thereto; and it will cause any document that upon filing is deemed
to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or
Prospectus to be
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