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Exhibit 1.1
BANK OF AMERICA
CORPORATION
UNDERWRITING
AGREEMENT
4,000,000 Depositary
Shares, Each Representing a 1/25th Interest in a Share of
Fixed-to-
Floating Rate
Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series M
New York, New York
April 24,
2008
To the Representative
named in Schedule I
hereto of the Underwriters
named in Schedule II hereto
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
Bank of America Corporation,
a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to
issue and sell to the underwriters named in Schedule II hereto (the
“Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as
representative (the “Representative”), 4,000,000
depositary shares (the “Depositary Shares”), each
representing a 1/25th interest in a share of the Company’s
perpetual Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock,
Series M (the “Preferred Stock”). The Preferred Stock,
when issued, will be deposited against delivery of Depositary
Receipts (the “Depositary Receipts”), which will
evidence the Depositary Shares, that are to be issued by
Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as depository (the
“Depository”) under the Deposit Agreement dated
April 24, 2008 by and among the Company, Computershare Inc.,
the Depository and the holders from time to time of the Depositary
Receipts described therein (the “Deposit
Agreement”).
The Depositary Shares are
also referred to herein as the “Shares” and, where
appropriate herein, reference to the Shares includes the underlying
shares of Preferred Stock. Such Depositary Shares are to be sold to
each Underwriter, acting severally and not jointly, in such amounts
as are listed in Schedule II opposite the name of each Underwriter.
The Shares are described more fully in the Prospectus, referred to
below. If the firm or firms listed in Schedule II hereto include
only the firm or firms listed in Schedule I hereto, then the terms
“Underwriters” and “Representative,” as
used herein, each shall be deemed to refer to such firm or
firms.
1. Representations and
Warranties .
(a) The Company represents
and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter that:
(i) The Company has prepared
and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3
(File No. 333-133852), which contains a base prospectus (the
“Base Prospectus”), to be used in connection with the
public offering and sale of the Shares. Such registration
statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits
and schedules thereto, including any required
information deemed to be a part thereof
pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively,
the “Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”), at each
time of effectiveness, is called the “Registration
Statement.” Any preliminary prospectus supplement to the Base
Prospectus that describes the Shares and the offering thereof and
is used prior to filing of the Prospectus is called, together with
the Base Prospectus, a “preliminary prospectus.” The
term “Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus
supplement relating to the Shares, together with the Base
Prospectus, that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the
date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the
parties hereto (the “Execution Time”). Any reference
herein to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or
the Prospectus, as the case may be, shall be deemed to refer to and
include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to
Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act; any reference to
any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus, as the case may be, shall be deemed to refer to and
include any documents filed after the date of such preliminary
prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Exchange
Act, and incorporated by reference in such preliminary prospectus
or Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference to any
amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to
and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective
date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement. All references in this
Agreement to the Registration Statement, a preliminary prospectus,
the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the
foregoing shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission
pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval
System (“EDGAR”).
(ii) The term
“Disclosure Package” shall mean (A) the
preliminary prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented,
(B) the Base Prospectus, (C) the applicable issuer free
writing prospectuses as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities
Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if
any, identified in Schedule III hereto, and (D) any other free
writing prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter
expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure
Package. As of 5:15 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this
Agreement (the “Initial Sale Time”), the Disclosure
Package did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not
apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package
based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for use
therein, it being understood and agreed that such information
furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists only of the
information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof (the
“Underwriter Information”).
(iii) As of the date hereof,
when the Prospectus is first filed with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, when any supplement or
amendment to the Prospectus is filed with the Commission, at the
Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and, with respect to the
Registration Statement in (A) and (B) below, as of the
Initial Sale Time, (A) the Registration Statement is
effective, the Registration Statement, as amended as of any such
time, and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented as of any such
time complied, complies or will comply in all material respects
with the applicable provisions under the
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Securities Act and the Exchange Act,
(B) the Registration Statement, as amended as of any such
time, did not, does not and will not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements
therein not misleading, and (C) the Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented as of any such time, did not, does not and will not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that
the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the
Underwriter Information. The documents which are incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package,
the preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or from which
information is so incorporated by reference, when they were filed
with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the
requirements under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as
applicable, and did not, when such documents were so filed, contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make
the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading. The Commission has not issued any
stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of the
preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, and the Company is
without knowledge that any proceedings have been instituted for
either purpose.
(iv) (A) At the earliest time
after the Company or another offering participant made a bona
fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the
Securities Act) and (B) as of the date of the execution and
delivery of this Agreement (with such date being used as a
determination date for purposes of this clause (B)), the Company
neither was nor is an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405
under the Securities Act).
(v) No Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus (including any Final Term Sheet (as defined herein)), as
of its date and at all subsequent times through the completion of
the offering contemplated hereby or until any earlier date that the
Company notified or notifies the Representative as described in the
next sentence, included, includes or will include any information
that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information
contained in the Registration Statement, including any document
incorporated by reference therein, the preliminary prospectus or
the Prospectus, that had not or has not been superseded or
modified. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus and prior to the end of the Prospectus Delivery
Period (as defined below), there occurred or occurs an event or
development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information
contained in the Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus
or the Prospectus, the Company has promptly notified or will
promptly notify the Representative and has promptly amended or
supplemented or will promptly amend or supplement, at its own
expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or
correct such conflict. The foregoing two sentences do not apply to
statements in or omissions from an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
based upon and in conformity with Underwriter
Information.
(vi) The Company has not
distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the
Closing Date and the completion of the Underwriters’
distribution of the Shares, any offering material in connection
with the offering and sale of the Shares other than the
Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus
or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by
the Underwriters and included in Schedule III hereto.
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(vii) (A) At the time of
filing the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most
recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with
Section 10(a)(3) under the Securities Act (whether such
amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report
filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
or form of prospectus), (C) at the time the Company or any
person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause
only, of Rule 163(c) under the Securities Act) made any offer
relating to the Shares in reliance on the exemption of
Rule 163 under the Securities Act, and (D) at the
Execution Time (with such date being used as the determination date
for purposes of this clause (D)), the Company was and is a
“well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in
Rule 405 under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement
is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as
defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, the Company has
not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule
401(g)(2) under the Securities Act objecting to use of the
automatic shelf registration statement form and the Company has not
otherwise ceased to be eligible to use the automatic shelf
registration statement form.
(viii) The Deposit Agreement
has been duly authorized and, when validly executed and delivered
by the Company, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery
by the other parties thereto, will constitute a valid and binding
agreement of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms,
subject to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency,
moratorium, fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws affecting
the rights of creditors now or hereafter in effect, and to
equitable principles that may limit the right to specific
enforcement of remedies, and further subject to 12 U.S.C.
§1818(b)(6)(D) (or any successor statute) and similar bank
regulatory powers and to the application of principles of public
policy; the Depositary Shares are entitled to the benefits of the
Deposit Agreement; and such Deposit Agreement will conform to the
description thereof in the Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus.
(ix) The Preferred Stock and
the Depositary Shares have been duly and validly authorized for
issuance and sale, and, when the Shares are issued and delivered
against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, the Preferred
Stock and the Depositary Shares will be duly and validly issued and
fully paid and non-assessable; all corporate action required to be
taken for the authorization, issue and sale of the Depositary
Shares has been validly and sufficiently taken and upon deposit of
the Preferred Stock with the Depository pursuant to the Deposit
Agreement and the due execution by the Depository of the Deposit
Agreement and the Depositary Receipts, in accordance with the
Deposit Agreement, such Depositary Shares will represent legal and
valid interests in the Preferred Stock; and the Preferred Stock and
the Depositary Shares conform to the description thereof contained
in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented.
(x) The issue and sale of the
Preferred Stock and the Depositary Shares and the compliance by the
Company with all of the provisions thereof and of this Agreement
and the Deposit Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions
herein and therein contemplated, and the performance of its
obligations hereunder and thereunder, will not contravene any
provision of applicable law, the certificate of incorporation or
bylaws of the
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Company or articles of association or
bylaws of the Principal Subsidiary Bank or any agreement or other
instrument binding upon the Company or the Principal Subsidiary
Bank that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as
a whole, or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body,
agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any
subsidiary; and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or
qualification with, any governmental or regulatory body is required
for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this
Agreement or the Deposit Agreement, except such as may be required
by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in
connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.
(b) Each Underwriter,
severally and not jointly, represents and agrees that:
(i) it has not and will not
offer, sell or deliver any of the Depositary Shares, directly or
indirectly, or distribute the preliminary prospectus, the
Prospectus or any other offering materials (including any Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus or other free writing prospectuses)
relating to the Shares in any jurisdiction except under
circumstances that will result in compliance with applicable laws
and regulations and that will not impose any obligations on the
Company except as set forth herein; and
(ii) it will comply in all
material respects with the selling restrictions set forth in the
Prospectus under the caption “Underwriting—Selling
Restrictions.”
2. Purchase and Sale .
Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the
representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees
to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally
and not jointly, to purchase from the Company at the purchase price
set forth in Schedule I hereto the respective number of Shares set
forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule II
hereto.
3. Delivery and
Payment . Delivery of and payment for the Shares shall be made
on the date and at the time specified in Schedule I hereto, which
date and time may be postponed by agreement between the
Representative and the Company or as provided in Section 8
hereto (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Shares
being herein called the “Closing Date”). Delivery of
the Shares shall be made to the Representative for the respective
accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by the several
Underwriters through the Representative of the purchase price
thereof in the manner set forth in Schedule I hereto. Unless
otherwise agreed, Depositary Receipts for the Depositary Shares
shall be in book-entry form, and such Depositary Receipts may be
deposited with The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or
a custodian for DTC and registered in the name of Cede &
Co., as nominee for DTC.
4. Agreements . The
Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(a) During the period
beginning at the Initial Sale Time and ending on the later of the
Closing Date or such date, as in the opinion of counsel for the
Underwriters, the Prospectus is no longer required by law to be
delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer
(except for delivery requirements imposed because such Underwriter
or dealer is an affiliate of the Company), including in
circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to
Rule 172 (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), the
Company will not file any amendment to the Registration Statement
or supplement to the Base Prospectus or the
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Disclosure Package (including the
Prospectus) unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your
review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed
amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object. Subject to
the foregoing sentence, the Company will cause the Prospectus to be
filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 via EDGAR. The
Company will advise the Representative promptly (i) when the
preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus shall have been filed
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424, (ii) when any
amendment to the Registration Statement or the Disclosure Package
relating to the Shares shall have become effective, (iii) of
any request by the Commission for any amendment of the Registration
Statement or amendment of or supplement to the Prospectus or the
Disclosure Package or for any additional information, (iv) of
the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the institution or
threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (v) of the
receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the
suspension of the qualification of the Shares for sale in any
jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for
such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the
issuance of any such stop order and, if issued, to obtain as soon
as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(b) If, at any time during
the Prospectus Delivery Period, except with respect to any such
delivery requirement imposed upon an affiliate of the Company in
connection with any secondary market sales, any event occurs as a
result of which the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as then
amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make
the statements therein in light of the circumstances under which
they were made or then prevailing, as the case may be, not
misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the
Disclosure Package or the Prospectus to comply with the Securities
Act or the Exchange Act, the Company promptly will prepare and file
with the Commission, subject to the first sentence of paragraph
(a) of this Section 4, an amendment or supplement which
will correct such statement or omission or an amendment or
supplement which will effect such compliance (including, if
consented to by the Underwriters, by means of an Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus), and will give immediate notice, and confirm in
writing, to the Underwriters to cease the solicitation of offers to
purchase the Depositary Shares, and furnish to the Underwriters a
reasonable number of copies of such amendment or
supplement.
(c) The Company will make
generally available to its security holders and to the
Representative as soon as practicable, but not later than 60 days
after the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings
statement (in form complying with the provisions of Rule 158 under
the Securities Act) covering a twelve-month period beginning not
later than the first day of the Company’s fiscal quarter next
following the “effective date” (as defined in said Rule
158) of the Registration Statement.
(d) The Company will furnish
to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters, without
charge, copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits
thereto) and each amendment thereto which shall become effective on
or prior to the Closing Date and, so long as delivery of a
prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the
Securities Act, as many copies of the preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto as
the Representative may reasonably request. The Company will pay the
expenses of printing all documents relating to the
offering.
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(e) The Company will arrange
for the qualification of the Depositary Shares for sale under the
laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably
designate, will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as
required for the distribution of the Depositary Shares and will
arrange for the determination of the legality of the Depositary
Shares for purchase by investors; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be required to qualify to do business in any
jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action
which would subject it to general or unlimited service of process
in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(f) Until the business day
following the Closing Date, the Company will not, without the
consent of the Representative, offer or sell, or announce the
offering of, any securities covered by the Registration Statement
or by any other registration statement filed under the Securities
Act; provided, however, the Company may, at any time, offer or sell
or announce the offering of securities (i) covered by a
registration statement on Form S-8 or (ii) covered by a
registration statement on Form S-3 and (A) pursuant to which
the Company issues securities under one of the Company’s
medium-term note programs (including, without limitation, the
Company’s Series K or Series L Medium-Term Note Program and
the Company’s InterNotes Program), (B) pursuant to which
the Company issues securities for its dividend reinvestment plan,
(C) pursuant to which the Company issues notes, another series
of depositary shares or another series of preferred stock in an
underwritten offering in which the lead manager is Banc of America
Securities LLC (under the Registration Statement
No. 333-133852) or (D) pursuant to which affiliates of
the Company offer securities of the Company in secondary market
transactions.
(g) The Company will prepare
a final term sheet containing only a description of the Shares, in
a form approved by the Representative and contained in Schedule IV
of this Agreement, and will file the such term sheet pursuant to
Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act as promptly as possible, but
in any case not later than the time required by such rule (such
term sheet, the “Final Term Sheet”).
(h) The Company represents
that it has not made and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior
written consent of the Representative, it will not make any offer
relating to the Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing
prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act)
required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained
by the Company under Rule 433 under the Securities Act; provided
that the prior written consent of the Representative shall be
deemed to have been given in respect of the Issuer Free Writing
Prospectuses included in Schedule III hereto. Any such free writing
prospectus consented to by the Representative is hereinafter
referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.”
The Company agrees that (i) it has treated and will treat as
the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) it has complied and
will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164
and 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the
Commission, legending and record keeping. The Company consents to
the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that
(a) is not an “issuer free writing prospectus” as
defined in Rule 433, and (b) contains only
(i) information describing the preliminary terms of the Shares
or their offering, (ii) information permitted by Rule 134
under the Securities Act or (iii) information that describes
the final terms of the Shares or their offering and that is
included in the Final Term Sheet of the Company contemplated in
paragraph (g) above.
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(i) If immediately prior to
the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the
initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the
Shares remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will file
prior to the Renewal Deadline, if it has not already done so and is
eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement
relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to the
Representative. If the Company is no longer eligible to file an
automatic shelf registration statement, the Company will file prior
to the Renewal Deadline, if it has not already done so, a new shelf
registration statement relating to the Shares, in a form
satisfactory to the Representative, and will use its best efforts
to cause such registration statement to be declared effective
within 60 days after the Renewal Deadline. The Company will
take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public
offering and sale of the Shares to continue as contemplated in the
expired registration statement relating to the Shares. References
herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new
automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf
registration statement, as the case may be.
(j) If at any time when
Shares remain unsold by the Underwriters the Company receives from
the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or
otherwise ceases to be eligible to use the automatic shelf
registration statement form, the Company will (i) promptly
notify the Representative, (ii) promptly file a new
registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper
form relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to the
Representative, (iii) use its best efforts to cause such
registration statement or post-effective amendment to be declared
effective and (iv) promptly notify the Representative of such
effectiveness. The Company will take all other action necessary or
appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Shares to
continue as contemplated in the registration statement that was the
subject of the Rule 401(g)(2) notice or for which the Company
has otherwise become ineligible. References herein to the
Registration Statement shall include such new registration
statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may
be.
(k) The Company agrees to pay
the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares within
the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act
without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance
with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities
Act.
5. Conditions to the
Obligations of the Underwriters . The obligations of the
Underwriters to purchase the Shares shall be subject to the
accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the
Company contained herein as of the date hereof, as of the date of
the effectiveness of any amendment to the Registration Statement
filed prior to the Closing Date (including the filing of any
document incorporated by reference therein) and as of the Closing
Date, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any
certificates furnished pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the
performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the
following additional conditions:
(a) For the period from and
after effectiveness of this Agreement and prior to the Closing
Date:
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(i) no stop order suspending
the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or any
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, shall be in
effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been
instituted or threatened by the Commission, and the Company shall
not have received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule
401(g)(2) under the Securities Act objecting to use of the
automatic shelf registration statement form (unless the Shares are
duly registered in the manner contemplated by Rule 401(g)(2) to the
satisfaction of the Representative prior to the Closing
Date);
(ii) the Company shall have
filed the preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus with the
Commission (including the information required by Rule 430B under
the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period
required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company
shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration
Statement containing the information required by such Rule 430B,
and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective (if
not automatically effective under the rules of the
Commission);
(iii) the Final Term Sheet,
and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant
to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, shall have been filed with
the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for
such filings under such Rule or, to the extent applicable, under
Rule 164(b); and
(iv) the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) shall have raised
no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting
terms and arrangements.
(b) The Company shall have
furnished to the Representative the opinion of McGuireWoods LLP,
counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect of
paragraphs (i) and (v) through (xiii) below, and the
opinion of the General Counsel of the Company (or such other
attorney, reasonably acceptable to counsel to the Underwriters, who
exercises general supervision or review in connection with a
particular securities law matter for the Company), dated the
Closing Date, to the effect of paragraphs (ii) through
(iv) below:
(i) the Company is a duly
organized and validly existing corporation in good standing under
the laws of the State of Delaware, has the corporate power and
authority to own its properties and conduct its business as
described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and is duly
registered as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company
Act of 1956, as amended; Bank of America, N.A. (the
“Principal Subsidiary Bank”) is a national banking
association formed under the laws of the United States and
authorized thereunder to transact business;
(ii) each of the Company and
the Principal Subsidiary Bank is qualified or licensed to do
business as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which such
counsel has knowledge that the Company or the Principal Subsidiary
Bank, as the case may be, is required to be so qualified or
licensed;
(iii) all the outstanding
shares of capital stock of the Principal Subsidiary Bank have been
duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and
(except
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as provided in 12 U.S.C. § 55,
as amended) nonassessable, and, except as otherwise set forth in
the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all
outstandin
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