UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

September 25, 2006

MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
as Representatives of the several Underwriters
                named in Schedule A
c/o  Merrill Lynch & Co.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
4 World Financial Center
New York, New York  10080
and
c/o  Banc of America Securities LLC
9 West 57 th  Street
New York, New York  10019

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., a Maryland corporation  (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Banc of America Securities LLC (collectively, the “Representatives”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 2,500,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company.  In addition, solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, the Company proposes to grant to the Underwriters the option to purchase from the Company up to an additional 375,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Additional Shares”).  The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively sometimes referred to as the “Shares.”  The Shares are described in the Prospectus which is referred to below.

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-133496), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, which registration statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “1933 Act Regulations”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).  Such registration statement covers the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.  Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) and Rule 424(b) (“Rule 424(b)”) of the 1933 Act Regulations.  Any information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B is referred to as “Rule 430B Information.”  Each prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Shares that omitted Rule 430B Information is herein called a “preliminary prospectus.”  Such registration statement, at any given time, including the amendments thereto to such time, the exhibits and

any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act at such time and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included therein by virtue of the application of the 1933 Act Regulations, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the “Original Registration Statement.”  The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Shares, including the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of the Applicable Time (as defined below) and any preliminary prospectuses that form a part thereof, is herein called the “Prospectus.”  For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).  The Company and the Underwriters agree as follows:

1.             Sale and Purchase .  Upon the basis of the warranties and representations and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Firm Shares to the Underwriters, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company the Firm Shares at a purchase price of $93.21 per Share, the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter.

In addition, the Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the option to purchase, and upon the basis of the warranties and representations and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company all or such portion of the Additional Shares as may be necessary to cover over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares, at a purchase price of $93.21 per Share.  This option may be exercised by the Underwriters at any time (but not more than once) on or before the thirtieth day following the date hereof, by written notice to the Company.  Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Additional Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Additional Shares are to be delivered (such date and time being herein referred to as the “additional time of purchase”); provided , however , that the additional time of purchase shall not be (i) earlier than the time of purchase (as defined below) or (ii) unless otherwise agreed to by the Company and the Underwriters, earlier than the second or later than the tenth Business Day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised.  As used herein “Business Day” shall mean a day on which the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading or commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.

2.             Payment and Delivery of Firm Shares .  Delivery of the certificates for the Firm Shares to the Underwriters through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the account of the Underwriters shall be made against payment of the purchase price for the Firm Shares by or on behalf of the Underwriters to the Company by federal funds wire transfer.  Such payment and delivery shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on September 29, 2006 (unless another time shall be agreed to by the Underwriters and the Company).  The time at which such payment and delivery of the Firm Shares are actually made is herein called the “time of purchase.”  Certificates for the Firm Shares shall be delivered to the Underwriters, through the facilities of DTC, in book-entry form in such names and in such denominations as the Underwriters shall specify no later than the second Business Day preceding the time of purchase.  For the purpose of expediting the checking of the certificates for the Firm Shares by the Underwriters, the Company agrees to make such certificates available to the Underwriters for such purpose at DTC or its designated custodian at least one full Business Day preceding the time of purchase.

3.             Payment and Delivery of Additional Shares .  Payment of the purchase price for the Additional Shares shall be made at the additional time of purchase.  Certificates for the Additional Shares shall be delivered to the Underwriters, through the facilities of DTC, in book-entry form in such names and in such denominations as the Underwriters shall specify no later than the second Business Day preceding the additional time of purchase.  For the purpose of expediting the checking of the certificates

for the Additional Shares by the Underwriters, the Company agrees to make such certificates available to the Underwriters for such purpose at DTC or its designated custodian at least one full Business Day preceding the additional time of purchase.

4.             Representations and Warranties .  The Company and the Underwriters agree as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time referred to in Section 4(b) hereof, and as of the time of purchase provided in Section 2 hereof, as follows:

(a)           Status as a Well-Known Seasoned Issuer. (A) At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of 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) of the 1933 Act Regulations) made any offer relating to the Shares in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations and (D) at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”), including not having been and not being an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405.  The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, and the Shares, since their registration on the Registration Statement, have been and remain eligible for registration by the Company on a Rule 405 “automatic shelf registration statement”.  The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form.

(b)           The Original Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”) on April 26, 2006, and any post-effective amendment thereto also became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e).  No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Shares made prior to the filing of the Original Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the Securities Act provided by Rule 163.

At the respective times the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations and at the time of purchase, the Registration Statement complied and will comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, and did not and 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; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the information concerning the Underwriters furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters expressly for use therein;

Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the time of purchase, included or will include an

untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the information concerning the Underwriters furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters expressly for use therein;.

Each preliminary prospectus (including the prospectus or prospectuses filed as part of the Original Registration Statement or any amendment thereto) complied as to form when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

As of the Applicable Time (as defined below), neither (i) any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time and the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below) and the information included on Schedule B hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (ii) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted 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; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the information concerning the Underwriters furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters expressly for use therein;.

As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:

“Applicable Time” means 9:30 AM (Eastern time) on September 26, 2006 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Underwriters

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Shares that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Shares or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule C hereto.

“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Shares that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.

(c)           Any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Shares or until any earlier date that the

Company notified or notifies the Representatives, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified and the Company has not made any prior offer relating to the Shares that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission.

(d)           The documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the 1933 Act Regulations or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), as applicable, and when read together with the information in the Prospectus (1) at the time the Original Registration Statement became effective, (2) at the earlier of the time the Prospectus was issued and first used and the date and time of the first contract of sale of Shares in this offering and (3) at the time of purchase, none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information concerning the Underwriters furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriters expressly for use therein;

(e)           Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement, that singly or in the aggregate could be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”); and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company that constitutes a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X (each such significant subsidiary, a “Subsidiary”), or any Material Adverse Effect or any development involving a Material Adverse Effect, in any such case, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement;

(f)            The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property (other than as specifically described in the Registration Statement) and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects, except for the related mortgage indebtedness described in the Registration Statement and such other liens, encumbrances and defects as are described in the Registration Statement or such as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease (other than ground leases referred to above) by the Company and its subsidiaries that are described in the Registration Statement are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries;

(g)           The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own

its properties and other assets and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction; each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization; each Subsidiary and its jurisdiction of organization is set forth on Schedule 1(g) hereto; each of the Company’s subsidiaries has power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and other assets and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity, as the case may be, for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction;

(h)           The Company has an authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description of the stock contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Description of Capital Stock” or in the documents incorporated by reference into the Prospectus; and all of the issued shares of capital stock, partnership interests or membership interests of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except for directors’ qualifying shares) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except such as are described in the Registration Statement or such as do not materially interfere with the ownership thereof by the Company and its subsidiaries in each case, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect;

(i)            The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable, will conform to the description of the Common Stock contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and will not be subject to any preemptive rights of any security holder of the Company; no holder of Shares will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the issuance, sale or offering of the Shares by the Company will not give rise to any options to purchase, or any preemptive or other rights or warrants to subscribe for, or any obligations or commitments of the Company to issue, sell, convert, exchange or register with the Commission any shares of stock, warrants, convertible securities or obligations of the Company or any shares of stock of or membership interests or partnership interests in any subsidiary or any such warrants, convertible securities or obligations;

(j)            The issue and sale of the Shares by the Company and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, except for such conflicts, breaches, violations or defaults that could not be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or bylaws of the Company or (iii) result in any violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except for such violations that could not be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or

qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the Securities Act of the Shares and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications (i) as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters, (ii) as may be required pursuant to the listing requirements of the NYSE, (iii) as have already been obtained;

(k)           Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter, bylaws or similar organizational document or (ii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except, in the case of this clause (ii), for such defaults that could not be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;

(l)            Other than as set forth in the Registration Statement, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property or other assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;

(m)          The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be required to be registered as, an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);

(n)           Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and certain properties acquired by the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act;

(o)           The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns which have been required to be filed (except in any case in which the failure to so file would not result in a Material Adverse Effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against them, to the extent that any of the foregoing would otherwise be delinquent, except, in all cases, for any such tax, assessment, fine or penalty that is being contested in good faith and except in any case in which the failure to so pay would not result in a Material Adverse Effect;

(p)           Commencing with the Company’s taxable year ended December 31, 1996, the Company has been, and upon the sale of the Shares will be, organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a “real estate investment trust” (a “REIT”) under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”); the proposed method of operation of the Company as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will enable the Company to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code; the Company intends to continue to operate in a manner which would permit it to qualify as a REIT under the Code; and the Company has no present intention of changing its operations or engaging in activities which would cause it to fail to qualify, or make economically undesirable its continued qualification, as a REIT;

(q)           Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Company has no knowledge of (i) the presence of any hazardous substances, hazardous materials, toxic substances or hazardous or toxic wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) on any of the properties owned by it in violation of law or in excess of regulatory action levels that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or

(ii) any unlawful spills, releases, discharges or disposal of Hazardous Materials that have occurred or are presently occurring on or from such properties as a result of any construction on or operation and use of such properties, which presence or occurrence could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and in connection with the construction on or operation and use of the properties owned by the Company, it has no knowledge of any failure to comply with all applicable local, state and federal environmental laws, regulations, agency requirements, ordinances and administrative and judicial orders that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

(r)            The consolidated financial statements of the Company, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, set forth or included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly present in all material respects the financial condition of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries 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 or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects 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; in addition, to the extent applicable, the pro forma financial statements of the Company, and the related notes thereto, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein, have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines with respect to pro forma financial statements and have been properly compiled on the basis described therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein; furthermore, all financial statements required by Rule 3-14 of Regulation S-X (“Rule 3-14”) have been included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and any such financial statements are in conformity with the requirements of Rule 3-14; and no other financial statements are required to be set forth or to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus under the Securities Act;

(s)           The Company has not relied upon the Underwriters or legal counsel for the Underwriters for any legal, tax or accounting advice in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares, except with respect to the Blue Sky survey prepared by legal counsel for the Underwriters;

(t)            The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to material assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for material assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any material differences;

(u)           As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, the Company’s principal executive officer, principal financial officers, or other persons performing similar functions, have evaluated, as of June 30, 2006, the design and operations of the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company.  Based on this evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures effectively ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s filings and submissions with the Commission under the Exchange Act, is

accumulated and communicated to our management (including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer) and is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the Commission. In addition, there have not been any significant changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that could significantly affect the Company’s internal control over financial reporting since June 30, 2006.

(v)           any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on the Company’s own research or derived from external sources that, in either case, the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required;

(w)          During the period of at least the last 12 calendar months prior to the date of this Agreement, the Company has timely filed with the Commission all documents and other material required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13, 14 and 15(d) under the Exchange Act; during the period of at least the last 12 calendar months preceding the filing of the Registration Statement, the Company has filed all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13, 14 and 15(d) under the Exchange Act; and as of the date of this Agreement, the aggregate market value of the Company’s voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the Company was equal to or greater than $700 million;

(x)            The Company has not taken, 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 any stock of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Shares; and

(y)           To the Company’s knowledge after due inquiry, the Company and its directors and officers, in their respective capacities as such, are in compliance with all presently applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(z)            The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Securities Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Shares.

5.             Certain Covenants of the Company .  The Company hereby covenants and agrees with the Underwriters:

(a)           Subject to Section 5(b), to comply with the requirements of Rule 430B and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Shares shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of a new registration statement relating to the Shares or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or such new registration statement relating to the Shares or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a

proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Shares.  The Company will effect the filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus.  The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.  The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) (i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Securities Act (including, if applicable, by updating the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b));

(b)           To give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Shares or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any preliminary prospectus (including any prospectus included in the Original Registration Statement or amendment thereto at the time it became effective) or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company has given the Representatives notice of any filings made pursuant to the Exchange Act or 1934 Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time; the Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

(c)           Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Underwriters may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;

(d)           Prior to noon, New York City time, on the Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement (or prior to 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on such next Business Day if the time of purchase is the fourth Business Day following the date of this Agreement) and from time to time thereafter, to furnish the Underwriters with copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as the Underwriters may reasonably request.  The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, the Exchange Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Shares as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus.  If at any time when a prospectus is required by the Securities Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or to file a new registration statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 5(b),

such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, the Company will use its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement filed so as to cause it to become effective as soon as practical and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.  If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus 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 Sta