Mortgage Pass-Through
Certificates, Series 2006-D
|
$168,489,000
Class A-1 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$60,662,000
Class A-2 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$32,514,000
Class A-3 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$41,560,000
Class M-1 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$23,110,000
Class M-2 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$6,150,000
Class M-3 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$6,150,000
Class M-4 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$3,727,000
Class M-5 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
$5,404,000
Class M-6 Certificates Variable Pass-Through Rate
|
Popular ABS, Inc.
Depositor
Equity One, Inc.
Servicer
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
September 14, 2006
Deutsche Bank
Securities Inc.
Greenwich
Capital Markets, Inc.
Greenwich,
Connecticut 06830
Popular ABS, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“ Depositor ”), a wholly owned
subsidiary of Equity One, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“
Equity One ”), proposes to sell $352,146,000
aggregate principal amount of Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates,
Series 2006-D, described in Schedule I hereto (the “
Offered Certificates ”) to you (the “
Underwriters ”). The Offered Certificates,
together with the Class B-1, Class B-2, Class B-3, Class X and
Class R Certificates, are to be issued pursuant to a Pooling and
Servicing Agreement (the “ Pooling and Servicing
Agreement ”) dated as of September 1, 2006, among
the Depositor, Equity One, as servicer, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.,
a national banking association, as trustee (the “
Trustee ”), and each of the Sellers named
therein, and the Depositor proposes to sell the Offered
Certificates to the Underwriters. The Offered Certificates are
described more fully in a registration statement which the
Depositor has furnished to the Underwriters. This is to confirm the
arrangements with respect to your purchase of the Offered
Certificates. To the extent not defined herein, capitalized terms
used herein have the meanings assigned in the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement.
The Offered Certificates will evidence
fractional undivided interests in the property held in trust for
the holders of such Offered Certificates (the “
Trust ”). The assets of the Trust will
include, among other things, a pool of fixed- and adjustable-rate
mortgage loans identified as of the close of business on September
1, 2006 (the “ Loans ”) secured by
first liens on one- to four-family dwellings, and such amounts as
may be held by the Trustee in any accounts held by the Trustee for
the Trust. The aggregate undivided interest in the Trust
represented by the Offered Certificates initially will be equal to
approximately $347,766,000 of principal. The “
Cut-Off Date ” for the Loans is the close of
business on September 1, 2006. A form of the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement (hereinafter defined).
Elections will be made to treat certain assets
of the Trust (as defined below) (exclusive of the Net WAC Cap
Account, the Final Maturity Reserve Fund, the Swap Account, the Cap
Account, the Swap Agreement and the Cap Agreement, each as defined
below) as one or more “real estate mortgage investment
conduits” (each, a “ REMIC ”)
for federal income tax purposes creating a tiered REMIC structure.
The Offered Certificates, the Class B-1,
Class B-2 and Class B-3 Certificates and the Class X Certificates
will represent beneficial ownership of “regular
interests” in a REMIC and the Class R Certificates will
represent beneficial ownership of “residual interests”
in one or more REMICs.
Pursuant to the Pooling and Servicing Agreement,
the Depositor will transfer to the Trust on the Closing Date all of
its right, title and interest in and to the Loans as of the Cut-Off
Date (including (i) all prepayments, liquidation proceeds,
insurance proceeds and other unscheduled payments received on or
receivable on or with respect to the Loans on the Cut-Off Date and
(ii) all payments on the Loans received after the Cut-Off Date
other than amounts received after the Cut-off Date in respect of
principal and interest due on the Loans on or before the Cut-Off
Date) and the collateral securing each such Loan.
The Trustee, on behalf of the Holders of the
Class A-1, Class A-2, Class A-3, Class M-1, Class M-2, Class M-3,
Class M-4, Class M-5, Class M-6, Class B-1, Class B-2 and Class B-3
Certificates (collectively, the “ Hedged
Certificates ”), will enter into an interest rate
swap agreement (the “ Swap Agreement
”) with Deutsche Bank AG dated on or about September 28,
2006. Pursuant to its terms, the Swap Agreement will make payments
from time to time into a reserve account (the “ Swap
Account ”) established on the Closing Date for
purposes of covering shortfalls in principal and interest on the
Loans and basis risk on the Hedged Certificates. The Trustee, on
behalf of the Holders of the Hedged Certificates, will enter into a
cap agreement (the “ Cap Agreement ”)
with Deutsche Bank AG dated on or about September 28, 2006.
Pursuant to its terms, the Cap Agreement will make payments from
time to time into a reserve account (the “ Cap
Account ”) established on the Closing Date for
purposes of covering shortfalls in principal and interest on the
Loans and basis risk on the Hedged Certificates.
This Underwriting Agreement and the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement are referred to collectively herein as the
“ Agreements ”.
1.
Representations and Warranties of
the Depositor and Equity One . Each of the Depositor and Equity One
represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Underwriters as
set forth below in this Section 1.
(a) The Depositor has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “ Commission
”) a registration statement (No. 333-129704) on Form S-3 for
the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“ Act ”), of asset backed securities
(issuable in series), which registration statement, as amended to
the date hereof, has become effective. As of the date hereof and as
of the Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of
such registration statement has been issued and no proceedings for
that purpose have been initiated or, to the Depositor’s
knowledge, threatened by the Commission. Such registration
statement, as amended to the date of this Agreement, meets the
requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Act, complies
with Form S-3 and complies in all other material respects with such
Rule. The Depositor proposes to file with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(b) under the Act a supplement dated on or about the
date of such filing to the prospectus dated September 13, 2006
relating to the Offered Certificates and the method of distribution
thereof and has previously advised the Underwriters of all further
information (financial and other) with respect to the Offered
Certificates to be set forth therein. Such registration statement,
including the exhibits thereto, as amended to the date hereof, is
hereinafter called the “ Registration
Statement ”; such prospectus dated September 13,
2006, in the form in which it will be filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act is hereinafter called the
“ Basic Prospectus ”; such supplement
dated on or about the date of such filing to the Basic Prospectus,
in the form in which it will be filed with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the “
Prospectus Supplement ”; and the Basic
Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement together are hereinafter
called the “ Prospectus .” Any
preliminary form of the Prospectus Supplement which has been or
will be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Act is hereinafter
called a “ Preliminary Prospectus Supplement
.” “ Effective Date ” shall mean
the date the Registration Statement became effective. “
Execution Time ” shall mean the date and
time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties
hereto. Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the
Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the
Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to
and include the material and documents incorporated by reference
therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 which were filed under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act ”), on or before the Effective
Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Basic
Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus
Supplement or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference
herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or
“supplement” with respect to the Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus shall be
deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the
Exchange Act after the Effective Date of the Registration
Statement, or the issue date of the Basic Prospectus, any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement or the
Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein
by reference.
(b) On the Effective Date, as of the date of the
Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, as of the
date hereof and as of the Closing Date, the Registration Statement
did, and when the Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the
Act and on the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3 below),
the Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement will,
comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of
the Act and the Exchange Act and the respective rules thereunder.
On the Effective Date and as of the date hereof, the Registration
Statement did 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 on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) under
the Act and on the Closing Date the Prospectus (including any
Static Pool Data referred to therein as part of the Prospectus) and
any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement (including any Static Pool
Data referred to therein as part of such Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement) will not include 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 the light
of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
provided , however , that neither the Depositor nor
Equity One makes any representations or warranties as to the
information contained in or omitted from (x) the Underwriter
Information furnished to the Depositor by the Underwriters and
(y) any Derived Information set forth in any Marketing
Materials (as defined in Section 9 below), or in any amendment
thereof or supplement thereto, incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement except to the extent such Derived Information
results from an error or omission in any Seller-Provided
Information (as defined in Section 9 below).
(d) No consent, approval, authorization or order of,
or filing with, any court or governmental agency or body is
required to be obtained or made by Equity One, the Depositor or any
Seller for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement except (A) such as have been obtained or made, (B)
such as may be required under the state securities laws of any
jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of
the Offered Certificates by the Underwriter and (C) recordations of
assignments of Mortgages to the Trustee (to the extent required
under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement) that have not been
completed.
(e) None of Equity One, the Depositor or any Seller
is in violation of its charter or bylaws or in default in the
performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or
condition contained in any agreement or instrument to which it is a
party or by which it or its properties is bound that would have a
material adverse effect on its ability to perform its obligations
hereunder or the transactions contemplated herein or in the Pooling
and Servicing Agreement. The execution, delivery and performance of
the Agreements and the issuance and sale of the Offered
Certificates and compliance with the terms and provisions thereof
will not result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and
provisions of, or constitute a default under, any statute, rule,
regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court
having jurisdiction over any of Equity One, the Depositor or any
Seller or any of their properties or any agreement or instrument to
which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to
which any of the properties of any of them is subject or the
charter or by-laws of any of them, and each of them has full power
and authority to authorize, issue and sell the Offered Certificates
as contemplated by the Agreements.
(f) The final computer tape of the Loans created
with actual principal balances as of the close of business on
August 31, 2006 (giving effect to scheduled payments of principal
and interest due on September 1, 2006, whether or not those
scheduled payments have been made) and made available to you by
Equity One and the Depositor, was complete and accurate as of the
date thereof and includes a description of the Loans that are
described in the Prospectus Supplement and any Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement.
(g) Any taxes, fees and other governmental charges
in connection with the execution, delivery and issuance of this
Agreement and the Pooling and Servicing Agreement or the execution,
delivery and sale of the Offered Certificates have been or will be
paid at or prior to the Closing Date, to the extent then due and
payable.
(h) Immediately prior to the assignment of the Loans
to the Trustee as contemplated by the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement, the Depositor (i) will have good title to, and will
be the sole owner of, each related Loan and the other property
purported to be transferred by it to the Trustee pursuant to the
Pooling and Servicing Agreement free and clear of any pledge,
mortgage, lien, security interest or other encumbrance
(collectively, “ Liens ”),
(ii) will not have assigned to any person any of its right,
title or interest in such Loans or property or in the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement, and (iii) will have the power and
authority to sell such Loans and property to the Trustee, and upon
the execution and delivery of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement
by the Trustee, on behalf of the Certificateholders, the Trustee
will have acquired all of the Depositor’s or the Seller(s),
as the case may be, right, title and interest in and to such Loans
and property free and clear of any Lien.
(i) All actions required to be taken by the
Depositor and Equity One as a condition to the offer and sale of
the Offered Certificates as described herein or the consummation of
any of the transactions described in the Prospectus or any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement have been or, prior to the
Closing Date, will be taken.
(j) The representations and warranties of each of
the Sellers, the Depositor and Equity One in (or incorporated in)
the Pooling and Servicing Agreement and made in any Officers’
Certificate of the Sellers, the Depositor or Equity One delivered
pursuant to the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, will be true and
correct at the time made and on and as of the Closing Date as if
set forth herein.
(k) None of the Depositor or any Seller will grant,
assign, pledge or transfer to any Person a security interest in, or
any other right, title or interest in, the Loans, except as
provided in the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, and each will take
all action necessary in order to maintain the security interest in
the Loans granted pursuant to the Pooling and Servicing Agreement,
as applicable.
(l) There are no actions, proceedings or
investigations pending, or to the best knowledge of either the
Depositor or Equity One, threatened against the Sellers, the
Depositor or Equity One before any court or before any governmental
authority, arbitration board, administrative agency or tribunal (a)
which, if adversely determined, could materially and adversely
affect, either in the individual or in the aggregate, the financial
position, business, operations or prospects of the Sellers, the
Depositor or Equity One, (b) asserting the invalidity of the
Agreements or the Offered Certificates, (c) seeking to prevent the
issuance of the Offered Certificates or the consummation by the
Depositor, Equity One or any Seller of any of the transactions
contemplated by any of the Agreements or (d) which, if adversely
determined, could reasonably be expected to materially and
adversely affect the performance by the Depositor, Equity One or
any Seller of its respective obligations under, or the validity or
enforceability of, any of the Agreements or the Offered
Certificates.
(m) The Depositor is not an “ineligible
issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Act.
(n) Since the respective dates as of which
information is given in the Prospectus or any Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement, there has not been any material adverse
change in the general affairs, management, financial condition, or
results of operations of Equity One or any Seller, other than as
set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus or any Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement as supplemented or amended as of the Closing
Date.
(o) Each of the Depositor, Equity One and each
Seller has been duly incorporated or formed, as the case may be,
and is validly existing as a corporation or a limited liability
company, as the case may be, in good standing under the laws of the
state of its incorporation or formation, as the case may be, is
duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign
corporation or a limited liability company in each jurisdiction in
which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its
business requires such qualification and the failure to be so
qualified would have a material adverse effect on its financial
condition or operations, and has all power and authority necessary
to own or hold its properties, to conduct the business in which it
is engaged and to enter into and perform its obligations under the
Agreements and to cause the Offered Certificates to be
issued.
(p) Neither the Depositor nor the Trust created by
the Pooling and Servicing Agreement is an “investment
company” within the meaning of such term under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (the “ 1940 Act ”)
and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder.
(q) At the Closing Date, the Offered Certificates
and the Pooling and Servicing Agreement will conform in all
material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the
Prospectus.
(r) Any taxes, fees and other governmental charges
in connection with the execution, delivery and issuance of the
Agreements and the Offered Certificates have been paid or will be
paid at or prior to the Closing Date.
(s) Each of the Depositor, Equity One and the
Sellers possesses all material licenses, certificates, authorities
or permits issued by the appropriate State, Federal or foreign
regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now
conducted by it and as described in the Prospectus and any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, and none of the Depositor,
Equity One or any Seller has received notice of any proceedings
relating to the revocation or modification of any such license,
certificate, authority or permit which if decided adversely to any
such entity would, singly or in the aggregate, materially and
adversely affect the conduct of its business, operations or
financial condition.
(t) The Underwriting Agreement has been, and when
executed, the Pooling and Servicing Agreement will be, duly
authorized, executed and delivered by, and constitute legal, valid
and binding instruments enforceable against each of the Depositor
and Equity One in accordance with their respective terms (subject
to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer,
reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’
rights generally from time to time in effect).
Any certificate signed by an officer of the
Depositor, Equity One or any Seller and delivered to the
Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with an
offering of the Offered Certificates shall be deemed, a
representation and warranty as to the matters covered thereby to
each person to whom the representations and warranties in this
Section 1 are made.
2.
Purchase and Sale
. Subject to the terms and
conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties
herein set forth, the Depositor agrees to sell to the Underwriters,
and the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase
from the Depositor, the Offered Certificates, in the principal
amounts and at the purchase prices set forth in Schedule I
hereto.
3.
Delivery and Payment
. Delivery of and payment for the
Offered Certificates shall be made at 10:00 a.m. New York time, on
September 28, 2006 at the offices of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens &
Young, LLP, 2600 One Commerce Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19103, or such later time or date not later than five business days
thereafter as the Underwriters shall designate (such date and time
of delivery and payment for the Offered Certificates being herein
called the “ Closing Date ”). Delivery
of one or more global certificates evidencing the full principal
amount of each of the respective classes of Offered Certificates,
shall be made to the Underwriters, against payment by the
Underwriters of the purchase price thereof to the Depositor by wire
transfer in immediately available funds. The global certificates to
be so delivered to the Underwriters shall be registered in the name
of Cede & Co., as nominee for The Depository Trust Company
(“ DTC ”). The interest of beneficial
owners of the Offered Certificates will be represented by book
entries on the records of DTC and participating members thereof.
Definitive certificates evidencing the Offered Certificates will be
available only under limited circumstances.
The Depositor agrees to have the Offered
Certificates available for inspection, checking and packaging by
the Underwriters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, not later than 1:00
PM on the business day prior to the Closing Date.
4.
Offering by
Underwriters . It is
understood that the Underwriters propose to offer the Offered
Certificates for sale to the public (which may include selected
dealers) as set forth in the Prospectus.
5.
Agreements
. Each of Equity One and the
Depositor agrees with the Underwriters that:
(a) Prior to the termination of the offering of the
Offered Certificates, the Depositor will not file any amendment of
the Registration Statement any Prospectus or any Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement unless the Depositor has furnished the
Underwriters a copy for their review prior to filing and will not
file any such proposed amendment to which the Underwriters
reasonably object unless such filing is required by law. Subject to
the foregoing sentence, the Depositor will cause the Prospectus and
any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement to be filed with the
Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b)
under the Act within the time period prescribed and will provide
evidence satisfactory to the Underwriters of such timely filing.
The Depositor will promptly advise the Underwriters (i) when the
Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement shall have been
filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act,
(ii) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities,
any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed
or become effective, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any
amendment of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement 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 Depositor or the Trust of any
notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of
the Offered Certificates for sale in any jurisdiction or the
initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose, and
will use their 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 when a prospectus relating to
the Offered Certificates is required to be delivered under the Act,
any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus would include
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to
amend the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act or
the respective rules thereunder, the Depositor promptly will (i)
prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second
sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 5, an amendment which
will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance
and (ii) supply any amended Prospectus to the Underwriters in such
quantities as you may reasonably request.
(c) The Depositor will furnish to the Underwriters
and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, copies of the
Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and, so long as
delivery of a prospectus or any preliminary prospectus supplement
by the Underwriters or a dealer may be required by the Act, as many
copies of any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus
as the Underwriters may reasonably request. The Depositor will pay
the expenses of printing or other production of all documents
relating to the offering.
(d) The Depositor will cooperate, when and if
requested by the Underwriters at Depositor’s sole expense, in
the qualification of the Offered Certificates for sale under the
laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may designate and
will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for
the distribution of the Offered Certificates; provided ,
however , that the Depositor 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) As soon as practicable, the Depositor will cause
the Trust Fund to make generally available to the
Certificateholders and to the Underwriters an earnings statement or
statements of the Trust Fund which will satisfy the provisions of
Section 11(a) of the Act and will satisfy the requirements of
Rule 158 under the Act.
(h) The Depositor and Equity One will cooperate with
the Underwriters and use their best efforts to permit the Offered
Certificates to be eligible for clearance and settlement through
The Depository Trust Company.
(i) For a period from the date of this Agreement
until the retirement of the Offered Certificates, the Servicer will
deliver to the Underwriters the monthly servicing report, the
annual statements of compliance and the annual independent
certified public accountants’ attestations furnished to the
Trustee pursuant to the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, as soon as
such statements and attestations are furnished to the
Trustee.
(j) So long as any of the Offered Certificates are
outstanding, Equity One will furnish to the Underwriters
(i) as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year
all documents required to be distributed to holders of Offered
Certificates or filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange
Act or any order of the Commission thereunder and (ii) from time to
time, any other information concerning Equity One or the Depositor
filed with any government or regulatory authority that is otherwise
publicly available, as the Underwriters may reasonably
request.
(k) To the extent, if any, that the rating provided
with respect to the Offered Certificates by Moody’s or
S&P (collectively, the “ Rating Agencies
”) is conditional upon the furnishing of documents or the
taking of any actions by the Depositor, the Depositor shall furnish
such documents and take such actions.
(l) Until 30 days following the Closing Date,
neither the Depositor nor any trust or other entity originated,
directly or indirectly, by the Depositor or Equity One will,
without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, offer, sell
or contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, directly or
indirectly, or announce the offering of, any asset-backed
securities collateralized by mortgage loans (other than the Offered
Certificates).
6.
Conditions to the Obligations of
the Underwriters . The
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Offered
Certificates shall be subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties on the part of Equity One and the
Depositor contained herein as of the Execution Time and the Closing
Date, to the accuracy of the statements of Equity One and the
Depositor made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions
hereof, to the performance by each of Equity One and the Depositor
of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional
conditions:
(a) The Registration Statement shall have become
effective no later than the date hereof, and no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall
have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have
been instituted or threatened, and the Prospectus and any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement shall have been filed pursuant to
Rule 424(b) under the Act.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received the opinion
of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP, counsel for Equity
One and the Depositor, dated the Closing Date, to the effect
that:
(i) Each of the Depositor and Equity One is a
corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of the
state of its incorporation with all corporate power and authority
necessary to own or hold its properties, to conduct its business as
described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its
obligations under this Agreement and the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement and is duly qualified to do business where its ownership
or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such
qualification.
(ii) The Pooling and Servicing Agreement has been
duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and constitutes a
legal, valid and binding instrument enforceable against each of the
Depositor and Equity One in accordance with its terms (subject to
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer,
reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’
rights generally from time to time in effect) (such opinion may
also state that the enforceability of the obligations of Equity One
and the Depositor is subject to general principles of equity
(regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a
proceeding in equity or at law)).
(iii) The Offered Certificates, the Class X
Certificates and the Class R Certificates have been duly authorized
and, when executed and authenticated in accordance with the
provisions of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement and delivered to
and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will
be validly issued and outstanding and will be entitled to the
benefits of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
(iv) To the knowledge of such counsel, there is no
pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding before any court
or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator
involving Equity One, the Depositor, any Seller or any of their
subsidiaries, of a character required to be disclosed in the
Registration Statement which is not adequately disclosed in the
Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, and there is
no material contract or other document of a character required to
be described in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, or to be filed as an exhibit to
the Registration Statement, which is not described or filed as
required.
(v) The Certificates and the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement conform in all material respects to the descriptions
thereof contained in the Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement.
(vi) The Registration Statement has become effective
under the Act; any required filing of the Basic Prospectus, any
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement and
the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act has been
made in the manner and within the time period required by
Rule 424(b) under the Act; to the knowledge of such counsel,
no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement has been issued, no proceedings for that purpose have
been instituted or threatened, and the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus (other than (A) Computational Materials, the
financial statements and other financial and statistical
information contained therein, (B) the interest rate swaps or other
derivatives and Underwriter Information and (C) any description
therein of any third party provider of credit enhancement, each as
to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in
all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act,
the Exchange Act and the respective rules thereunder; and such
counsel has no reason to believe that at the Effective Date the
Registration Statement contain
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