Exhibit 1.1
CAPITAL ONE AUTO FINANCE,
INC.
CAPITAL ONE AUTO RECEIVABLES,
LLC
Capital One Auto Finance Trust
2006-C
UNDERWRITING
AGREEMENT
November 9, 2006
Wachovia Capital Markets,
LLC
Banc of America Securities
LLC
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
as Representatives of the several
Underwriters (the “ Representatives
”)
c/o Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
One Wachovia Center
301 South College Street
NC 0610
Charlotte, NC 28288-0610
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Section 1.
Introductory.
Capital One Auto Receivables, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (the “ Seller
”) and Capital One Auto Finance, Inc., a Texas corporation,
(“ COAF ”), confirm their agreement with the
Representatives and the other underwriters named in the applicable
Terms Agreement (collectively, the “ Underwriters
”) as follows:
The Seller proposes to sell to the
Underwriters the notes of the classes designated in the applicable
Terms Agreement (as hereinafter defined) (the “ Notes
”). The Notes are to be issued by Capital One Auto Finance
Trust 2006-C, a Delaware statutory trust (the “ Issuer
”) under the Indenture (the “ Indenture
”), dated as of the Closing Date, between the Issuer and The
Bank of New York, as indenture trustee (the “ Indenture
Trustee ”).
The Notes will be collateralized by
the Trust Estate (as defined below). The assets of the Issuer (the
“ Trust Estate ”) consist of all money,
accounts, chattel paper, general intangibles, goods, instruments,
investment property and other property of the Issuer, including
without limitation (i) the Receivables acquired by the Issuer
under the Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of the Closing
Date, by and among the Seller, the Issuer, COAF and the Indenture
Trustee (the “ Sale and Servicing Agreement ”),
(ii) the Receivable Files, (iii) the security interests
in the Financed Vehicles and all Certificates of Title in the
Financed Vehicles, (iv) any proceeds from claims on any
Insurance Policy and refunds in connection with extended service
agreements relating to Receivables which became Defaulted
Receivables after the applicable Cut-Off Date, (v) any other
property securing the Receivables, (vi) the rights of the
Issuer to the funds on deposit from time to time in the Trust
Accounts and any other account or accounts established
pursuant to the Indenture or Sale and Servicing
Agreement and all cash, investment property and other property from
time to time credited thereto and all proceeds thereof (including
investment earnings, net of losses and investment expenses, on
amounts on deposit therein), (vii) the rights of the Seller,
as buyer, under the Purchase Agreement, (viii) rights under
the Sale and Servicing Agreement, the Limited Guaranty and the
Interest Rate Swap Agreement and (ix) all proceeds of the
foregoing.
The Receivables and related property
will be conveyed to the Seller by COAF pursuant to the Purchase
Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, between the Seller and
COAF (the “ Purchase Agreement ”) and will be
conveyed to the Issuer by the Seller pursuant to the Sale and
Servicing Agreement.
On the Closing Date, the Issuer will
enter into an interest rate swap agreement with the Initial Swap
Counterparty to hedge the floating interest rate on the
Class A-3-B and the Class A-4 Notes (the “ Swap
Agreement ”).
On the Closing Date the Note Insurer
will issue a note guaranty insurance policy (the “ Note
Insurance Policy ”) guaranteeing certain payments due in
respect of the Notes.
The terms of the Notes are set forth
in the Registration Statement (as defined below) and the related
Prospectus (as defined below), as supplemented by a Prospectus
Supplement (as defined below).
Capitalized terms used herein but
not defined herein or in the Terms Agreement (as defined below)
shall have the meanings given such terms in Appendix A to
the Sale and Servicing Agreement.
The Seller has prepared and filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
Commission ”) in accordance with the provisions of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations
of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “ Act
”), a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (having the
registration number 333-128722), including a form of prospectus,
relating to the Notes. The registration statement as amended has
been declared effective by the Commission not more than three years
prior to the date hereof. If any post-effective amendment has been
filed with respect thereto, prior to the execution and delivery of
the applicable Terms Agreement, the most recent such amendment has
been declared effective by the Commission. Such registration
statement, as amended at the time of effectiveness, including all
material incorporated by reference therein and including all
information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration
statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430B under
the Act, is referred to in this Agreement as the “
Registration Statement. ” The Company proposes to file
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act (“
Rule 424(b) ”) a supplement (such supplement, together
with any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, is hereinafter
referred to as the “ Prospectus Supplement ”) to
the prospectus included in the Registration Statement (such
prospectus, together with any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto, in the form it appears in the Registration Statement or in
the form most recently revised and filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) is hereinafter referred to as the “
Basic Prospectus ”) relating to the Notes and the
method of distribution thereof. The Basic Prospectus and the
Prospectus Supplement is hereinafter referred to as the “
Prospectus . ”
Prior to the date and time of the
first Contract of Sale (as defined below) for the Notes designated
in the Terms Agreement (the “ Time of Sale ”),
the Seller had prepared a preliminary prospectus, dated
November 13, 2006 (subject to completion). As used herein,
“ Preliminary Prospectus ” means, with respect
to any date or time referred to herein, the most recent preliminary
Prospectus (as such preliminary Prospectus may be amended or
supplemented), which has been prepared and delivered by the Seller
to the Underwriters in accordance with the provisions
hereof.
Pursuant to this Agreement and the
Terms Agreement, among COAF, the Seller and the Representatives, a
form of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “ Terms
Agreement ”), which incorporates by reference this
Underwriting Agreement (the “ Agreement ,” which
shall include the applicable Terms Agreement if the context so
requires), and subject to the terms hereof and thereof, the Seller
agrees to sell to the Underwriters named in such Terms Agreement,
for whom you are acting as the Representatives the Notes identified
in such Terms Agreement.
Section 2.
Representations and Warranties
of the Seller and COAF.
Each of the Seller and COAF
severally represents and warrants (as to itself) to the
Underwriters, as of the date hereof (unless specified otherwise)
and as of the Closing Date, as follows:
(a)(i) The Seller has prepared and
filed the Registration Statement with the Commission in accordance
with the provisions of the Act, including a form of prospectus,
relating to the Notes. The registration statement as amended has
been declared effective by the Commission. The conditions to the
use of a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Act, as set
forth in the General Instructions to Form S-3, and the conditions
of Rule 415 under the Act, have been satisfied with respect to the
Registration Statement. No stop order suspending the effectiveness
of the Registration Statement has been issued, and no proceeding
for that purpose has been instituted or threatened by the
Commission.
(ii) As of the Closing Date, the
Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the
Prospectus, except with respect to any modification to which the
Representatives have agreed in writing, shall be in all substantive
respects in the form furnished to the Representatives or its
counsel before such date or, to the extent not completed on such
date, shall contain only such specific additional information and
other changes (beyond that contained in the latest Preliminary
Prospectus that has previously been furnished to the
Representatives) as the Seller or COAF has advised the
Representatives, before such time, will be included or made
therein.
(iii) On the most recent effective
date of the Registration Statement, the Registration Statement
conformed in all material respects with the applicable requirements
of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and did not 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 not misleading and, on the Closing Date, the
Registration Statement and, on the date hereof and on the Closing
Date, the Prospectus
will conform in all material respects with the
applicable requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations,
and (x) the Registration Statement will not 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 not misleading and (y) the Prospectus and the
Designated Static Pool Information (as defined below), taken
together, will not contain any 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, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
provided , however , that the foregoing does not
apply to (I) that part of the Registration Statement which
constitutes the Statements of Eligibility of Qualification (Form
T-1) of the Indenture Trustee or other indenture trustees under the
Trust Indenture Act, (II) Underwriter Information (as defined in
Section 8(b) hereof) or (III) information contained in or
omitted from either the Registration Statement or the Prospectus
based upon written information furnished to the Seller or COAF by
the Note Insurer (hereinafter referred to as “ Note
Insurer Information ”) or the Swap Counterparty
(hereinafter referred to as “ Swap Counterparty
Information ”). As used herein the term “
Designated Static Pool Information ” shall mean the
static pool information referred to in the Preliminary Prospectus
and the Prospectus under the caption “The Receivables
Pool—Static Pool Information About Certain Previous
Securitizations” but deemed to be excluded from the
Registration Statement and Prospectus pursuant to Item 1105(d)
of Regulation AB.
(iv) The documents incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary
Prospectus, the Prospectus (other than documents filed by Persons
other than the Seller), when they became or become effective under
the Act or were or are filed with the Commission under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act ”), as the case may be, conformed or will
conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Act
or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations
of the Commission thereunder.
(v) The Preliminary Prospectus at
the Time of Sale did not, and at the Closing Date will not, 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 light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading (it being understood that no
representation or warranty is made with respect to the omission of
pricing and price-dependent information, which information shall
appear in the final Prospectus but not in the Preliminary
Prospectus); provided , however , that this
representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or
omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
contained in or omitted from either the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus based upon Underwriter Information (as defined in
Section 8(b) hereof).
(vi) Other than the Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Issuer (including its agents and
representatives other than the Underwriters in their capacity as
such) has not made, used, prepared, authorized, approved or
referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or
refer to any “written communication”, including any
“free writing prospectus”, (each as defined in Rule 405
under the Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of
any offer to buy the Notes.
(b) The Seller or COAF, as
applicable, has been duly organized and is validly existing as a
Delaware limited liability company or Texas corporation,
respectively, in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction
of organization. The Seller or COAF, as applicable, has, in all
material respects, full power and authority to execute, deliver and
perform its obligations under this Underwriting Agreement, the
Terms Agreement and each Transaction Document to which it is a
party, own its properties and conduct its business as described in
the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, is duly qualified to
do business and is in good standing (or is exempt from such
requirements), and has obtained all necessary material licenses and
approvals (except with respect to the securities laws of any
foreign jurisdiction or the state securities or Blue Sky laws of
various jurisdictions), in each jurisdiction in which failure to so
qualify or obtain such licenses and approvals would have a material
adverse effect on the interests of holders of the Notes. The Seller
has full power and authority to cause the Issuer to issue the
Notes.
(c) The execution, delivery and
performance by the Seller or COAF, as applicable, of this
Underwriting Agreement, the Terms Agreement and each Transaction
Document to which it is a party, and the issuance and sale of the
Notes, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby, have been duly authorized by all necessary limited
liability company or corporate action on the part of the Seller or
COAF, respectively. Neither the execution and delivery by the
Seller or COAF, as applicable, of such instruments, nor the
performance by the Seller or COAF, respectively, of the
transactions herein or therein contemplated, nor the compliance by
the Seller or COAF, as applicable, with the provisions hereof or
thereof, will (i) conflict with or result in a breach of any
of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any
of the provisions of the limited liability company agreement,
certificate of formation, Articles of Incorporation or By-laws, as
applicable, of such entity, (ii) result in a material conflict
with any of the provisions of any judgment, decree or order binding
on the Seller or COAF, as applicable, or its properties,
(iii) conflict with any of the provisions of any material
indenture, mortgage, agreement, contract or other instrument to
which the Seller or COAF, as applicable, is a party or by which it
is bound, (iv) conflict with, contravene or constitute a
violation of any law, statute, ordinance, rule or regulation to
which it is subject, or (v) result in the creation or
imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any of the
Seller’s or COAF’s, as applicable, property pursuant to
the terms of any such indenture, mortgage, contract or other
instrument.
(d) The Seller or COAF, as
applicable, has duly executed and delivered this Underwriting
Agreement and, as of the Closing Date, has duly executed and
delivered each Transaction Document to which it is a party and, as
of the date thereof, has duly executed and delivered the Terms
Agreement.
(e)(i) COAF has authorized the
conveyance of the Receivables and other related property to the
Seller; and (ii) the Seller has authorized the conveyance of
the Receivables and other related property to the
Issuer.
(f) Except as set forth in or
contemplated in the Prospectus or as has been publicly disclosed by
the Seller, COAF, or Capital One Financial Corporation (“
COFC ”), there has been no material adverse change in
the condition (financial or otherwise) of COAF or the Seller since
September 30, 2006 which would reasonably be expected to have
a material adverse effect on either
(A) the ability of COAF or the Seller to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or by the Terms
Agreement, or to perform its respective obligations hereunder or
under the Terms Agreement, or under any of the Transaction
Documents to which it is a party or (B) the
Receivables.
(g) Any taxes, fees and other
governmental charges in connection with the execution, delivery and
performance by the Seller or COAF of this Underwriting Agreement,
the Terms Agreement and each Transaction Document to which it is a
party shall have been paid or will be paid by the Seller or COAF,
as applicable, at or before the Closing Date to the extent then
due.
(h) The Notes, when validly issued
pursuant to the Indenture and sold to the Underwriters pursuant to
this Underwriting Agreement and the Terms Agreement will conform in
all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the
Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and will be validly
issued and entitled to the benefits and security afforded by the
Indenture. When executed and delivered by the parties thereto, each
of the Indenture and each Transaction Document to which the Seller
or COAF is a party will constitute the legal, valid and binding
obligation of the Seller or COAF, as applicable, enforceable
against such entity in accordance with its terms, except to the
extent that the enforceability thereof may be subject to
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership,
conservatorship, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter
in effect relating to creditors’ rights in general and to
general principles of equity. All approvals, authorizations,
consents, filings, orders or other actions of any person,
corporation or other organization, or of any court, governmental
agency or body or official (except with respect to the securities
laws of any foreign jurisdiction or the state securities or Blue
Sky laws of various jurisdictions), required in connection with the
valid and proper authorization, issuance and sale of the Notes
pursuant to this Underwriting Agreement, the Terms Agreement and
the Indenture have been or will be taken or obtained on or before
the Closing Date. As of the Closing Date, the Issuer’s pledge
of the Trust Estate to the Indenture Trustee pursuant to the
Indenture will vest in the Indenture Trustee, for the benefit of
the Noteholders, the Swap Counterparty and the Note Insurer, a
first priority perfected security interest therein, subject to no
prior lien, mortgage security interest, pledge, adverse claim,
charge or other encumbrance, except as may be permitted by the
terms of the Transaction Documents.
(i) Neither the Seller nor the
Issuer is now, and following the issuance of the Notes will be, an
“investment company” that is registered or required to
be registered under, or is otherwise subject to the restrictions
of, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “
1940 Act ”).
(j) Except for the Underwriters,
neither the Seller, the Issuer nor COAF has employed or retained a
broker, finder, commission agent or other person in connection with
the sale of the Notes, and neither the Seller, the Issuer nor COAF
is under any obligation to pay any broker’s fee or commission
in connection with such sale.
(k) As of the Closing Date, the
Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture
Act.
(l) Based on information currently
available to, and in the reasonable belief of, the management of
the Seller or COAF, as applicable, such entity is not engaged
(whether as defendant or otherwise) in, nor has such entity
knowledge of the existence of, or any threat of, any legal,
arbitration, administrative or other proceedings, the result of
which could reasonably have a material adverse effect on the
Noteholders.
(m) As of the Closing Date, the
representations and warranties (other than the representations and
warranties concerning the characteristics of the Receivables which
representations and warranties will be true and correct in all
material respects as of the date set forth in the applicable
Transaction Document) of the Seller, the Issuer or COAF (both in
its individual capacity and as Servicer), as applicable, in each
Transaction Document to which it is a party will be true and
correct in all material respects.
(n) As of the Closing Date, there
are no contracts or documents that are required to be filed as
exhibits to the Registration Statement that have not been so
filed.
(o) No Event of Default or Servicer
Termination Event, or an event which after any applicable grace
period or the giving of notice which would constitute an Event of
Default or Servicer Termination Event, has occurred.
(p) The Seller was not, on the date
on which the first bona fide offer of the Notes sold pursuant to
the Terms Agreement was made, an “ineligible issuer” as
defined in Rule 405 under the Act.
Section 3.
Purchase, Sale and Issuance of
Notes.
Subject to the terms and conditions
and in reliance upon the covenants, representations and warranties
set forth herein and in the Terms Agreement, the Seller agrees to
sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally
and not jointly, to purchase the respective Initial Note Balance of
the Notes set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in the
Terms Agreement. The Notes will bear interest at the applicable
rate set forth therein. The sale and purchase of the Notes shall
take place at a closing (the “ Closing ”) at the
offices of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, 71 South Wacker
Drive, 39 th Floor, Chicago, Illinois on the
closing date specified in the Terms Agreement (the “
Closing Date ”). The net purchase price for the Notes,
expressed as a percentage of the Initial Note Balance of the
applicable class of Notes, shall be as set forth in the Terms
Agreement. On the Closing Date, as consideration for the delivery
of the Notes as set forth in this Section 3, each Underwriter
agrees, severally and not jointly, to pay (or cause to be paid) the
net purchase price to an account to be designated by the Seller.
The underwriting discount to the Underwriters, the selling
concessions that the Underwriters may allow to certain dealers, and
the discounts that such dealers may reallow to certain other
dealers, each expressed as a percentage of the Initial Note Balance
of the applicable class of Notes, shall be as set forth in the
Terms Agreement. The Seller shall deliver (or shall cause the
Issuer to deliver) the Notes to the Representatives for the
respective accounts of the several Underwriters through the
facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“ DTC
”). The Notes shall be global notes registered in the name of
Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. The interests of
beneficial owners of the Notes will be represented by book entries
on the
records of DTC and participating members
thereof. The number and denominations of definitive notes so
delivered shall be as specified by DTC. The definitive notes for
the Notes will be made available for inspection by the
Representatives at the offices of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw
LLP, at the address set forth above, not later than 1:00 p.m.,
Chicago time on the Business Day before the Closing Date, or such
other date and time as the Representatives and the Seller may
agree.
Section 4.
Offering by
Underwriters.
(a) The Seller authorizes each
Underwriter to take all such action as it may deem advisable in
respect of all matters pertaining to sales of the Notes to dealers
and to retail purchasers and to member firms and specialists,
including the right to make variations in the selling arrangements
with respect to such sales. Subject to the satisfaction of the
conditions in Section 6, each Underwriter shall purchase the
Notes for resale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Prospectus. If the Prospectus specifies an initial public offering
price or a method by which the price at which such Notes are to be
sold, then after the Notes are released for sale to the public, the
Underwriters may vary from time to time the public offering price,
selling concessions and reallowances to dealers that are members of
the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (“
NASD ”) and other terms of sale hereunder and under
such selling arrangements.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing,
each Underwriter agrees that it has not and will not offer or sell
any Notes within the United States, its territories or possessions
or to persons who are citizens thereof or residents therein, except
in transactions that are not prohibited by any applicable
securities, bank regulatory or other applicable law.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing,
each Underwriter agrees that it has not and will not violate any
applicable securities laws in its offer or sale of any Notes within
any other country, its territories or possessions or to persons who
are citizens thereof or residents therein.
(d) Each Underwriter agrees
that:
(A) it has not offered or sold, and
prior to the date which is six months after the Closing Date, will
not offer or sell any Notes to persons in the United Kingdom except
to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring,
holding, managing, or disposing of investments (as principal or
agent) for the purposes of their businesses or otherwise in
circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an
offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the
Public Offers of Securities Regulations 1995, as amended (the
“ Regulations ”) and the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “ FSMA
”);
(B) it has only communicated or
caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be
communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment
activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA)
received by it in connection with the issue or sale of any Notes in
circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not
apply to the Issuer and shall procure that the Notes offered or
sold by it and its affiliates are not offered or sold in the United
Kingdom other than to persons authorised under the FSMA or to
persons otherwise having professional
experience in matters relating to
investments and qualifying as investment professionals under
Article 19 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
(Financial Promotion) Order 2001, as amended or to persons
qualifying as high net worth persons under Article 49 of that Order
or, if distributed in the United Kingdom by authorised persons,
only to persons qualifying as investment professionals under
Article 14 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
(Promotion of Collective Investment Schemes) (Exemptions) Order
2001 (“ CIS Order ”) or to persons qualifying as
high net worth persons under Article 22 of the CIS Order or to any
other person to whom the Notes may otherwise lawfully be offered or
to whom such invitation or inducement to engage in investment
activity in connection with the issue or sale of the Notes may
otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be
communicated;
(C) it has complied and will comply
with all applicable provisions of the Regulations and the FSMA with
respect to anything done by it in relation to the Notes in, from or
otherwise involving the United Kingdom; and
(D) after the Closing Date, it will
provide the Seller with a list of all foreign jurisdictions related
to any written confirmations of sale of Notes it has
sent.
(e) Each Underwriter agrees that
(i) if the Prospectus is not delivered with the confirmation
in reliance on Rule 172, it will include in every confirmation sent
out by such Underwriter the notice required by Rule 173 informing
the investor that the sale was made pursuant to the Registration
Statement and that the investor may request a copy of the
Prospectus from such Underwriter; (ii) if a paper copy of the
Prospectus is requested by a person who receives a confirmation,
such Underwriter shall deliver a printed or paper copy of such
Prospectus; and (iii) if an electronic copy of the Prospectus
is delivered by an Underwriter for any purpose, such copy shall be
the same electronic file containing the Prospectus in the identical
form transmitted electronically to such Underwriter by or on behalf
of the Seller specifically for use by such Underwriter pursuant to
this Section 4(e); for example, if the Prospectus is delivered
to an Underwriter by or on behalf of the Seller in a single
electronic file in .pdf format, then such Underwriter will deliver
the electronic copy of the Prospectus in the same single electronic
file in .pdf format. Each Underwriter further agrees that if it
delivers to an investor the Prospectus in .pdf format, upon such
Underwriter’s receipt of a request from the investor within
the period for which delivery of the Prospectus is required, such
Underwriter will promptly deliver or cause to be delivered to the
investor, without charge, a paper copy of the
Prospectus.
(f) Prior to the Closing Date, the
Representatives shall notify COAF and the Seller of (i) the
date on which the Preliminary Prospectus is first used and
(ii) the time of the first Contract of Sale to which such
Preliminary Prospectus relates.
(g) Each Underwriter represents and
agrees (i) that it did not enter into any contract of sale for
any Notes prior to the Time of Sale and (ii) that it will, at
any time that such Underwriter is acting as an
“underwriter” (as defined in Section 2(a)(11) of
the Act)
with respect to the Notes, deliver to each
investor to whom Notes are sold by it during the period prior to
the filing of the final Prospectus (as notified to the Underwriters
by the Seller), prior to the applicable time of any such Contract
of Sale with respect to such investor, the Preliminary
Prospectus.
(h) In relation to each Member State
of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus
Directive (each, a “ Relevant Member State ”),
each Underwriter represents and agrees with the Seller that with
effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus
Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the “
Relevant Implementation Date ”) it has not made and
will not make an offer of Notes to the public in that Relevant
Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation
to the Notes which has been approved by the competent authority in
that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in
another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent
authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the
Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and
including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of Notes
to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:
(i) to legal entities which are
authorised or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if
not so authorised or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely
to invest in securities;
(ii) to any legal entity which has
two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during
the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more
than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more
than €50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated
accounts; or
(iii) in any other circumstances
which do not require the publication by the issuer of a prospectus
pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purposes of this
Section 4(h), (A) the expression an “ offer of
Notes to the public ” in relation to any Notes in any
Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by
any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and
the Notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to
purchase or subscribe the Notes, as the same may be varied in that
Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive
in that Member State, (B) the expression “ Prospectus
Directive ” means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any
relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State and
(C) the countries comprising the “ European Economic
Area ” are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United
Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
(i) If the Seller, COAF or an
Underwriter determines or becomes aware that any “written
communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act)
(including without limitation the Preliminary Prospectus) or oral
statement (when considered in conjunction with all information
conveyed at the time of the “contract of sale” within
the meaning of Rule 159 under the Act and all Commission guidance
relating to such rule (the “ Contract of Sale
”)) made or prepared by the Seller or such Underwriter
contains an untrue statement of material fact or omits to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements, in light of the
circumstances under
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10
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Underwriting
Agreement
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which they were made, not misleading at the time
that a Contract of Sale was entered into, either the Seller or such
Underwriter may prepare corrective information, with notice to the
other parties and such Underwriter shall deliver such information
in a manner reasonably acceptable to both parties, to any person
with whom a Contract of Sale was entered into based on such written
communication or oral statement, and such information shall provide
any such person with the following:
(i) adequate disclosure of the
contractual arrangement;
(ii) adequate disclosure of the
person’s rights under the existing Contract of Sale at the
time termination is sought;
(iii) adequate disclosure of the new
information that is necessary to correct the misstatements or
omissions in the information given at the time of the original
Contract of Sale; and
(iv) a meaningful ability to elect
to terminate or not terminate the prior Contract of Sale and to
elect to enter into or not enter into a new Contract of
Sale.
Any costs or losses incurred in
connection with any such