FIRST NATIONAL MASTER NOTE
TRUST
$600,000,000 CLASS A SERIES
2009-1
ASSET BACKED NOTES
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Banc of America
Securities LLC
Hearst Tower
214 North Tyron Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28255
RBS Securities
Inc.
600 Steamboat Road
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
each acting on
behalf of itself and
as Representative of the several
Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto
(together, the “ Representatives ”)
1.
Introductory . First National Funding LLC (“ FNF
LLC ” or the “ Transferor ”), a
limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of
Nebraska, proposes to cause First National Master Note Trust (the
“ Issuer ”) to issue and sell $600,000,000
principal amount of Class A Series 2009-1 Asset Backed
Notes (the “ Notes ”), to the Underwriters (as
defined hereinafter) for whom you are acting as
Representatives.
One or more of the
underwriters for the Notes listed on Schedule A hereto (the
“ Underwriters ”) is a financial institution
appearing on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s list of
Primary Government Securities Dealers Reporting to the Government
Securities Dealers Statistics Unit of the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York (each such financial institution, a “ Primary
Dealer ”), and may be a party to that certain Master Loan
and Security Agreement among the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
(the “ FRBNY ”), as Lender, various Primary
Dealers from time to time party thereto, each on behalf of itself
and its respective customers as borrowers thereunder from time to
time, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Administrator, and The
Bank of New York Mellon, as Custodian (the “ MLSA
”), in connection with the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan
Facility (“ TALF ”). To the extent expressly
provided in this Agreement, and subject to the limitations in
Section 10, certain of the rights, benefits and remedies of
the Underwriters under this Agreement will be for the benefit of,
and will be enforceable by, each Underwriter not only in such
capacity but also in its capacity as a Primary Dealer and as a
signatory to the MLSA.
The Issuer is a
Delaware statutory trust formed pursuant to (a) a Trust
Agreement, dated as of October 16, 2002 (the “ Trust
Agreement ”), between the Transferor and Wilmington Trust
Company (“ WTC ”), as owner trustee (the “
Owner Trustee ”) and (b) the filing of a
certificate of trust with the Secretary of State of Delaware on
October 16, 2002. The Notes will be issued pursuant to a
Master Indenture, dated as of October 24, 2002 (as amended,
the “ Master Indenture ”), between the Issuer
and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. (successor to The Bank
of New York) (“ BNYTC ”), as indenture trustee
(the “ Indenture Trustee ”), as supplemented by
the Series 2009-1 Indenture Supplement with respect to the
Notes to be dated as of the Closing Date (as defined below) (the
“ Indenture Supplement ,” and together with the
Master Indenture, the “ Indenture ”).
The assets of the
Issuer include, among other things, certain amounts due (the
“ Receivables ”) on a portfolio of Visa
® and MasterCard ® revolving credit card accounts owned by the Bank
(the “ Accounts ”).
The Receivables
are transferred to the Issuer pursuant to the Transfer and
Servicing Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2002 (as amended,
the “ Transfer and Servicing Agreement ”), among
the Transferor, First National Bank of Omaha, a national banking
association (the “ Bank ”), as servicer (the
“ Servicer ”) and the Issuer. The Receivables
transferred to the Issuer by the Transferor are acquired by the
Transferor from the Bank pursuant to a Receivables Purchase
Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2002 (as amended, the
“ Receivables Purchase Agreement ”), between the
Transferor and the Bank.
The Bank has
agreed to provide notices and perform on behalf of the Issuer
certain other administrative obligations required by the Transfer
and Servicing Agreement, the Master Indenture and each indenture
supplement for each series of notes issued by the Issuer, pursuant
to an Administration Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2002
(the “ Administration Agreement ”), between the
Bank, as administrator (in such capacity, the “
Administrator ”), and the Issuer. The Transfer and
Servicing Agreement, the Receivables Purchase Agreement, the
Indenture, the Trust Agreement and the Administration Agreement are
referred to herein, collectively, as the “ Transaction
Documents .”
This Underwriting
Agreement is referred to herein as this “ Agreement
.” To the extent not defined herein, capitalized terms used
herein have the meanings assigned in the Transaction
Documents.
The Transferor has
prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“ Commission ”) in accordance with the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “ Act
”), a registration statement on Form S-3 (having the
registration number 333-140273), including a form of prospectus and
a form of prospectus supplement and such amendments thereto as may
have been filed prior to the date hereof, relating to the Notes and
the offering thereof in accordance with Rule 415 under the
Act. If any post-effective amendment to such registration statement
has been filed with respect thereto, prior to the execution and
delivery of this Agreement, the most recent such amendment has been
declared effective by the Commission. For purposes of this
Agreement, “ Effective Time ” means the date and
time as of which such
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registration
statement, or the most recent post-effective amendment thereto, if
any, was declared effective by the Commission, and “
Effective Date ” means the date of the Effective Time.
Such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Time,
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 Registration
Statement has been declared effective by the Commission not more
than three years prior to the date hereof.
The Transferor
proposes to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under
the Act (“ Rule 424(b) ”) a supplement (the
“ Prospectus Supplement ”) to the prospectus
included in the Registration Statement (such prospectus, 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 “ Base
Prospectus ”) relating to the Notes and the method of
distribution thereof. The Base Prospectus and the Prospectus
Supplement, together with any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto, together with the information referred to under the
caption “ Static Pool Information ” in the
Prospectus Supplement regardless of whether it is deemed a part of
the Prospectus Supplement, are hereinafter referred to as the
“ Prospectus ”.
At or prior to
1:30 p.m. (New York City Time) on June 1, 2009 (the time the
first Contract of Sale (as defined below) was entered into as
designated by the Representatives (the “ Time of Sale
”), the Transferor also had prepared a Preliminary Prospectus
dated May 26, 2009, with respect to such Notes (together with
the Additional Information, the “ Time of Sale
Information ”). “ Preliminary Prospectus
” means, with respect to any date or time referred to herein,
the most recent preliminary Prospectus (as amended or supplemented,
if applicable), which has been prepared and delivered by the
Transferor to the Representatives in accordance with the provisions
hereof, together with the information referred to under the caption
“ Static Pool Information ” therein regardless
of whether it is deemed a part of the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus. “ Additional Information ” means
information that is included in any road show presentation the
Transferor has approved.
If, subsequent to
the Time of Sale and prior to the Closing Date, the Time of Sale
Information included an untrue statement of material fact or
omitted 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 and the Transferor and the Bank have
prepared and delivered to the Underwriters a Corrected Prospectus
(as defined below), and as a result investors in the Notes elect to
terminate their existing “ Contracts of Sale ”
(within the meaning of Rule 159 under the Act) for any Notes,
then “ Time of Sale Information ” will refer to
the information conveyed to investors at the time of entry into the
first such new Contract of Sale in an amended Preliminary
Prospectus approved by the Transferor and the Representatives that
corrects such material misstatements or omissions (a “
Corrected Prospectus ”), together with the Additional
Information, and “ Time of Sale ” will refer to
the time and date on which such new Contracts of Sale were entered
into.
As used herein,
references to any “ Free Writing Prospectus ”
shall mean a “free writing prospectus” as defined in
Rule 405 of the Act.
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The Transferor and
the Bank hereby agree, severally and not jointly, with the
Underwriters as follows:
2.
Representations and Warranties of the Transferor and the
Bank . Each of the Transferor (the representations and
warranties as to the Transferor being given by the Transferor) and
the Bank (the representations and warranties as to the Bank being
given by the Bank) represents and warrants to, and agrees
(i) with, the Underwriters, and (ii) with respect to
clauses (n)(ii), (r), (s) and (aa) of this Section 2
only, with the Underwriters who are Primary Dealers in their
capacities as Primary Dealers with respect to TALF loans secured by
the Notes, that:
(a) The Transferor
is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing as a
limited liability company under the laws of the State of Nebraska,
and has all requisite power, authority and legal right to own its
property, transact the business in which it is now engaged and
conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement,
the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and to execute,
deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the
Transfer and Servicing Agreement, the Receivables Purchase
Agreement and the Trust Agreement and to authorize the issuance of
the Notes.
(b) The Bank is a
national banking association duly organized, validly existing and
in good standing under the laws of the United States, and has all
requisite power, authority and legal right to own its property and
conduct its credit card business as such properties are presently
owned and such business is presently conducted, and conduct its
business as described in the Registration Statement, the
Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and to own the Accounts
and to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this
Agreement, the Receivables Purchase Agreement, the Transfer and
Servicing Agreement and the Administration Agreement.
(c) The execution,
delivery and performance of each of the Transaction Documents to
which it is a party, and the incurrence of the obligations herein
and therein set forth and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby and thereby, and with respect to the
Transferor, the issuance of the Notes, have been duly and validly
authorized by the Transferor and the Bank, as applicable, by all
necessary action on the part of the Transferor and the Bank, as
applicable.
(d) This Agreement
has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Transferor
and the Bank.
(e) Each of the
Transaction Documents has been, or on or before the Closing Date
will be, executed and delivered by the Transferor and/or the Bank,
as applicable, and when executed and delivered by the other parties
thereto, will constitute a legal, valid and binding agreement of
the Transferor and/or the Bank, as applicable, enforceable against
the Transferor and/or the Bank, as applicable, in accordance with
its terms, except, in each case, to the extent that (i) the
enforceability thereof may be subject to bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium, receivership or other similar laws now
or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ or other
obligees’ rights generally or the rights of creditors or
other obligees of institutions insured by the FDIC, (ii) the
remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of
equitable relief may be subject to
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equitable
defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any
proceeding therefor may be brought and (iii) certain remedial
provisions of the Indenture may be unenforceable in whole or in
part under the UCC, but the inclusion of such provisions does not
render the other provisions of the Indenture invalid and
notwithstanding that such provisions may be unenforceable in whole
or in part, the Indenture Trustee, on behalf of the Noteholders,
will be able to enforce the remedies of a secured party under the
UCC.
(f) The Notes have
been duly authorized and will be issued pursuant to the terms of
the Indenture and, when executed by the Owner Trustee on behalf of
the Issuer and authenticated by the Indenture Trustee in accordance
with the Indenture and delivered pursuant to the Indenture and this
Agreement, will be duly and validly executed, issued and
outstanding and will constitute legal, valid and binding
obligations of the Issuer, enforceable against the Issuer in
accordance with their terms, subject to (A) the effect of
bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, receivership, reorganization,
liquidation and other similar laws affecting creditors’
rights generally, (B) the effect of general principles of
equity including (without limitation) concepts of materiality,
reasonableness, good faith, fair dealing (regardless of whether
considered and applied in a proceeding in equity or at law), and
also to the possible unavailability of specific performance or
injunctive relief, and (C) the unenforceability under certain
circumstances of provisions indemnifying a party against liability
or requiring contribution from a party for liability where such
indemnification or contribution is contrary to public policy. The
Notes will be in the form contemplated by the Indenture, and the
Notes and the Indenture will conform to the descriptions thereof
contained in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the
Registration Statement, as amended or supplemented.
(h) Neither the
Transferor nor the Bank is in violation of any Requirement of Law
or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation,
agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract,
indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or
other instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or
to which any of its property is subject, which violation or
defaults separately or in the aggregate would have a material
adverse effect on the Issuer, the Transferor or the
Bank.
(i) None of the
issuance and sale of the Notes or the execution and delivery by the
Transferor or the Bank of this Agreement or any Transaction
Document to which it is a party, nor the incurrence by the
Transferor or the Bank of the obligations herein and therein set
forth, nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereunder or thereunder, nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof or
thereof does or will (i) violate any Requirement of Law
presently in effect, applicable to it or its properties or by which
it or its properties are or may be bound or affected,
(ii) breach or violate any provision of the organizational
documents applicable to the Transferor or the Bank,
(iii) violate any judgment, order or decree of any court,
arbitrator, administrative agency or other governmental authority
applicable to the Transferor or the Bank, (iv) conflict with,
or result in a breach of, or constitute a default under, any
indenture, contract, agreement, mortgage, deed of trust or
instrument to which it is a party or by which it or its
properties
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are bound,
(v) result in the acceleration of any obligation of the
Transferor or the Bank, or (vi) result in the creation or
imposition of any Lien upon any of its property or assets, except
for those encumbrances created under the Transaction
Documents.
(j) All approvals,
authorizations, consents, orders and other actions of any Person or
of any court or other governmental body or official required in
connection with the execution and delivery by the Transferor or the
Bank of this Agreement or the Transaction Documents to which it is
a party or the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereunder and thereunder, or the fulfillment of the terms hereof
and thereof have been or will have been obtained on or before the
Closing Date.
(k) All actions
required to be taken by the Transferor or the Bank as a condition
to the offer and sale of the Notes as described herein or the
consummation of any of the transactions described in the
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration
Statement have been or, prior to the Closing Date, will be
taken.
(l) The Master
Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of
1939, as amended (the “ TIA ”), and complies as
to form with the TIA and the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission
”) thereunder. The Indenture Supplement is not required to be
qualified under the TIA.
(m) The
representations and warranties made by the Transferor in the
Transfer and Servicing Agreement, the Trust Agreement and the
Receivables Purchase Agreement or made in any Officer’s
Certificate of the Transferor delivered pursuant to any Transaction
Document to which it is a party will be true and correct at the
time made and on and as of the Closing Date as if set forth herein,
except that to the extent that any such representation or warranty
expressly relates to an earlier or later date, such representation
or warranty is true and correct at and as of such earlier or later
date.
(n) The
representations and warranties made by the Bank (i) in the
Receivables Purchase Agreement, and in its capacity as Servicer and
Administrator, in the Transfer and Servicing Agreement and the
Administration Agreement, respectively, or made in any
Officer’s Certificate of the Bank delivered pursuant to any
Transaction Document to which it is a party, and (ii) in the
TALF Certification (as defined in subsection 7(p)) will be true and
correct at the time made and on and as of the Closing Date as if
set forth herein, except that to the extent that any such
representation or warranty expressly relates to an earlier or later
date, such representation or warranty is true and correct at and as
of such earlier or later date.
(o) The Transferor
agrees it has not granted, assigned, pledged or transferred and
shall not grant, assign, pledge or transfer to any Person a
security interest in, or any other right, title or interest in, the
Receivables, except as provided in the Transfer and Servicing
Agreement, and agrees to take all action required by the Transfer
and Servicing Agreement in order to maintain the security interest
in the Receivables granted pursuant to the Transfer and Servicing
Agreement and the Indenture, as applicable.
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(p) The Bank
agrees it has not granted, assigned, pledged or transferred and
shall not grant, assign, pledge or transfer to any Person a
security interest in, or any other right, title or interest in, the
Receivables, except as provided in the Receivables Purchase
Agreement and agrees to take all action required by the Receivables
Purchase Agreement in order to maintain the security interests in
the Receivables granted pursuant to the Receivables Purchase
Agreement, the Transfer and Servicing Agreement and the Indenture,
as applicable.
(q) (i) 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 as to which the Representatives have been notified,
shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to the
Representatives or its counsel before such date.
(r) On the
Effective Date, the Registration Statement did conform in all
material respects to the applicable requirements of the Act and the
rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “
Rules and Regulations ”) and the TIA and the rules and
regulations thereunder 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. The Preliminary Prospectus, as of its date, as of the
Time of Sale and on the date of this Agreement conforms, and at the
time of filing of the Preliminary Prospectus pursuant to
Rule 424(b), the Preliminary Prospectus will conform, in all
material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Rules
and Regulations and the TIA and the rules and regulations
thereunder and it does not include, nor will include, any untrue
statement of a material fact nor omits, or will omit, to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading, except that the foregoing
does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Preliminary
Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with
Underwriters’ Information (as defined below). On the date of
this Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
conform, and at the time of filing of the Prospectus pursuant to
Rule 424(b), the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
will conform, in all material respects with the requirements of the
Act and the Rules and Regulations and the TIA and the rules and
regulations thereunder. Neither of such documents, as of its date,
as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date,
includes, or will include, any untrue statement of a material fact
or omits, or will omit, to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, except that the foregoing does not apply to statements
in or omissions from either of such documents based upon
Underwriters’ Information (as defined below). Each of the
Transferor and the Bank hereby acknowledges that the statements set
forth (i) on the cover page of the Prospectus Supplement on
the line across from “ Price to public ,”
(ii) in the table listing the Class A Underwriters and
the Principal Amount of Class A
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Notes under the
heading “ Underwriting ” in the Prospectus
Supplement, (iii) in the table following the second paragraph
under the heading “ Underwriting ” in the
Prospectus Supplement and the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and
(iv) in the penultimate paragraph under the heading “
Underwriting ” in the Prospectus Supplement and the
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement (such information, the “
Underwriters’ Information ”) constitute the only
information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the
Underwriters for inclusion in the Prospectus or the Preliminary
Prospectus.
(s) The Time of
Sale Information 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 of necessity appear only in the final
Prospectus); provided , 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 Underwriters’ Information.
(t) Other than
with respect to the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any
Additional Information approved by the Representatives, each of the
Transferor, the Bank and the Issuer (including its agents and
representatives) has not made, used, authorized or approved and
will not make, use, authorize or approve any “ written
communication ” (as defined in Rule 405 under the
Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer
to buy the Notes. The Transferor will file with the Commission any
Free Writing Prospectus used by the Transferor, the Bank or the
Issuer if such filing is required by Rule 433(d) of the Act. If
required by Rule 433(c)(2)(i) of the Act, each Free Writing
Prospectus used by the Transferor, the Bank or the Issuer shall
contain a legend substantially in the form of and in compliance
with Rule 433(c)(2)(i) of the Act, and shall otherwise conform
to any requirements for “free writing prospectuses”
under the Act.
(u) Since the
respective dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the
Prospectus, except as otherwise set forth therein, there has not
been any material adverse change in the condition, financial or
otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations, of the Bank
or the Transferor.
(v) The computer
tape of the Receivables to be created as of April 30, 2009,
and made available to the Representatives by the Servicer, will be
complete and accurate in all material respects as of the date
thereof.
(w) There are no
actions, proceedings or investigations pending or, to the best of
its knowledge, threatened against or affecting the Transferor or
the Bank (or any basis therefor known to the Transferor or the
Bank) (i) asserting the invalidity of any of the Transaction
Documents, (ii) seeking to prevent the issuance of the Notes
or the consummation by the Transferor or the Bank of any of the
transactions contemplated by
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the Transaction
Documents, or (iii) which, individually or in the aggregate,
if adversely decided, would materially and adversely affect the
business, financial condition or results of operations of the
Transferor, the Issuer or the Bank or of the Transferor’s or
the Bank’s ability to consummate the transactions
contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(x) None of the
Issuer, the Transferor, the Bank, any Affiliates thereof or any of
their agents has taken any action that would require registration
of the Issuer, the Transferor or the Bank under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, nor will the Issuer, the Transferor, the Bank,
any Affiliates thereof or any of their agents act, nor have they
authorized or will they authorize any person to act, in such a
manner.
(z) The Transferor
was not, on the date on which the first bona fide offer of the
Notes sold pursuant to this Agreement was made, an “
ineligible issuer ” as defined in Rule 405 under the
Act.
(aa) On the
Closing Date, (i) the Transferor and the Bank will have taken
all actions required to be taken by such entities by the FRBNY for
the Notes to be eligible collateral under the TALF, and
(ii) the Notes will be eligible collateral under the TALF;
provided, however, that neither the Transferor nor the Bank makes
any representation or warranty with respect to the eligibility of a
borrower for a loan under the TALF or whether any borrower has
taken or its agents have taken the steps necessary to qualify for
any such loan.
3.
Purchase, Sale, Payment and Delivery of the Notes
.
(a) On the basis
of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained,
but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the
Transferor agrees to sell to the Underwriters, and the
Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase from the
Transferor, at a purchase price of 99.660% of the principal amount
thereof, $600,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes, each
Underwriter to purchase the amounts shown on Schedule A
hereto.
(b) The Transferor
will cause the Issuer to deliver the Notes to the Underwriters
against payment of the purchase price in immediately available
funds, drawn to the order of the Transferor, at the office of Kutak
Rock LLP, in Omaha, Nebraska at 10:00 a.m., Chicago time, on
June 9, 2009, such time being herein referred to as the
“ Closing Date .” Each of the Notes so to be
delivered shall be represented by one or more definitive notes
registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for The
Depository Trust Company. The Notes will be available for
inspection, checking and packaging by the Underwriters at the
office at which the Notes are to be delivered in Omaha, Nebraska no
later than 4:00 p.m., Chicago time, on the business day prior to
the Closing Date.
(c)
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the obligation of the Transferor to
sell the Notes to the Underwriters shall be subject to the
Transferor receiving letters from the
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applicable
Rating Agency stating that the notes designated in the Indenture
Supplement as the “Class B Asset Backed Notes,
Series 2009-1” (the “ Class B Notes
”) shall have received ratings of “A” and
“A2,” from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., respectively, the notes
designated in the Indenture Supplement as the “Class C
Asset Backed Notes, Series 2009-1” (the “
Class C Notes ”) shall have received ratings of
“BBB” and “BBB,” from Standard &
Poor’s Ratings Services and Fitch, Inc., respectively, and
the notes designated in the Indenture Supplement as the
“Class D Asset Backed Notes, Series 2009-1”
(the “ Class D Notes ”) shall have received
ratings of “BB” and “BB” from Standard
& Poor’s Rating Services and Fitch, Inc.,
respectively.
4.
Offering by Underwriters .
(a) It is
understood that after the Effective Date, each Underwriter proposes
to offer the Notes for sale to the public (which may include
selected dealers) as set forth in the Prospectus.
(b) Each
Underwriter shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations
in connection with its use of Free Writing Prospectuses, including
but not limited to Rules 164 and 433 of the Act.
(c) Other than the
Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus, the Additional Information and
other information approved by the Transferor, each Underwriter
represents, warrants and agrees with the Transferor and the Bank
that it has not made, used, prepared, authorized, approved or
referred to and will not make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or
refer to any “written communication” (as defined in
Rule 405 under the Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or
solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes, including, but not
limited to, any “ABS informational and computational
materials” as defined in Item 1101(a) of Regulation AB
under the Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Transferor agrees
that the Underwriters may disseminate information on Bloomberg to
prospective investors relating solely to (i) information of the
type identified in Rule 134 of the Act, (ii) information
included in the Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) the status of
allocations and subscriptions of the Notes, expected pricing
parameters of the Notes and the yields and weighted average lives
of the Notes, and (iv) information constituting final terms of
the Notes within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(5)(ii) under the Act
(each such communication, an “ Underwriter Free Writing
Prospectus ”); provided that in the case of the foregoing
clauses (i) through (iv), other than the final pricing terms,
such Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus would not be required to
be filed with the Commission.
(d) Each
Underwriter severally represents, warrants and agrees with the
Transferor, the Issuer and the Bank that:
(i) each
Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus prepared by it will not, as of
the date such Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus was conveyed or
delivered to any prospective purchaser of the Notes, include any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit any material fact
necessary to make the statements contained therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not
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misleading;
provided , however , that no Underwriter makes such
representation, warranty or agreement to the extent such
misstatements or omissions were the result of any inaccurate
information which was included in the Preliminary Prospectus, the
Prospectus or any written information furnished to the related
Underwriter by the Transferor, the Issuer or the Bank expressly for
use therein, which information was not corrected by information
subsequently provided by the Transferor, the Issuer or the Bank to
the related Underwriter within a reasonable period of time prior to
the time of use of such Underwriter Free Writing
Prospectus;
(ii) if required
by Rule 433(c)(2)(i) of the Act, each Underwriter Free Writing
Prospectus prepared by it shall contain a legend substantially in
the form of and in compliance with Rule 433(c)(2)(i) of the
Act, and shall otherwise conform to any requirements for
“free writing prospectuses” under the Act;
and
(iii) each
Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus prepared by it shall be
delivered to the Transferor no later than the date of first use
and, unless otherwise agreed to by the Transferor and the related
Underwriter, such delivery shall occur no later than the close of
business for the Bank (Central Time) on the date of first use;
provided , however , if the date of first use is not
a Business Day, such delivery shall occur no later than the close
of business for the Bank (Central Time) on the first Business Day
after such date of first use.
(e) 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 the Preliminary Prospectus to each investor to whom Notes
are sold by it during the period prior to the filing of the final
Prospectus (as notified to such Underwriter by the Transferor or by
the Bank), which delivery shall be prior to the applicable time of
any such Contract of Sale with respect to such investor.
(f) In the event
the Bank, the Transferor or any Underwriter becomes aware that, as
of the Time of Sale, any Time of Sale Information contains or
contained any untrue statement of material fact or omits or omitted
to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements contained therein in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading (“ Defective
Information ”), such Underwriter, the Bank or the
Transferor, as applicable, shall promptly notify the
Representatives and, in the case of any Underwriter giving such
notice, the Transferor, of such untrue statement or omission no
later than one Business Day after discovery and the Transferor
shall prepare and deliver to the Underwriters a Corrected
Prospectus. Each Underwriter shall deliver such Corrected
Prospectus to any person with whom a Contract of Sale was entered
into based on such Defective Information, and such Underwriter
shall provide any such person with adequate disclosure of the
person’s rights under the existing Contract of Sale and 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 based on the information set forth in the
Corrected Prospectus.
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5.
Certain Agreements of the Transferor . The Transferor agrees
with the Underwriters that:
(a) Immediately
following the execution of this Agreement, the Transferor will
transmit the Prospectus to the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)
by a means reasonably calculated to result in filing with the
Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b). The Transferor will not
file any amendment of the Registration Statement with respect to
the Notes or supplement to the Prospectus unless a copy has been
furnished to the Representatives for their review a reasonable time
prior to the proposed filing thereof or to which the
Representatives shall reasonably object in writing. The Transferor
will advise the Representatives promptly of (i) the
effectiveness of any amendment or supplementation of the
Registration Statement or Prospectus, (ii) any request by the
Commission for any amendment or supplementation of the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or for any additional information,
(iii) the receipt by the Transferor of any notification with
respect to the suspension of qualification of the Notes for sale in
any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding
for such purposes and (iv) the institution by the Commission
of any stop order proceeding in respect of the Registration
Statement, and will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of
any such stop order and to obtain as soon as possible its lifting,
if issued.
(b) If at any time
when a prospectus relating to the Notes is required to be delivered
under the Act, any event occurs as a result of which the
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as then amended or
supplemented, would include an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend
the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus to comply with the
Act, the Transferor promptly will notify the Representatives of
such event and prepare and file with the Commission an amendment or
supplement which will correct such statement or omission or an
amendment which will effect such compliance. Neither the
Underwriters’ consent to, nor the Underwriters’
delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a
waiver of any of the conditions set forth in
Section 7.
(c) As soon as
practicable, the Transferor will cause the Issuer to make generally
available to the Noteholders an earnings statement or statements of
the Issuer covering a period of at least 12 months beginning
after the Effective Date which will satisfy the provisions of
Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 of the Commission
promulgated thereunder; provided , that this covenant
may be satisfied by posting the monthly investor reports for the
Trust for each month in such 12-month period on a publicly
available website.
(d) The Transferor
will furnish to the Representatives and their counsel, without
charge, copies of the Registration Statement (one of which will be
signed and will include all exhibits), the Preliminary Prospectus
and the Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such
documents, in each case as soon as available and in such quantities
as the Representatives reasonably request. The Transferor will pay
the
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expenses of
printing or other production of all documents relating to the
offering of the Notes.
(e) The Transferor
will endeavor to qualify the Notes for sale under the securities or
Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall
reasonably request and the determination of the eligibility for
investment of the Notes under the laws of such jurisdictions as the
Representatives may designate and will continue such qualifications
in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Notes;
provided , however , that the Transferor shall not be
obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where such
qualification would subject the Transferor to general or unlimited
service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so
subject. The Transferor will promptly advise the Underwriters of
the receipt by the Transferor of any notification with respect to
the suspension of the qualification of the Notes for sale in any
jurisdiction or the initiation or threat of any proceeding for such
purpose.
(f) The Transferor
will, and will cause the Issuer to, assist the Representatives in
making arrangements with DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream, concerning
the issue of the Notes, arranging with such clearing agency to
permit the Notes to be eligible for clearance and settlement
through such clearing agency and related matters.
(g) So long as any
Note is outstanding, the Transferor will furnish, or cause the
Servicer to furnish, to the Representatives copies of each
certificate and the annual statements of compliance delivered to
(a) the Owner Trustee, the Indenture Trustee and each Rating
Agency pursuant to Section 3.05 of the Transfer and Servicing
Agreement and independent certified public accountant’s
servicing reports furnished to the Indenture Trustee and the Rating
Agencies pursuant to Sections 3.06(a) and (b) of the
Transfer and Servicing Agreement, and (b) the
Series 2009-1 Noteholders pursuant to Sections 5.03(a)
and (d) of the Indenture Supplement, by first class mail
promptly after such certificates, statements and reports are
furnished to the Owner Trustee, the Indenture Trustee, the Series
2009-1 Noteholders or the Rating Agencies, as the case may
be.
(h) So long as any
Note is outstanding, the Transferor will furnish, or cause the
Servicer to furnish, to the Representatives, by first-class mail as
soon as practicable (i) all documents concerning the Receivables or
the Notes distributed by the Transferor or the Servicer (under the
Transfer and Servicing Agreement) to the Owner Trustee, the
Indenture Trustee or the Noteholders, or filed with the Commission
pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“ Exchange Act ”), (ii) any order of the
Commission under the Act or the Exchange Act applicable to the
Issuer or to the Transferor, or pursuant to a
“no-action” letter obtained from the staff of the
Commission by the Transferor and affecting the Issuer or the
Transferor and (iii) from time to time, such other information
concerning the Issuer as the Representatives may reasonably
request.
(i) To the extent,
if any, that any of the ratings provided with respect to the Notes
by any Rating Agency are conditional upon the furnishing of
documents or the taking of any other actions by the Transferor, the
Transferor shall furnish such documents and take any such other
actions as are necessary to satisfy such condition.
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(j) In connection
with any disposition of the Definitive Notes pursuant to a
transaction made in compliance with all applicable transfer
restrictions contemplated herein and in the Indenture, the
Transferor will cause the Issuer to reissue notes evidencing such
Definitive Notes as required pursuant to the Indenture.
(k) Until
30 days following the Closing Date, none of the Transferor or
any trust or other entity originated, directly or indirectly, by
the Transferor (including, without limitation, the Issuer) will,
without the prior written consent of the Representatives, which
shall not be unreasonably withheld, offer, sell or contract to
sell, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or announce
the offering of, any asset-backed securities (other than the Notes,
the Class B Notes, the Class C Notes, the Class D
Notes, any other publicly offered asset-backed securities and any
variable funding notes issued pursuant to the renewal a variable
funding note facility that has been privately placed with one or
more commercial paper conduits).
(l) The Transferor
shall cause its computer records relating to the Receivables to be
marked in accordance with Section 2.01(c) of the Transfer and
Servicing Agreement to show the Issuer’s absolute ownership
of the Receivables, and shall not take any action inconsistent with
the Issuer’s ownership of the Receivables, other than as
permitted by the Transfer and Servicing Agreement.
(m) The Transferor
will enter into or has entered into the Transfer and Servicing
Agreement and other instruments to which this Agreement and the
Transfer and Servicing Agreement contemplate it will be a party on
or prior to the Closing Date. The Transferor will cause the Issuer
to enter into any instruments to which this Agreement or any
Transaction Document contemplates that either will be a party on or
prior to the Closing Date.
6.
Certain Agreements of the Bank .
(a) Until
30 days following the Closing Date, none of the Bank or any
trust or other entity originated, directly or indirectly, by the
Bank (including, without limitation, the Transferor) will, without
the prior written consent of the Representatives, which shall not
be unreasonably withheld, offer, sell or contract to sell, or
otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or announce the
offering of, any asset-backed securities (other than the Notes, the
Class B Notes, the Class C Notes, the Class D Notes,
any other publicly offered asset-backed securities and any variable
funding notes issued pursuant to the renewal of a variable funding
note facility that has been privately placed with one or more
commercial paper conduits).
(b) The Bank has
entered into the Receivables Purchase Agreement, the Transfer and
Servicing Agreement and will have entered into other instruments to
which this Agreement and the Receivables Purchase Agreement and the
Transfer and Servicing Agreement contemplate it will be a party on
or prior to the Closing Date.
7.
Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters . The
obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Notes
will be subject to the accuracy of the
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representations
and warranties by the Transferor and the Bank herein, to the
accuracy of the statements of officers of the Transferor and the
Bank made pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by
the Transferor and the Bank of their respective obligations
hereunder and to the following additional conditions
precedent:
(a) On or prior to
each of the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, the
Representatives shall have received an agreed upon procedures
letter or letters of Deloitte & Touche LLP, dated on or prior
to the date of the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the
Prospectus Supplement, as applicable, confirming that they are
independent public accountants within the meaning of the Act and
the applica
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