EXTERRAN HOLDINGS, INC.
4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014
J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
As
Representatives of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc.
277 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10172
Exterran Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the
several Underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the
“Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as
representatives (the “Representatives”), $325,000,000
principal amount of its 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014
(the “Underwritten Securities”) and, at the option of
the Underwriters, up to an additional $48,750,000 principal amount
of its 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014 (the “Option
Securities”) if and to the extent that the Underwriters shall
have determined to exercise the option to purchase such 4.25%
Convertible Senior Notes due 2014 granted to the Underwriters in
Section 2 hereof. The Underwritten Securities and the Option
Securities are herein referred to as the “Securities.”
The Securities will be convertible into shares (the
“Underlying Securities”) of common stock of the
Company, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common
Stock”). The Securities will be issued pursuant to an
Indenture dated as of June 3, 2009 (the “Base
Indenture”) between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank,
National Association as trustee (the “Trustee”), as to
be supplemented and amended by a First Supplemental Indenture,
dated on or about June 4, 2009, to the Base Indenture relating
to the Securities (the “Supplemental Indenture” and,
together with the Base Indenture and any other amendments or
supplements thereto, the “Indenture”) between the
Company and the Trustee.
In connection with the offering of the
Underwritten Securities, the Company is entering into convertible
note hedge and warrant transactions with one or more of the
Underwriters or affiliates thereof (the “Hedge
Counterparties”) pursuant to confirmation letters, dated the
date hereof, to the form of the ISDA 2002 Master Agreement (the
“Hedge and Warrant Documentation”).
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with
the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the
Securities, as follows:
1. Registration Statement . The
Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities
Act”), a registration statement on Form S-3 (File
No. 333-159718) including a prospectus (the “Basic
Prospectus”), relating to the Securities. Such registration
statement, as amended at the time of this Agreement, including the
information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or
430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration
statement at the time of its effectiveness, is referred to herein
as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein,
the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means the Basic
Prospectus together with the preliminary prospectus supplement
specifically relating to the Securities, and the term
“Prospectus” means the Basic Prospectus as supplemented
by the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the
Securities in the form first used (or made available upon request
of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act)
in connection with confirmation of sales of the Securities. Any
reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer
to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein
pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as
of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of
such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be
and any reference to “amend,” “amendment”
or “supplement” with respect to the Registration
Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be
deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after such date
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the
rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively,
the “Exchange Act”) that are deemed to be incorporated
by reference therein. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein
shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus.
At or prior to the time when sales of the
Securities are first made (the “Time of Sale”), the
Company will prepare the following information (collectively, the
“Time of Sale Information”): a Preliminary Prospectus
dated June 4, 2009, and each “free-writing
prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the
Securities Act) listed on Annex B hereto.
2. Purchase of the Securities by the
Underwriters .
(a) The Company agrees to issue and sell
the Underwritten Securities to the several Underwriters as provided
in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the
representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and
subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective principal
amount of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite such
Underwriter’s name in Schedule 1 hereto at a price equal
to 97.375% of the principal amount thereof (the “Purchase
Price”) plus accrued interest, if any, from June 10,
2009 to the Closing Date (as defined below). The public offering
price of the Securities is not in excess of the price recommended
by Johnson Rice & Company L.L.C., acting as a “qualified
independent underwriter” (in such capacity, the
“QIU”) within the meaning of NASD Rule 2720(b)(15)
of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
(“FINRA”).
In addition, the Company agrees to issue and
sell the Option Securities to the several Underwriters as provided
in this Agreement, and the Underwriters, on the basis of the
representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and
subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option
to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company the Option
Securities at the Purchase Price plus accrued interest, if any,
from June 10, 2009 to the date of payment and delivery of the
Option Securities.
2
If any Option Securities are to be purchased,
the amount of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter
shall be the amount of Option Securities which bears the same ratio
to the aggregate amount of Option Securities being purchased as the
amount of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite the name of
such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto (or such amount
increased as set forth in Section 10 hereof) bears to the
aggregate amount of Underwritten Securities being purchased from
the Company by the several Underwriters, subject, however, to such
adjustments to eliminate Securities in denominations other than
$1,000 as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall
make.
The Underwriters may exercise the option to
purchase the Option Securities at any time in whole, or from time
to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date
of this Agreement, by written notice from the Representatives to
the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate amount of
Option Securities as to which the option is being exercised and the
date and time when the Option Securities are to be delivered and
paid for, which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date
(as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing
Date nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter
defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date
are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10
hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two Business Days
prior to the date and time of delivery specified
therein.
(b) The Company understands that the
Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Securities as
soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment
of the Representatives is advisable, and initially to offer the
Securities on the terms set forth in the Prospectus. The Company
acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters may offer and sell
Securities to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter and that
any such affiliate may offer and sell Securities purchased by it to
or through any Underwriter.
(c) Payment for the Securities shall be
made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account
specified by the Company to the Representatives in the case of the
Underwritten Securities, at the offices of Baker Botts L.L.P., 910
Louisiana Street, Houston, Texas 77002 at 10:00 A.M. New York
City time on June 10, 2009, or at such other time or place on
the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day
thereafter, as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon
in writing or, in the case of the Option Securities, on the date
and at the time and place specified by the Representatives in the
written notice of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such
Option Securities. The time and date of such payment for the
Underwritten Securities is referred to herein as the “Closing
Date” and the time and date for such payment for the Option
Securities, if other than the Closing Date, is herein referred to
as the “Additional Closing Date.”
Payment for the Securities to be purchased on
the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may
be, shall be made against delivery to the nominee of The Depository
Trust Company (“DTC”), for the respective accounts of
the several Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased on such
date of one or more global notes representing the Securities
(collectively, the “Global Note”), with any transfer
taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Securities duly
paid by the Company. The Global Note will be made available for
inspection by the Representatives at the office of J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc. set forth above not later than 1:00 P.M., New York
City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the
Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
3
(d) The Company acknowledges and agrees
that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an
arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with
respect to the offering of Securities contemplated hereby
(including in connection with determining the terms of the
offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an
agent of, the Company or any other person with respect to such
offering. Additionally, neither the Representative nor any other
Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any
legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any
jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors
concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own
independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions
contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no
responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto.
Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions
contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions
will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and
shall not be on behalf of the Company.
(e) The Company hereby confirms its
engagement of Johnson Rice & Company L.L.C. as, and Johnson
Rice & Company L.L.C. hereby confirms its agreement with the
Company to render services as, a “qualified independent
underwriter” within the meaning of NASD Rule 2720(b)(15)
of the FINRA with respect to the offering and sale of the
Securities.
3. Representations and Warranties of
the Company . The Company represents and warrants to each
Underwriter that:
(a) Preliminary Prospectus . No
order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and the Preliminary
Prospectus included in the Time of Sale Information, at the time of
filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the
Securities Act.
(b) Time of Sale Information . The
Time of Sale Information, at the Time of Sale, did not, and at the
Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may
be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with
respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in
conformity with the Underwriter Information furnished to the
Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives
expressly for use in such Time of Sale Information. No statement of
material fact included in the Prospectus that is required to be
included in the Time of Sale Information has been omitted from the
Time of Sale Information and no statement of material fact included
in the Time of Sale Information that is required to be included in
the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom.
4
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus
and the Prospectus, the Company (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” (as defined in
Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer
to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities (each
such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives
(other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below)
an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than
(i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to
Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134
under the Securities Act or (ii) the documents listed on Annex
B hereto, each electronic road show and any other written
communications approved in writing in advance by the
Representatives. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complied
in all material respects with the Securities Act, has been or will
be (within the time period specified in Rule 433) filed in
accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby)
and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus filed
prior to the first use of such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did
not, and at the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date,
as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the
Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any
statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information
relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by
such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in
such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, it being understood and agreed
that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter
consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b)
hereof. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue
date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the
public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date
that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as
described in Section 4(e), did not, does not and will not
include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict
with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference
therein and any Preliminary Prospectus deemed to be a part thereof
that has not been superseded or modified.
(d) Registration Statement and
Prospectus . The Registration Statement is an “automatic
shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405
of the Securities Act that has been filed with the Commission not
earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; and no notice of
objection of the Commission to the use of such registration
statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to
Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act has been received by
the Company. The Company has not received any order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement by the Commission or
notice of any pending or threatened proceeding for that purpose or
pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the
Company or related to the offering; as of the applicable effective
date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment
thereto with respect to the offering of the Securities, the
Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material
respects with the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act of
1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder (collectively, the “Trust Indenture Act”),
and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary in order to make the statements therein not
misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment
or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of the
Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus does
not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with
respect to (i) that part of the Registration Statement that
constitutes the Statement of Eligibility and Qualification (Form
T-1) of the Trustee under the Trust Indenture Act or (ii) any
statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity
with the Underwriter Information furnished to the Company in
writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly
for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any
amendment or supplement thereto.
5
(e) Incorporated Documents . The
documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement,
the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information, when they were
filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to
the requirements of the Exchange Act, and none of such documents
contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading; and any further
documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sale
Information, when such documents are filed with the Commission,
will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the
Exchange Act and 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 the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. All documents and agreements required to have been
filed as an exhibit pursuant to the Exchange Act have been filed in
accordance with the Exchange Act.
(f) Financial Statements . The
financial statements and the related notes thereto of the Company
and its consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with
the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange
Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects the
financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries
as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and
the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; except
as otherwise disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus, such financial statements have been prepared in
conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles
applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered
thereby, and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement present fairly in all
material respects the information required to be stated therein;
the other financial information included or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting
records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and
presents fairly in all material respects the information shown
thereby; and the pro forma financial information and the related
notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus have been prepared in accordance with the applicable
requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as
applicable, and the assumptions underlying such pro forma financial
information are reasonable and are set forth in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus.
6
(g) No Material Adverse Change .
Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the
Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus,
(i) there has not been any material adverse change in the
capital stock or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries
taken as a whole, or any dividend or distribution of any kind
declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any
class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any
development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or
affecting the business, properties, management, financial position,
stockholders’ equity, results of operations or business
prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has
entered into any transaction or agreement or incurred any liability
or obligation, direct or contingent, that would reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) neither
the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any material
loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood
or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any
labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any
court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except
in the case of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above, as
otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus.
(h) Organization and Good Standing
. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized
and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of
their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified
to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in
which their respective ownership or lease of property or the
conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification,
and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their
respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they
are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good
standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or
in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse
effect on the business, properties, management, financial position,
stockholders’ equity, results of operations or business
prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (a
“Material Adverse Effect”) or on the performance by the
Company of its obligations under the Transaction Documents (as
defined below). Schedule 2 to this Agreement sets forth a true
and complete list of the significant subsidiaries of the Company
and their respective jurisdiction of formation, organization or
incorporation (each a “Designated
Subsidiary”).
(i) Capitalization . The Company
has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus under
the heading “Capitalization”; all the outstanding
shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly
authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are
not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except as
described in or expressly contemplated by the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding rights
(including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or
options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable
for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the
Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries, or any contract,
commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind
relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any
such Designated Subsidiaries, any such convertible or exchangeable
securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital
stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the
description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the
Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; and all the
outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of
each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have
been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and
non-assessable (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for
directors’
7
qualifying
shares and except as otherwise described in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus) and are
owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any
lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting
or transfer or defect other than liens arising under the
Company’s Senior Secured Credit Agreement dated
August 20, 2007, the Company’s 2007 Asset-Backed
Securitization Facility and the Partnership’s (as defined
below) revolving credit facility. The Company owns, directly or
indirectly, all of the equity interests of Exterran General
Partner, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “General
Partner”), which in turn is the sole general partner of
Exterran Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the
“Partnership”), with a 2.0% general partner interest in
the Partnership. The General Partner owns all of the Incentive
Distribution Rights (as defined in the First Amended and Restated
Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, as amended
(the “Partnership Agreement”)). The Company owns,
directly or indirectly, 4,428,067 common units and 6,325,000
subordinated units issued by the Partnership. The Incentive
Distribution Rights (and the limited partner interests represented
thereby) and the common units and subordinated units of the
Partnership owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been
duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the
Partnership Agreement, and will be fully paid (to the extent
required under the Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except
as such nonassessability may be affected by matters described in
Section 18-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited
Partnership Act.
(j) Due Authorization . The Company
has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this
Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities (collectively, the
“Transaction Documents”) and to perform its obligations
hereunder and thereunder; and all action required to be taken for
the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of
each of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by it of the
transactions contemplated thereby has been duly and validly
taken.
(k) The Indenture . The Indenture
has been duly authorized by the Company and has have been duly
qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and the Base Indenture
constitutes, and the Supplemental Indenture, when duly executed and
delivered in accordance with its terms by each of the parties
thereto, will constitute, a valid and legally binding agreement of
the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its
terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’
rights generally or by equitable principles relating to
enforceability (collectively, the “Enforceability
Exceptions”).
(l) Underwriting Agreement . This
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company.
(m) The Hedge and Warrant
Documentation . The Hedge and Warrant Documentation has been
duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and
constitutes legally valid and binding agreements of the Company
enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms,
subject to the Enforceability Exceptions; and on the Closing Date,
the Hedge and Warrant Documentation will conform in all material
respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus.
8
(n) The Securities . The Securities
have been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed,
authenticated, issued and delivered as provided in the Indenture
and paid for as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued
and outstanding and will constitute valid and legally binding
obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in
accordance with their terms, subject to the Enforceability
Exceptions, and will be entitled to the benefits of the
Indenture.
(o) The Underlying Securities .
Upon issuance and delivery of the Securities in accordance with
this Agreement and the Indenture, the Securities will be
convertible at the option of the holder thereof into cash, shares
of the Underlying Securities or a combination of cash and shares of
the Underlying Securities in accordance the terms of the Securities
and the Indenture; the Underlying Securities reserved for issuance
upon conversion of the Securities have been duly authorized and
reserved and, when issued upon conversion of the Securities in
accordance with the terms of the Securities, will be validly
issued, fully paid and non assessable, and the issuance of the
Underlying Securities will not be subject to any preemptive or
similar rights.
(p) Descriptions of the Transaction
Documents . Each Transaction Document conforms in all material
respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus.
(q) No Violation or Default .
Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in
violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational
documents; (ii) in default, and, to the knowledge of the
Company, no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time
or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or
observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any
indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other
agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in
violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or
regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory
authority, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and
(iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(r) No Conflicts . The execution,
delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction
Documents, the issuance and sale of the Securities (including the
issuance of the Underlying Securities upon conversion thereof) and
the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
Transaction Documents will not (i) conflict with or result in
a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition
of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture,
mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or
instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a
party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound
or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of
the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational
documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
(iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any
judgment, order, Rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or
governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the
Company or any Designated Subsidiary, except in the case of
(i) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation
that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
9
(s) No Consents Required . No
consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or
qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or
regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and
performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents,
the issuance and sale of the Securities (including the issuance of
the Underlying Securities upon conversion thereof) and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction
Documents, except for (i) the registration of the Securities
under the Securities Act, (ii) the qualification of the
Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act, (iii) such consents,
approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or
qualifications as may be required under applicable state securities
laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the
Securities by the Underwriters and (iv) such consents,
approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations and qualifications
the failure of which to obtain or make would not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Legal Proceedings . Except as
described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or
regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to
which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which
any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the
subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined
adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; no such
investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are, to the knowledge
of the Company, threatened by any governmental or regulatory
authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no
current or pending legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits
or proceedings that are required under the Securities Act to be
described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are
not so described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes,
regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under
the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration
Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Time of
Sale Information or the Prospectus that are not so filed as
exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the
Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus.
(u) Independent Accountants . Each
of Deloitte & Touche LLP and Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, each
of whom has audited certain financial statements of the Company and
its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting
firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the
applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as
required by the Securities Act.
(v) Title to Real and Personal
Property . The Company and its subsidiaries have good and
marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or
otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are
necessary to conduct the respective businesses of the Company and
its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of
all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects except those that
(i) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed
to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or
(ii) would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the
aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
10
(w) Title to Intellectual Property
. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights
to use all material patents, patent applications, trademarks,
service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark
registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade
secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or
confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the
conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Time of
Sale Information and the Prospectus, and the Company and its
subsidiaries have not received any notice of any claim of
infringement of or conflict with any such rights of others that, if
determined adversely to the Company or any subsidiary in an
enforceable decision, would reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(x) No Undisclosed Relationships .
No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the
Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the
directors, officers, stockholders, affiliates, customers or
suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other,
that is required by the Securities Act to be described in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so
described in such documents and in the Time of Sale
Information.
(y) Investment Company Act . The
Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of
the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as
described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus, will not be required to register as
an “investment company” or an entity
“controlled” by an “investment company”
within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(collectively, the “Investment Company
Act”).
(z) Taxes . The Company and its
subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes
and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the
date hereof, except for taxes being contested in good faith by
appropriate procedures and for which adequate reserves have been
established in accordance with and to the extent required by U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles or where the failure to
pay or file could not reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect; and except as otherwise disclosed in the
Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus, there is no tax deficiency that has been, or could
reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any
of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or
assets, except as could not, individually or in the aggregate,
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(aa) Licenses and Permits . The
Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates,
permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all
declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state,
local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are
necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties
or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the
Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same
would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in the
Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has
received notice of any revocation or modification of any such
license, certificate, permit or authorization except where such
revocation or modification would not reasonably be expected to have
a Material Adverse Effect.
11
(bb) No Labor Disputes . No labor
disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is
contemplated or threatened, except as would not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(cc) Compliance With Environmental
Laws . Except as described in the Registration Statement, the
Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, (i) the Company
and its subsidiaries (x) are in compliance with any and all
applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules,
regulations, requirements, decisions and orders relating to the
protection of human health or safety, the environment, natural
resources, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or
contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”),
(y) have received and are in compliance with all permits,
licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals
required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct
their respective businesses, and (z) have not received notice
of any actual or potential liability under or relating to any
Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation
of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or
wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and have no knowledge of any
event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in
any such notice, and (ii) there are no costs or liabilities
associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or
its subsidiaries; and (iii) (x) there are no proceedings that
are pending, or that are known to be contemplated, against the
Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in
which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such
proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary
sanctions of $100,000 or more will be imposed, (y) the Company
and its subsidiaries are not aware of any issues regarding
compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other
obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or
toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that could
reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital
expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and
its subsidiaries, and (z) none of the Company and its
subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to
any Environmental Laws, except in the case of each of (i) and
(ii) above, for any such failure to comply, or failure to
receive required permits, licenses or approvals, or cost or
liability, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(dd) Hazardous Substances . There
has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling,
treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any
kind of toxic wastes or hazardous substances, including, but not
limited to, any naturally occurring radioactive materials, brine,
drilling mud, crude oil, natural gas liquids and other petroleum
materials, by, due to or caused by the Company or any of its
subsidiaries (or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any
other entity (including any predecessor) for whose acts or
omissions the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or could
reasonably be expected to be liable) upon any of the property now
or previously owned or leased by the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, or upon any other property, in violation of any
Environmental Laws or in a manner or to a location that could
reasonably be expected to give rise to any liability under the
Environmental Laws, except for any violation or liability which
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material
Adverse Effect.
12
(ee) Compliance With ERISA .
(i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section
3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member
of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization
which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the
meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
as amended (the “Code”)) would have any liability
(each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance in
all material respects with its terms and the requirements of any
presently applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations,
including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no
prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of
ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, that would result in a
material liability has occurred with respect to any Plan excluding
transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative
exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding
rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA,
no “accumulated funding deficiency” as defined in
Section 412 of the Code, whether or not waived, has occurred;
(iv) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of
Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is expected to occur; and
(v) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group
has any unpaid material liability under Title IV of ERISA (other
than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the PBGC, in the
ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan
(including a “multiemployer plan”, within the meaning
of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA).
(ff) Disclosure Controls . The
Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of
“disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in
Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure
that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports
that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including
controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is
accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as
appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure. As of the most recent required date prior to the Time
of Sale Information and the Prospectus, the Company and its
subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of
their disclosure controls and procedures as required by
Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.
(gg) Accounting Controls . The
Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal
control over financial reporting” (as defined in
Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the
requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or
under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and
principal financial officers, or persons performing similar
functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial
statements for external purposes in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles, including, but not limited to
internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable
assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance
with management’s general or specific authorizations;
(ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset
accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in
accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets
is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and
appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except
as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus, there are no material weaknesses in
the Company’s internal controls. The Company’s auditors
and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company
have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and
material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls
over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely
affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize
and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether
or not material, that involves management or other employees who
have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls
over financial reporting.
13
(hh) Insurance . The Company and
its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective
properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including
business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and
insures against such losses and risks as it reasonably believes are
adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their
respective businesses; and neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent
of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are
required or necessary to be made in order to continue such
insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be
able to renew its existing insurance coverage (other than political
risk insurance in Venezuela, Nigeria and Bolivia) as and when such
coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost
from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its
business.
(ii) No Unlawful Payments . Neither
the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the best knowledge
of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other
person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any
unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful
expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct
or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government
official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or
is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence
payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.
(jj) Compliance with Money Laundering
Laws . The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are
and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material
respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting
requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act
of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all
jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related
or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered
or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the
“Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or
proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority
or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its
subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending
or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(kk) Compliance with OFAC . None of
the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the
Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S.
sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of
the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”); and the
Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the
offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or
otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint
venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of
financing the activities of any person currently subject to any
U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
14
(ll) No Restrictions on
Subsidiaries . Except as described in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, no
subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or
indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is
a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company,
from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s
capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances
to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of
such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any
other subsidiary of the Company.
(mm) No Broker’s Fees .
Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any
contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than
this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the
Company or any of its subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a
brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in
connection with the offering and sale of the Securities.
(nn) No Registration Rights . No
person has the right to require the Company or any of its
subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the
Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration
Statement with the Commission or the issuance and sale of the
Securities.
(oo) No Stabilization . The Company
has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or
that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any
stabilization or manipulation of the price of the
Securities.
(pp) Margin Rules . Neither the
issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities nor the application
of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the
Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of
such Board of Governors.
(qq) Forward-Looking Statements .
No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act)
contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without
a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good
faith.
(rr) Statistical and Market Data .
Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused
the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data
included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from
sources that are reliable and accurate in all material
respects.
(ss) Sarbanes-Oxley Act . There is
and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the
Company’s knowledge, any of the Company’s directors or
officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material
respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and
the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402
related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to
certifications.
(tt) Status under the Securities
Act . At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any
post-effective amendments thereto, at the earliest time thereafter
that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer
(within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities
Act) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not
and is not an “ineligible issuer,” and is a well-known
seasoned issuer, in each case as defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act. The Company has paid the registration fee for this
offering pursuant to Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act
or will pay such fees within the time period required by such Rule
(without giving effect to the proviso therein) and in any event
prior to the Closing Date. The Company is eligible to use Form S-3
pursuant to the standards for such form as in existence prior to
October 21, 1992.
15
4. Further Agreements of the
Company . The Company covenants and agrees with each
Underwriter that:
(a) Required Filings . The Company
will file the Prospectus with the Commission within the time
periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C
under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus (including the term sheet substantially in the form of
Annex C hereto) to the extent required by Rule 433 under the
Securities Act; and will file promptly all reports and any
definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by
the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a),
13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of
the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is
required in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities;
and the Company will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously
delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to
10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the business day next
succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the
Representatives may reasonably request. The Com
|