Exhibit 1.1
Execution Copy
PICO Holdings, Inc.
3,055,556
Shares 1
Common Stock
($0.001 par value)
Underwriting Agreement
June 4, 2009
ThinkEquity LLC
600 Montgomery Street
3
rd
Floor
San Francisco, California 94111
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Introductory
. PICO Holdings, Inc., a California
corporation (“ Company ”), proposes to issue and
sell (the “ Offering ”) to ThinkEquity LLC
(the “ Underwriter ”) an aggregate
of 3,055,556 shares of the Company’s Common Stock,
par value $0.001 (the “ Underwritten Securities
”). The Company also proposes to issue and sell at the
Underwriter’s option, solely to cover over-allotments, an
aggregate of up to 458,333 additional shares of the Company’s
Common Stock, par value $0.001 (the “ Option
Securities ”, and together with the Underwritten
Securities, the “ Securities ”) as set forth
below.
In consideration of the mutual
agreements contained herein and of the interests of the parties in
the transactions contemplated hereby, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
1. Representations and Warranties of
the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees
with, the Underwriter that:
(a) Filing and Effectiveness of
Registration Statement; Certain Defined Terms . The Company has
filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 (No.
333-147547), including a related prospectus or prospectuses,
covering the registration of the Securities under the Act, which
has become effective. “ Registration Statement ”
at any particular time means such registration statement in the
form then filed with the Commission, including any amendment
thereto, any document incorporated by reference therein
(collectively, the “ Incorporated Documents ”)
and all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to
such registration statement, that in any case has not been
superseded or modified. “ Registration Statement
” without reference to a time means the Registration
Statement as of the Effective Time. For purposes of this
definition, 430B Information shall be considered to be included in
the Registration Statement as of the time specified in Rule
430B.
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Plus an option to
purchase from the Company up to 458,333 shares to cover
over-allotments.
For purposes of this
Agreement:
“ 430B Information
” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to
be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(e) or
retroactively deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement
pursuant to Rule 430B(f).
“ 430C Information
” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to
be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule
430C.
“ Act ” means the
United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“ Applicable Time
” means 9:00 pm (Eastern time) on the date of this
Agreement.
“ Closing Date ”
has the meaning defined in Section 2 hereof.
“ Commission ”
means the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission.
“ Effective Time
” of the Registration Statement relating to the Securities
means the time of execution of this Agreement.
“ Exchange Act ”
means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
“ Final Prospectus
” means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public
offering price, other 430B Information and other final terms of the
Securities and otherwise satisfies Section 10(a) of the
Act.
“ General Use Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus ” means any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective
investors, as evidenced by its being so specified in Schedule
I to this Agreement.
“ Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus ” means any “issuer free writing
prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the
Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the
Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in
the Company’s records pursuant to
Rule 433(g).
“ Limited Use Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus ” means any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus that is not a General Use Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus.
“ Option Closing Date
” has the meaning defined in Section 2
hereof.
“ Rules and Regulations
” means the rules and regulations of the
Commission.
“ Securities Laws
” means, collectively, the United States Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002 (“ Sarbanes-Oxley ”), the Act, the
Exchange Act, the Rules and Regulations, the auditing principles,
rules, standards and practices applicable to auditors of
“issuers” (as defined in Sarbanes-Oxley) promulgated or
approved by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as
applicable, the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market (“
Exchange Rules ”).
“ Statutory Prospectus
” with reference to any particular time means the prospectus
relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration
Statement immediately prior to that time,
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including all 430B Information
and all 430C Information with respect to the Registration
Statement and all documents incorporated by reference therein. For
purposes of the foregoing definition, 430B Information shall
be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus only as of
the actual time that form of prospectus (including a prospectus
supplement) is filed with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b) and not retroactively.
Unless otherwise specified, a
reference to a “Rule” is to the indicated rule under
the Act.
(b) Compliance with Securities
Act Requirements . (i) (A) At the Effective Time
relating to the Securities and (B) on the Closing Date and the
Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Registration Statement
conformed and will conform in all material respects to the
requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and it did
not and will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and
(ii) (A) on the date of the Final Prospectus and (B) on
the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be,
the Final Prospectus will conform in all material respects to the
requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and will not
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
any material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to
statements in or omissions from any such document based upon
written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriter
specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that
the only such information is that described as such in
Section 7(b) .
(c) Shelf Registration
Statement . The date of this Agreement is not more than three
years subsequent to the initial effective time of the Registration
Statement.
(d) Ineligible Issuer Status
. (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the
Registration Statement that the Company or another offering
participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule
164(h)(2)) of the Securities and (ii) at the date of this
Agreement, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible
issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, including (x) the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company (each, a “
Subsidiary ”) in the preceding three years not having
been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or having been made the
subject of a judicial or administrative decree or order as
described in Rule 405 and (y) the Company in the preceding
three years not having been the subject of a bankruptcy petition or
insolvency or similar proceeding, not having had a registration
statement be the subject of a proceeding under Section 8 of
the Act and not being the subject of a proceeding under
Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of the
Securities, all as described in Rule 405. The Company is eligible
to use Form S-3 for the Offering.
(e) General Disclosure
Package . As of the Applicable Time, neither (i) the
General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior
to the Applicable Time and any preliminary prospectus supplement,
including the base prospectus, dated December 3, 2007 (which
is the most recent Statutory Prospectus distributed to investors
generally), and the other information, if any, stated in
Schedule I to this Agreement to be included in the General
Disclosure Package, all considered together (collectively, the
“ General Disclosure Package ”), nor
(ii) any individual Limited Use Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure
Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not
apply to
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statements in or omissions from any
Statutory Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished
to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for use therein, it
being understood and agreed that the only such information is that
described as such in Section 7(b) .
(f) Issuer Free Writing
Prospectuses . Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its
issue date did not include any information that conflicted with the
information then contained in the Registration Statement. If, at
any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
through the completion of the offer and sale of the Securities,
there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of
which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would
conflict with the information then contained in the Registration
Statement or as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus, if republished immediately following such event or
development, would include an untrue statement of a material fact
or omitted or would 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,
(i) the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify
the Underwriter and (ii) the Company has promptly amended or
will promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement
or omission.
(g) Good Standing of the
Company . The Company has been duly incorporated and is
existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of
California, with corporate power and authority to own its
properties and conduct its business as described in the General
Disclosure Package; and the Company is duly qualified to do
business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other
jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the
conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the
extent that the failure to be so qualified or in good standing
would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a material
adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results
of operations, business or properties of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole (a “ Material Adverse
Effect ”).
(h) Subsidiaries . Each
Subsidiary of the Company that is a “significant
subsidiary” of the Company within the meaning of Rule 1-02(w)
of Regulation S-X has been duly organized, and each Subsidiary is
existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of
its organization, with power and authority (corporate and other) to
own its properties and conduct its business as described in the
General Disclosure Package; and each Subsidiary of the Company is
duly qualified to do business as a foreign entity in good standing
in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of
property or the conduct of its business requires such
qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so
qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the
aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued
and outstanding capital stock or similar equity interests of each
Subsidiary of the Company has been duly authorized and validly
issued and is fully paid and nonassessable; and the capital stock
(or similar equity interests) of each Subsidiary owned by the
Company, directly or through Subsidiaries, is owned free from
liens, encumbrances and defects.
(i) Securities . The
Securities and all other outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Company have been duly authorized; the authorized equity
capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the General
Disclosure Package; all outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Company are, and, when the Securities have been delivered and paid
for in accordance with this Agreement on the Closing Date and the
Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Securities will have
been, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, will conform to
the information in
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the General Disclosure Package and
to the description of the Securities contained in the Final
Prospectus; the shareholders of the Company have no preemptive
rights with respect to the Securities; and none of the outstanding
shares of capital stock of the Company have been issued in
violation of any preemptive or similar rights of any security
holder.
(j) No Finder’s Fee .
Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any
person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or
the Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or
other like payment in connection with this Offering.
(k) Registration Rights .
Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any
person granting such person the right to require the Company to
include securities held by such person in this Offering.
(l) Listing. The
Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001, is registered under
Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and listed on The NASDAQ
Global Market.
(m) Absence of Further
Requirements . No consent, approval, authorization, or order
of, or filing or registration with, any person (including any
governmental agency or body or any court) is required for the
consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement in connection with the Offering, except such as have
been obtained, or made and such as may be required under state
securities or Blue Sky laws or the bylaws and rules of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“ FINRA
”) in connection with the Offering.
(n) Title to Property .
Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the Company
and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real
properties (including all water rights of the Company and its
Subsidiaries described in the General Disclosure Package, subject
to the qualifications and conditions contained in, and with respect
to transfers, any consents and approvals required under, any
underlying water rights permits or applicable law) owned by them,
in each case free from liens, charges, encumbrances and defects
that would materially affect the aggregate value thereof or
materially interfere with the aggregate use made or to be made
thereof by them and, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure
Package, the Company and its Subsidiaries hold any leased real or
personal property under valid and enforceable leases with no terms
or provisions that would materially interfere with the aggregate
use made or to be made thereof by them.
(o) Absence of Defaults and
Conflicts Resulting from Transaction . The execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement and the issuance and sale of the
Securities will not result in a breach or violation of any of the
terms and provisions of, or constitute a default or a Debt
Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in
the imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property
or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to,
(i) the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, (ii) any statute, rule, regulation or order of
any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign,
having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
any of their properties, or (iii) any 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 properties of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is
subject, except in the cases of clauses (ii) and (iii), any
breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would
not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse
Effect; a “ Debt Repayment Triggering Event ”
means
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any event or condition that gives,
or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the
holder of any note, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness
(or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to
require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion
of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
(p) Absence of Existing Defaults
and Conflicts . Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
is in violation of its respective charter or by-laws or in default
(or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would be in default)
under any existing obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any indenture, loan agreement, mortgage, lease or
other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by
which any of them is bound or to which any of the properties of any
of them is subject, except such defaults that would not,
individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(q) Authorization of
Agreements . This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed
and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding
obligation of the Company enforceable in accordance with its terms,
except that (a) the validity of the indemnification and
contribution provisions of Section 7 of this Agreement
may be limited by public policy considerations, and (b) the
validity of Section 7 of this Agreement may be limited
by the public policy of the State of New York, and may be subject
to the discretion of the United States federal or New York State
courts with respect to venue, as provided in 28 U.S.C.
Section 1404(a) and/or New York CPLR Section 510,
respectively.
(r) Possession of Licenses and
Permits . The Company and its Subsidiaries possess all
certificates, authorizations, franchises, licenses and permits
(“ Licenses ”) necessary to the conduct of the
business now conducted by them and are not in violation of, and
have not received any notice of proceedings relating to the
revocation or modification of, any Licenses except where such
violation would or such proceedings if determined adversely to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries would, in each case,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(s) Absence of Labor Dispute
. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is
imminent that could have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Possession of Intellectual
Property . The Company and its Subsidiaries own, or have the
right to use, inventions, know-how, patents, copyrights, trademarks
and other proprietary rights (collectively, “ intellectual
property rights ”) as are necessary to operate the
business as currently conducted. The Company and its Subsidiaries
have not received any written notice of infringement of the
intellectual property rights of any third party, which
infringement, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(u) Environmental Laws .
Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and in each
case as would not individually or in the aggregate have a Material
Adverse Effect, (a)(i) to the knowledge of the Company,
neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of,
or has any liability under, any federal, state, local or non-U.S.
statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, other requirement
or rule of law (including common law), or decision or order of any
governmental agency, governmental body or court, relating to
pollution, to the use, handling, transportation, treatment,
storage, discharge, disposal or release of Hazardous Substances, to
the protection or restoration of the environment or natural
resources (including biota), to health and
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safety including as such relates to
exposure to Hazardous Substances, and to natural resource damages
(collectively, “ Environmental Laws ”),
(ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries owns,
occupies, operates or uses any real property contaminated with
Hazardous Substances, (iii) neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries is conducting or funding any investigation,
remediation, remedial action or monitoring of actual or suspected
Hazardous Substances in the environment, (iv) to the knowledge
of the Company, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is
liable or allegedly liable for any release or threatened release of
Hazardous Substances, including at any off-site treatment, storage
or disposal site, (v) to the knowledge of the Company, neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any claim by
any governmental agency or governmental body or person relating to
Environmental Laws or Hazardous Substances, and (vi) the
Company and its Subsidiaries have received and are in compliance
with all, and have no liability under any, permits, licenses,
authorizations, identification numbers or other approvals required
under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective
businesses; and (b) to the knowledge of the Company, there are
no facts or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to
result in a violation of, liability under, or claim pursuant to any
Environmental Law. For purposes of this Section 1(u)
“ Hazardous Substances ” means
(A) petroleum and petroleum products, by-products or breakdown
products, radioactive materials, asbestos-containing materials,
polychlorinated biphenyls and mold, and (B) any other
chemical, material or substance defined or regulated as toxic or
hazardous or as a pollutant, contaminant or waste under
Environmental Laws.
(v) Accurate Disclosure . The
statements in the General Disclosure Package and the Final
Prospectus under the headings “Tax Matters,”
“Description of Capital Stock,” and “Legal
Proceedings,” insofar as such statements summarize
agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are fair
summaries of such agreements, documents or proceedings.
(w) Offering Material . The
Company has not distributed, and will not distribute prior to the
Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any
offering material in connection with the Offering other than any
preliminary prospectuses, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the
Final Prospectus and the Registration Statement.
(x) Absence of Manipulation .
The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action that
is designed to or that has constituted or that would reasonably be
expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of
the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or
resale of the Securities.
(y) Internal Controls and
Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act . Except as set forth in
the General Disclosure Package, the Company, its Subsidiaries and,
to the Company’s knowledge, the Company’s Board of
Directors (the “ Board ”) are in compliance in
all material respects with Sarbanes-Oxley and all applicable
Exchange Rules. The Company maintains internal controls over
financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, each as
defined in Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act and a system of
internal controls over accounting matters (collectively, “
Internal Controls ”) that are designed to provide
reasonable assurances 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 of the United States
(“ GAAP ”) and to maintain accountability for
assets, (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
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respect to any differences. The
Internal Controls are overseen by the Audit Committee (the “
Audit Committee ”) of the Board in accordance with
Exchange Rules. Since the date of the latest audited financial
statements included in the General Disclosure Package, the Company
has not identified (i) any material weakness in the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether
or not remediated) or (ii) any change in the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Since
the later of the date of the Company’s last quarterly report
on Form 10-Q or annual report on Form 10-K, the Company has not
determined that its disclosure controls and procedures are
ineffective to perform the functions for which they were
established.
(z) Litigation . Except as
disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened actions, suits or
proceedings (including any inquiries or investigations by any court
or governmental agency or body) against or affecting the Company,
any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties that,
if determined adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse
Effect, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the
Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement.
(aa) Financial Statements .
The financial statements included in the Registration Statement and
the General Disclosure Package present fairly in all material
respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated
Subsidiaries as of the dates shown and their results of operations
and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements
have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent
basis.
(bb) No Material Adverse Change
in Business . Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure
Package, since the end of the period covered by the latest audited
financial statements included in the General Disclosure Package
(i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition
(financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or
properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
(ii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind
declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital
stock, and (iii) there has been no material adverse change in
the capital stock, short-term indebtedness, long-term indebtedness,
net current assets or net assets of the Company and its
Subsidiaries.
(cc) 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 General Disclosure Package, will not be an
“investment company” as defined in the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (the “ Investment Company Act
”).
(dd) FCPA; Anti-Money
Laundering . To the Company’s knowledge, each of the
Company, its Subsidiaries, and any of their respective officers,
directors, agents, or employees, that it has not violated and its
participation in the Offering will not violate any of the following
laws: (a) anti-bribery laws, including but not limited to, any
applicable law, rule, or regulation of any locality, including but
not limited to any law, rule, or regulation promulgated to
implement the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign
Public Officials in International Business Transactions, signed
December 17, 1997, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act of 1977 or any other law, rule or regulation of
similar purpose and scope, (b) anti-money laundering laws,
including but not limited to, applicable federal, state,
international, foreign or other laws, regulations or government
guidance regarding anti-money laundering, including,
without
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limitation, Title 18 U.S. Code
section 1956 and 1957, the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, and
international anti-money laundering principals or procedures by an
intergovernmental group or organization, such as the Financial
Action Task Force on Money Laundering, of which the United States
is a member and with which designation the United States
representative to the group or organization continues to concur,
all as amended, and any Executive order, directive, or regulation
pursuant to the authority of any of the foregoing, or any orders or
licenses issued thereunder, or (c) laws and regulations
imposing U.S. economic sanctions measures, including, but not
limited to, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the
Trading with the Enemy Act, the United Nations Participation Act,
and the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act, all as
amended, and any Executive Order, directive, or regulation pursuant
to the authority of any of the foregoing, including the regulations
of the United States Treasury Department set forth under 31 CFR,
Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended, or any orders or licenses issued
thereunder.
(ee) Tax Returns . The
Company and its Subsidiaries have filed all U.S. federal, state,
local and non-U.S. tax returns that are required to be filed or
have requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the
failure so to file would not have a Material Adverse Effect); and,
except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package, the Company
and its Subsidiaries have paid all taxes (including any
assessments, fines or penalties) required to be paid by them,
except for any such taxes, assessments, fines or penalties
currently being contested in good faith or as would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(ff) Insurance. The
Company and its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers against such
losses and risks and in such amounts as the Company deems adequate;
all policies of insurance and fidelity or surety bonds insuring the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses,
assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and
effect; and the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with
the terms of such policies and instruments in all material
respects.
(gg) Exemption from FINRA
Filing . As of the date of this Agreement, the Company
satisfies the eligibility requirements in existence prior to
October 21, 1992 for the use of a registration statement on
Form S-3 for the offering of the Securities.
2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of
the Securities.
(a) On the basis of the
representations, warranties and covenants herein contained, and
subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to
sell to the Underwriter and the Underwriter agrees to purchase, at
a price of $25.65 per share, the Underwritten
Securities.
(b) Payment for the Underwritten
Securities to be sold hereunder is to be made in Federal (same day)
funds against delivery of certificates therefor to the Underwriter.
Such payment and delivery are to be made through the facilities of
The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York at 10:00 am
(Eastern time), on the fourth business day after the date of this
Agreement or at such other time and date not later than five
business days thereafter as the Underwriter and the Company shall
agree upon, such time and date being herein referred to as the
“ Closing Date .” As used herein, “
business day ” means a day on which the New York Stock
Exchange and The NASDAQ Stock Market are open for trading and on
which banks in New York are open for business and are not permitted
by law or executive order to be closed.
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(c) In addition, on the basis of the
representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the
terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an
option to the Underwriter to purchase the Option Securities at the
price per share as set forth in paragraph (a) of this
Section 2 . The option granted hereby may be exercised
at any time and from time to time, in whole or in part, within 30
days after the date of this Agreement, upon written notice by the
Underwriter to the Company setting forth the number of Option
Securities as to which the Underwriter is exercising the option and
the time and date at which such certificates are to be delivered.
The time and date at which certificates for Option Securities are
to be delivered shall be determined by the Underwriter but shall
not be earlier than three nor later than 10 full business days
after the exercise of such option, nor in any event prior to the
Closing Date (each such time and date being herein referred to as
an “ Option Closing Date ”). If the date of
exercise of the option is three or more days before the Closing
Date, the notice of exercise shall set the Closing Date as the
Option Closing Date. The option with respect to the Option
Securities granted hereunder may be exercised only to cover
over-allotments in the sale of the Underwritten Securities by the
Underwriter. The Underwriter may cancel such option at any time
prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such
cancellation to the Company. To the extent, if any, that the option
is exercised, payment for the Option Securities shall be made on
the Option Closing Date in Federal (same day funds) through the
facilities of The Depository Trust Company in New York, New York
drawn to the order of the Company.
3. Offering by the
Underwriter.
It is understood that the
Underwriter is to make a public offering of the Underwritten
Securities as soon as the Underwriter deems it advisable to do so.
The Underwritten Securities are to be initially offered to the
public at the initial public offering price set forth in the
Prospectus. The Underwriter may from time to time thereafter change
the public offering price and other selling terms.
4. Certain Agreements of the
Company. The Company agrees with the Underwriter
that:
(a) Filing of Prospectuses.
The Company has filed or will file each Statutory Prospectus
(including the Final Prospectus) pursuant to and in accordance with
Rule 424(b)(2) (or, if applicable and consented to by the
Underwriter, subparagraph (5)) not later than the second
business day following the earlier of the date it is first used and
the execution and delivery of this Agreement. The Company has
complied and will comply with Rule 433 with respect to a
prospectus relating to the Securities.
(b) Filing of Amendments;
Response to Commission Requests . The Company will promptly
advise the Underwriter of any proposal to amend or supplement the
Registration Statement or any Statutory Prospectus at any time
(including by incorporation by reference of any report filed under
the Exchange Act) and will offer the Underwriter a reasonable
opportunity to comment on any such amendment or supplement; and the
Company will also advise the Underwriter promptly of (i) the
filing of any such amendment or supplement, (ii) any request
by the Commission or its staff for any amendment to the
Registration Statement, for any supplement to any Statutory
Prospectus or for any additional information, (iii) the
institution by the Commission of any stop order proceedings in
respect of the Registration Statement or the threatening of any
proceeding for that purpose, and (iv) the receipt by the
Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the
qualification of the Securities in any jurisdiction or the
institution or threatening of any proceedings for such purpose. The
Company will use reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of
any such stop order or the suspension of any such qualification
and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal
thereof.
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(c) Continued Compliance with
Securities Laws . If, at any time when a prospectus relating to
the Securities is (or but for the exemption in Rule 172 would
be) required to be delivered under the Act by the Underwriter or
any dealer, any event occurs as a result of which the Final
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 Registration Statement or
supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company
will promptly notify the Underwriter of such event and will
promptly prepare and file with the Commission and furnish, at its
own expense, to the Underwriter and any dealers upon request of the
Underwriter, an amendment or supplement which will correct such
statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such
compliance. Neither the Underwriter’s consent to, nor the
Underwriter’s delivery of, any such amendment or supplement
shall constitute a waiver of any of the conditions set forth in
Section 6 hereof.
(d) Rule 158. As soon as
practicable, but not later than 16 months, after the date of this
Agreement, the Company will make generally available to its
securityholders an earnings statement covering a period of at least
12 months beginning after the date of this Agreement and satisfying
the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and
Rule 158.
(e) Furnishing of
Prospectuses . The Company will furnish to the Underwriter
copies of the Registration Statement, including all exhibits, any
Statutory Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and all amendments and
supplements to such documents, in each case as soon as available
and in such quantities as the Underwriter reasonably requests. The
Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the
Underwriter all such documents.
(f) Blue Sky Qualifications .
The Company will arrange for the qualification of the Securities
for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriter
designates and will continue such qualifications in effect so long
as required for the distribution; provided that the Company
will not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file
a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or
take any action that would subject it to taxation in any such
jurisdiction where it is not then so subject.
(g) Reporting Requirements .
During the period of three years hereafter, the Company will
furnish to the Underwriter as soon as practicable after the end of
each fiscal year, a copy of its annual report to shareholders for
such year; and the Company will furnish to the Underwriter
(i) as soon as available, a copy of each report and any
definitive proxy statement of the Company filed with the Commission
under the Exchange Act or mailed to shareholders, and
(ii) from time to time, such other information concerning the
Company as the Underwriter may reasonably request. However, so long
as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and is
timely filing reports with the Commission on its Interactive Data
Electronic Applications system, it is not required to furnish such
reports or statements to the Underwriter.
(h) Payment of Expenses . The
Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its
obligations under this Agreement, including but not limited to
(i) any filing fees and other expenses (including reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriter) incurred
in
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connection with qualification of the
Securities for sale under the state securities or blue sky laws as
the Underwriter designates and the preparation and printing of
memoranda relating thereto, (ii) Company costs and expenses
relating to investor presentations or any “road show”
in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities
including, without limitation, any travel expenses of the
Company’s officers and employees and any other expenses of
the Company, (iii) fees and expenses incident to listing the
Securities on The NASDAQ Global Market, (iv) fees and expenses
in connection with the registration of the Securities under the
Exchange Act, (v) expenses incurred in distributing
preliminary prospectuses and the Final Prospectus (including any
amendments and supplements thereto) to the Underwriter, and
(vi) expenses incurred for preparing, printing and
distributing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses to investors or
prospective investors.
(i) Use of Proceeds . The
Company will use the net proceeds received in connection with this
Offering in the manner described in the “Use of
Proceeds” section of the General Disclosure
Package.
(j) Absence of Manipulation .
The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action
designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be
expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of
the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale
or resale of the Securities.
(k) Restriction on Sale of
Securities. For the period specified below (the “
Lock-Up Period ”), the Company will not, directly or
indirectly, take any of the following actions with respect to its
Common Stock, $0.001 par value, or any securities convertible into
or exchangeable or exercisable for any of its Common Stock, $0.001
pa