UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
_____________________________________________________________
FORM 10-Q
_____________________________________________________________
x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 27, 2016
or
o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-35987
___________________________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
_____________________________________________________________
Delaware | 84-1303469 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
520 Zang Street, Suite D | ||
Broomfield, CO | 80021 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |
(720) 214-1900
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer x | |
Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company o | |
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Class | Outstanding at October 31, 2016 | |
Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | ||
Class B Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | ||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | |||
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PART I
Item 1. Financial Statements
Noodles & Company
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
September 27, 2016 | December 29, 2015 | |||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||
Assets | ||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ||||||
Accounts receivable | ||||||||
Inventories | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets | ||||||||
Income tax receivable | ||||||||
Total current assets | ||||||||
Property and equipment, net | ||||||||
Deferred tax assets, net | ||||||||
Goodwill | ||||||||
Intangibles, net | ||||||||
Other assets, net | ||||||||
Total long-term assets | ||||||||
Total assets | $ | $ | ||||||
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
Accrued payroll and benefits | ||||||||
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | ||||||||
Total current liabilities | ||||||||
Long-term debt, net | ||||||||
Deferred rent | ||||||||
Deferred tax liabilities, net | ||||||||
Other long-term liabilities | ||||||||
Total liabilities | ||||||||
Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||
Preferred stock—$0.01 par value, authorized 1,000,000 shares as of September 27, 2016 and December 29, 2015; no shares issued or outstanding | ||||||||
Common stock—$0.01 par value, authorized 180,000,000 shares as of September 27, 2016 and December 29, 2015; 30,292,166 issued and 27,868,295 outstanding as of September 27, 2016 and 30,138,672 issued and 27,714,801 outstanding as of December 29, 2015 | ||||||||
Treasury stock, at cost, 2,423,871 shares as of September 27, 2016 and December 29, 2015 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings | ( | ) | ||||||
Total stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | $ | ||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Noodles & Company
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except share and per share data, unaudited)
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||||||
Revenue: | ||||||||||||||||
Restaurant revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Franchising royalties and fees | ||||||||||||||||
Total revenue | ||||||||||||||||
Costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Restaurant operating costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below): | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales | ||||||||||||||||
Labor | ||||||||||||||||
Occupancy | ||||||||||||||||
Other restaurant operating costs | ||||||||||||||||
General and administrative | ||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||||||||||
Pre-opening | ||||||||||||||||
Restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals | ||||||||||||||||
Total costs and expenses | ||||||||||||||||
Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
Interest expense, net | ||||||||||||||||
Loss before income taxes | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Loss per share of Class A and Class B common stock, combined: | ||||||||||||||||
Basic | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Diluted | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Weighted average shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding, combined: | ||||||||||||||||
Basic | ||||||||||||||||
Diluted | ||||||||||||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Noodles & Company
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
(in thousands, unaudited)
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Other comprehensive income (loss): | ||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustments | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
Other comprehensive loss | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
Comprehensive loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Noodles & Company
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands, unaudited)
Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | ||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||
Operating activities | ||||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||
Deferred income taxes | ( | ) | ||||||
Restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals | ||||||||
Amortization of debt issuance costs | ||||||||
Stock-based compensation | ||||||||
Gain on insurance proceeds received for property damage | ( | ) | ||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts receivable | ||||||||
Inventories | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Accounts payable | ( | ) | ||||||
Deferred rent | ||||||||
Income taxes | ||||||||
Accrued expenses and other liabilities | ||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | ||||||||
Investing activities | ||||||||
Purchases of property and equipment | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Acquisition of franchise restaurant | ( | ) | ||||||
Insurance proceeds received for property damage | ||||||||
Net cash used in investing activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Financing activities | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt | ||||||||
Payments on long-term debt | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Proceeds from exercise of stock options, warrants and employee stock purchase plan | ( | ) | ||||||
Acquisition of treasury stock | ( | ) | ||||||
Other financing activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | ( | ) | ||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | ( | ) | ||||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | ||||||||
Beginning of period | ||||||||
End of period | $ | $ | ||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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NOODLES & COMPANY
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
1. Business Summary and Basis of Presentation
Noodles & Company (the “Company” or “Noodles & Company”), a Delaware corporation, develops and operates fast casual restaurants that serve globally inspired noodle and pasta dishes, soups and salads. As of September 27, 2016, the Company had 455 company-owned restaurants and 73 franchise restaurants in 35 states, the District of Columbia and one Canadian province. The Company operates its business as one operating and reportable segment.
Basis of Presentation
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, “Leases.” The pronouncement amends the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheet and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. The pronouncement will be effective beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, with early adoption permitted. The new leases standard requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this accounting standard will have on its financial position or results of operations and cash flows and related disclosures.
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2. Supplemental Financial Information
September 27, 2016 | December 29, 2015 | |||||||
Leasehold improvements | $ | $ | ||||||
Furniture, fixtures and equipment | ||||||||
Construction in progress | ||||||||
Accumulated depreciation and amortization | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
$ | $ | |||||||
3. Long-Term Debt
The Company has a credit facility with a borrowing capacity on the revolving line of credit of $100.0 million, expiring in June 2020. As of September 27, 2016, the Company had $84.5 million of indebtedness and $2.7 million letters of credit outstanding under the revolving line of credit. The Company’s ability to borrow funds pursuant to the revolving line of credit is further limited by the requirement that it comply with the revolving line of credit’s financial covenants upon the measurement dates specified therein. These financial covenants include a maximum lease-adjusted leverage ratio and a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. The credit agreement also contains other customary covenants, including limitations on additional borrowings, acquisitions, dividend payments and lease commitments.
The credit facility bore interest between 2.59 % and 5.50 % during the first three quarters of 2016. On August 2, 2016, the Company entered into an amendment to its credit facility to revise the financial covenant levels and related definitions and make certain other changes, including an increase in the interest rate and commitment fee. All other material terms remained the same. The Company also maintains outstanding letters of credit to secure obligations under its workers’ compensation program and certain lease obligations. The Company was in compliance with all of its debt covenants as of September 27, 2016.
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4. Fair Value Measurements
The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and all other current liabilities approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature. The carrying amounts of borrowings under the credit facility approximate fair value as the line of credit and term borrowings vary with market interest rates and negotiated terms and conditions are consistent with current market rates. The fair value of the Company’s line of credit borrowings is measured using Level 2 inputs.
5. Income Taxes
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) | ||||||||
Effective tax rate | ( | )% | % | ( | )% | % | ||||||||||
During the first three quarters of 2016, the Company recorded a valuation allowance of $0.9 million against U.S. and Canadian deferred tax assets and recognized a provision for income taxes for discrete and certain other items. This resulted in the Company recording a net provision for income taxes of $1.1 million during the first three quarters of 2016.
6. Stock-Based Compensation
The Company’s Stock Incentive Plan, as amended and restated in May of 2013, authorizes the grant of nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and incentive bonuses to employees, officers, nonemployee directors and other service providers. The number of shares of common stock available for issuance pursuant to awards granted under the Stock Incentive Plan on or after the IPO shall not exceed 3,750,500 shares.
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | ||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | ||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation expense | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
Capitalized stock-based compensation expense | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
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7. Restaurant Impairments, Closure Costs and Asset Disposals
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | ||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | ||||||||||||
Restaurant impairments (1) | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
Closure costs (1) (2) | |||||||||||||||
Loss on disposal of assets and other (2) | |||||||||||||||
$ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
_____________________________
(1) | Restaurant impairments and closure costs in all periods presented above include expenditures related to restaurants previously impaired or closed. |
(2) |
8. Earnings (Loss) Per Share
Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) is calculated by dividing net income (loss) available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each period. Diluted EPS is calculated using net income (loss) available to common stockholders divided by diluted weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding during each period. Potentially dilutive securities include shares of common stock underlying stock options and restricted common stock. Diluted EPS considers the impact of potentially dilutive securities except in periods in which there is a loss because the inclusion of the potential common shares would have an anti-dilutive effect.
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Shares: | ||||||||||||||||
Basic weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
Effect of dilutive securities | ||||||||||||||||
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
Loss per share: | ||||||||||||||||
Basic loss per share | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Diluted loss per share | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
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9. Supplemental Disclosures to Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||
Interest paid (net of amounts capitalized) | $ | $ | ||||||
Income taxes (refunded) paid | ( | ) | ||||||
Changes in purchases of property and equipment accrued in accounts payable, net | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
10. Commitments and Contingencies
Severance Costs
During the third quarter of 2016, the Company recorded a charge for severance expenses of $2.5 million. The charge was recorded in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. The severance expenses primarily relate to the termination benefits for Kevin Reddy, who resigned from his position as the Chairman of the Board and from his position as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer in July 2016. Under the release agreement executed with Mr. Reddy, he is entitled to certain severance payments, including payments totaling one and one-half times his current base salary and COBRA premiums for eighteen months. The severance payments of $1.3 million owed to Mr. Reddy and one other former employee subsequent to September 27, 2016 are recorded in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Data Security Incident
Overview
On June 28, 2016, the Company announced that a data security incident compromised the security of the payment information of some customers who used debit or credit cards at certain Noodles & Company locations between January 31, 2016 and June 2, 2016. Credit and debit cards used at the affected locations are no longer at risk from the malware involved in this incident, and the Company has been implementing additional security procedures to further secure customers’ debit and credit card information.
Processor Assessments
The Company expects payment card companies to issue assessments to the Company’s credit card processor for card replacement and card issuer losses alleged to be associated with the data security incident. The credit card processor, in turn, will likely seek indemnification from the Company for these amounts, as provided for under the agreement between the Company and the credit card processor. At present, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the range of potential losses that will be associated with the payment card companies’ expected claims for non-ordinary course operating expenses and alleged card issuer losses and/or card replacement costs, although some amount of losses are probable in the Company’s judgment. This range is not reasonably estimable because the Company has not yet received third-party card issuer loss reporting from the payment card networks, the investigation into the matter is ongoing and there are significant factual and legal issues to be resolved. Although the Company maintains data security liability insurance, it currently believes that it is possible that the ultimate amount paid by the Company with respect to this matter will be in excess of the limits of the data security liability insurance coverage applicable to claims of this nature. It is possible that losses associated with the data privacy incident, including losses associated with these assessments, could have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations in future periods. The Company will continue to evaluate information as it becomes known and will record an estimate for losses at the time or times when it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the minimum amount of the loss is reasonably estimable.
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Data Security Litigation
In addition to claims by payment card companies with respect to the data security incident, Selco Community Credit Union filed a purported class action lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on September 6, 2016 alleging that the Company negligently failed to provide adequate security to protect the personal and financial information of customers of Selco and other similarly situated credit unions, banks and other financial institutions alleged to be part of the putative class (the “Selco Litigation”). The complaint in the Selco Litigation also claims the Company violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair practices in or affecting commerce, and it seeks monetary damages, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees.
Midwest America Federal Credit Union and Veridian Credit Union also filed a purported class action lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on October 6, 2016 on behalf of itself and similarly situated credit unions, banks and other financial institutions containing the same allegations and seeking the same remedies as the Complaint in the Selco Litigation (the “Midwest America Litigation”).
Kemba Financial Credit Union also filed a purported class action lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on October 24, 2016 on behalf of itself and similarly situated credit unions, banks and other financial institutions containing the same allegations and seeking the same remedies as the complaints in the Selco Litigation and the Midwest America Litigation (the “Kemba Financial Litigation”).
The Company intends to seek to consolidate the Selco Litigation, the Midwest America Litigation and the Kemba Financial Litigation, and it intends to vigorously defend these actions. The Company cannot reasonably estimate the range of potential losses that will be associated with these actions because each is at an early stage. Although the Company maintains data security liability insurance, it currently believes that it is possible that the ultimate amount paid by the Company with respect to this matter will be in excess of the limits of the Company’s data security liability insurance coverage applicable to claims of this nature. It is possible that losses associated with the data privacy incident, including losses associated with these actions, could have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations in future periods. The Company will continue to evaluate information as it becomes known and will record an estimate for losses at the time or times when it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount of the loss is reasonably estimable.
Fees and Costs
The Company has incurred fees and costs associated with this data security incident, including legal fees, investigative fees, other professional fees and costs of communications with customers, all of which to date have been paid or reimbursed by its data security liability insurer. The Company expects to continue to incur significant fees and costs associated with the data security incident in future periods. Fees and costs related to the data security incident may also include other liabilities to payment card networks, liabilities from future litigation, governmental investigations and enforcement proceedings and capital investments for remediation activities, among others. The aggregate amount of such fees and costs cannot be reasonably estimated by the Company at present, but these fees and costs may be in excess of the limit that the data security liability insurer will pay or reimburse, in which case the Company will bear these fees and costs. It is possible that losses associated with the data privacy incident, including such fees and costs, could have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations in future periods.
Insurance Coverage
As discussed above, to limit its exposure to losses arising from matters such as the data security incident, the Company maintained at the time of the incident and continues to maintain data privacy liability insurance coverage. This coverage, and certain other customary business insurance coverage, has reduced the Company’s exposure related to the data security incident. The Company will pursue the maximum recoveries available under these policies.
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Labor Law Matter
As the Company reported in its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 29, 2016 and June 28, 2016, Carrie Castillo, Anastassia Letourneau and Jacquelyn Myhre, former employees of the Company, filed a purported collective and class action lawsuit against the Company on March 10, 2016 alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois and Minnesota wage laws (the “Labor Laws”) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The plaintiffs filed the case on their behalf and on behalf of all assistant general managers employed by the Company since January 5, 2013 whom the Company classified as exempt employees, and they allege that the Company violated the Labor Laws by not paying overtime compensation to its assistant general managers. The plaintiffs were seeking, on behalf of themselves and members of the putative class, unpaid overtime compensation, liquidated damages and available penalties under applicable state laws, a declaratory judgment, an injunction and attorneys’ fees and costs. In the third quarter of 2016, the Company and the plaintiffs in the litigation agreed in principle to settle the litigation. To cover the estimated costs of the settlement, including estimated payments to any opt-in members and class attorneys, as well as related settlement administration costs, the Company recorded a charge of $3.0 million in the third quarter of 2016. The charge was recorded in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. The settlement is subject to approval of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Other Matters
11. Share Repurchases
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NOODLES & COMPANY
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Noodles & Company is a Delaware corporation that was organized in 2002. Noodles & Company and its subsidiaries are sometimes referred to as “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” in this report. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in Item 1 and with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 29, 2015. We operate on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the Tuesday closest to December 31. Our fiscal quarters each contain 13 operating weeks, with the exception of the fourth quarter of a 53-week fiscal year, which contains 14 operating weeks. Fiscal year 2016 contains 53 weeks and fiscal year 2015 contained 52 weeks.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties such as the number of restaurants we intend to open, projected capital expenditures and estimates of our effective tax rates. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “objective,” “intend,” “should,” “could,” “can,” “would,” “expect,” “believe,” “design,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements due to reasons including, but not limited to, costs associated with our data security incident, including legal fees, investigative fees, other professional fees and the cost of communications with customers, as well as potential losses associated with settling payment card networks’ expected claims and litigation associated with the data security breach; our ability to achieve and maintain increases in comparable restaurant sales and to successfully execute our growth strategy; the success of our marketing efforts; our ability to open new restaurants on schedule; current economic conditions; price and availability of commodities; our ability to adequately staff our restaurants; changes in labor costs; consumer confidence and spending patterns; the assumptions used in the adjustment of interest expense and the adjustments for certain incremental legal, accounting, insurance and other compliance costs used to calculate adjusted net income; changes in consumer tastes and the level of acceptance of the Company’s restaurant concepts (including consumer acceptance of prices and the success of our catering offerings); consumer reactions to public health issues and perceptions of food safety; seasonal factors; weather; and those discussed in “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” as filed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 29, 2015.
Key Measures We Use to Evaluate Our Performance
To evaluate the performance of our business, we utilize a variety of financial and performance measures. These key measures include revenue, average unit volumes (“AUVs”), comparable restaurant sales, restaurant contribution, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA.
Revenue
Restaurant revenue represents sales of food and beverages in company-owned restaurants. Several factors affect our restaurant revenue in any period, including the number of restaurants in operation and per-restaurant sales.
Franchise royalties and fees represent royalty income and initial franchise fees. While we expect that the majority of our revenue and net income growth will be driven by company-owned restaurants, our franchise restaurants remain an important factor impacting our revenue and financial performance.
Seasonal factors cause our revenue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Our revenue per restaurant is typically lower in the first and fourth quarters, due to reduced winter and holiday traffic, and is higher in the second and third quarters. As a result of these factors, our quarterly and annual operating results and comparable restaurant sales may fluctuate significantly.
Average Unit Volumes (“AUVs”)
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AUVs consist of the average annualized sales of all company-owned restaurants for the trailing 12 periods. AUVs are calculated by dividing restaurant revenue by the number of operating days within each time period and multiplying by 361, which is the number of operating days we have in a typical year. This measurement allows management to assess changes in consumer traffic and per-person-spending patterns at our restaurants.
Comparable Restaurant Sales
Comparable restaurant sales refer to year-over-year sales comparisons for the comparable restaurant base. We define the comparable restaurant base to include restaurants open for at least 18 full periods. This measure highlights performance of existing restaurants, as the impact of new restaurant openings is excluded. Changes in comparable restaurant sales are generated by changes in traffic, which we calculate as the number of entrées sold, or changes in per-person spend, calculated as sales divided by traffic. Per-person spend can be influenced by changes in menu prices and the mix and number of items sold per person.
Measuring our comparable restaurant sales allows us to evaluate the performance of our existing restaurant base. Various factors impact comparable restaurant sales, including:
• | consumer recognition of our brand and our ability to respond to changing consumer preferences; |
• | overall economic trends, particularly those related to consumer spending; |
• | our ability to operate restaurants effectively and efficiently to meet consumer expectations; |
• | pricing; |
• | per-person spend and average check amount; |
• | marketing and promotional efforts; |
• | weather; |
• | food safety and foodborne illness concerns; |
• | local competition; |
• | trade area dynamics; |
• | introduction of new and seasonal menu items and limited time offerings; and |
• | opening new restaurants in the vicinity of existing locations. |
Since opening new company-owned and franchise restaurants is a part of our growth strategy and we anticipate new restaurants will be a component of our revenue growth, comparable restaurant sales are only one measure of how we evaluate our performance.
Restaurant Contribution
Restaurant contribution is defined as restaurant revenue less restaurant operating costs which are cost of sales, labor, occupancy and other restaurant operating costs. Fluctuations in restaurant contribution margin can also be attributed to those factors discussed above for the components of restaurant operating costs.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
We define EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes and depreciation and amortization. We define adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals, litigation settlements, severance costs and stock-based compensation.
EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA provide clear pictures of our operating results by eliminating certain non-cash expenses that may vary widely from period to period and are not reflective of the underlying business performance. The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or to be superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. The Company believes that they provide useful information about operating results, enhance the
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overall understanding of past financial performance and future prospects and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making.
Recent Trends, Risks and Uncertainties
We plan to pursue a more moderate unit growth rate, which we anticipate will result in our revenue growing at a slower rate than would be expected if our unit growth rate continued at the historical rate. Our restaurant level margin may also be negatively affected in future periods as AUVs at our restaurants that have been open for less than 18 full periods have been lower than the system average in recent quarters. Like much of the restaurant industry, our labor costs have risen in recent periods and we expect that labor costs will continue to rise in future periods as wage rates and benefit costs increase. Conversely, we expect general and administrative expenses as a percentage of restaurant revenue to decrease as our efforts to reduce corporate overhead costs are realized. Furthermore, we anticipate pre-opening costs to decrease as a result of the more moderate anticipated growth rate. We intend to open a total of approximately 44 new restaurants system-wide, including 38 new company-owned restaurants, by the end of the current fiscal year, and we anticipate opening approximately 10 to 15 new company-owned restaurants in 2017.
Results of Operations
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA:
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands, unaudited) | ||||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (9,841 | ) | $ | (9,821 | ) | $ | (26,301 | ) | $ | (9,511 | ) | ||||
Depreciation and amortization | 7,006 | 7,117 | 20,983 | 20,959 | ||||||||||||
Interest expense, net | 738 | 391 | 1,964 | 818 | ||||||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 41 | (5,872 | ) | 1,124 | (5,911 | ) | ||||||||||
EBITDA | $ | (2,056 | ) | $ | (8,185 | ) | $ | (2,230 | ) | $ | 6,355 | |||||
Restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals (1) | 2,283 | 16,479 | 14,547 | 22,815 | ||||||||||||
Litigation settlement (2) | 3,000 | — | 3,000 | — | ||||||||||||
Severance costs (3) | 1,740 | — | 1,740 | — | ||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation expense (4) | 1,219 | 411 | 2,192 | 1,036 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 6,186 | $ | 8,705 | $ | 19,249 | $ | 30,206 | ||||||||
_____________________
(1) | The first three quarters of 2016 include the impairment of 12 restaurants and the ongoing closure costs of restaurants closed in the fourth quarter of 2015. The first three quarters of 2015 include the impairment of 33 restaurants. See Note 7, Restaurant Impairments, Closure Costs and Asset Disposals. |
(2) | The third quarter of 2016 included a charge of $3.0 million recorded to cover estimated costs of an employment-related litigation settlement. |
(3) | The third quarter of 2016 included severance costs from a reduction in headcount as a result of reducing new restaurant development. |
(4) | Included in stock-based compensation expense in the third quarter of 2016 and in the first three quarters of 2016 is a $0.7 million charge for modifying the outstanding stock options for Kevin Reddy, who resigned from his position as the Chairman of the Board and from his position as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer in July 2016. |
Restaurant Openings, Closures and Relocations
The following table shows restaurants opened, closed or relocated during the periods indicated:
15
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||
Company-Owned Restaurant Activity | ||||||||||||
Beginning of period | 443 | 411 | 422 | 386 | ||||||||
Openings | 12 | 13 | 34 | 37 | ||||||||
Acquisitions (1) | — | — | — | 1 | ||||||||
Closures | — | — | (1 | ) | — | |||||||
Restaurants at end of period | 455 | 424 | 455 | 424 | ||||||||
Franchise Restaurant Activity | ||||||||||||
Beginning of period | 71 | 61 | 70 | 53 | ||||||||
Openings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||||||||
Divestitures (1) | — | — | — | (1 | ) | |||||||
Closures | — | — | (1 | ) | — | |||||||
Restaurants at end of period | 73 | 64 | 73 | 64 | ||||||||
Total restaurants | 528 | 488 | 528 | 488 | ||||||||
_____________________
(1) | Represents franchise restaurants acquired/divested by the Company. |
The following table summarizes key components of our results of operations for the periods indicated as a percentage of our total revenue, except for the components of restaurant operating costs, which are expressed as a percentage of restaurant revenue.
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | |||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||||
Revenue: | ||||||||||||
Restaurant revenue | 99.0 | % | 99.0 | % | 99.0 | % | 98.9 | % | ||||
Franchising royalties and fees | 1.0 | % | 1.0 | % | 1.0 | % | 1.1 | % | ||||
Total revenue | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||
Costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||
Restaurant operating costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below): (1) | ||||||||||||
Cost of sales | 27.3 | % | 26.6 | % | 26.9 | % | 26.5 | % | ||||
Labor | 33.7 | % | 32.4 | % | 33.2 | % | 31.6 | % | ||||
Occupancy | 11.4 | % | 11.1 | % | 11.5 | % | 11.2 | % | ||||
Other restaurant operating costs | 15.2 | % | 14.6 | % | 15.2 | % | 14.0 | % | ||||
General and administrative | 12.4 | % | 8.0 | % | 9.8 | % | 8.0 | % | ||||
Depreciation and amortization | 5.7 | % | 6.1 | % | 5.9 | % | 6.2 | % | ||||
Pre-opening | 0.7 | % | 0.9 | % | 0.8 | % | 0.9 | % | ||||
Restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals | 1.9 | % | 14.0 | % | 4.1 | % | 6.7 | % | ||||
Total costs and expenses | 107.4 | % | 113.1 | % | 106.5 | % | 104.3 | % | ||||
Loss from operations | (7.4 | )% | (13.1 | )% | (6.5 | )% | (4.3 | )% | ||||
Interest expense, net | 0.6 | % | 0.3 | % | 0.5 | % | 0.2 | % | ||||
Loss before income taxes | (8.0 | )% | (13.4 | )% | (7.0 | )% | (4.5 | )% | ||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | — | % | (5.0 | )% | 0.3 | % | (1.7 | )% | ||||
Net loss | (8.0 | )% | (8.4 | )% | (7.3 | )% | (2.8 | )% | ||||
______________________________
(1) | As a percentage of restaurant revenue. |
16
Third Quarter Ended September 27, 2016 Compared to Third Quarter Ended September 29, 2015
The table below presents our unaudited operating results for the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, and the related quarter-over-quarter changes.
Fiscal Quarter Ended | Increase / (Decrease) | ||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | $ | % | ||||||||||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||||||||
Revenue: | |||||||||||||||
Restaurant revenue | $ | 121,442 | $ | 116,151 | $ | 5,291 | 4.6 | % | |||||||
Franchising royalties and fees | 1,239 | 1,177 | 62 | 5.3 | % | ||||||||||
Total revenue | 122,681 | 117,328 | 5,353 | 4.6 | % | ||||||||||
Costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||
Restaurant operating costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below): | |||||||||||||||
Cost of sales | 33,112 | 30,941 | 2,171 | 7.0 | % | ||||||||||
Labor | 40,973 | 37,687 | 3,286 | 8.7 | % | ||||||||||
Occupancy | 13,792 | 12,911 | 881 | 6.8 | % | ||||||||||
Other restaurant operating costs | 18,470 | 17,003 | 1,467 | 8.6 | % | ||||||||||
General and administrative | 15,251 | 9,384 | 5,867 | 62.5 | % | ||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 7,006 | 7,117 | (111 | ) | (1.6 | )% | |||||||||
Pre-opening | 856 | 1,108 | (252 | ) | (22.7 | )% | |||||||||
Restaurant impairments, asset disposals and closure costs | 2,283 | 16,479 | (14,196 | ) | (86.1 | )% | |||||||||
Total costs and expenses | 131,743 | 132,630 | (887 | ) | (0.7 | )% | |||||||||
Loss from operations | (9,062 | ) | (15,302 | ) | 6,240 | 40.8 | % | ||||||||
Interest expense, net | 738 | 391 | 347 | 88.7 | % | ||||||||||
Loss before income taxes | (9,800 | ) | (15,693 | ) | 5,893 | 37.6 | % | ||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 41 | (5,872 | ) | 5,913 | * | ||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (9,841 | ) | $ | (9,821 | ) | $ | (20 | ) | (0.2 | )% | ||||
Company-owned: | |||||||||||||||
Average unit volumes | $ | 1,087 | $ | 1,111 | $ | (24 | ) | (2.2 | )% | ||||||
Comparable restaurant sales | (0.9 | )% | (0.7 | )% | |||||||||||
__________________
* | Not meaningful. |
Revenue
Total revenue increased $5.4 million in the third quarter of 2016, or 4.6%, to $122.7 million, compared to $117.3 million in the third quarter of 2015. This increase was the result of new restaurants opened system-wide since the beginning of the third quarter of 2015, partially offset by the closure of 16 company-owned restaurants in the fourth quarter of 2015 and a decline in comparable restaurant sales. Additionally, AUVs decreased $24,000 due primarily to lower AUVs at our restaurants that have been open for less than 18 full periods compared to our system-wide average.
Comparable restaurant sales decreased by 0.9% at company-owned restaurants, increased by 0.6% at franchise-owned restaurants and decreased by 0.7% system-wide in the third quarter of 2016.
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Cost of Sales
Cost of sales increased by $2.2 million, or 7.0%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015, due primarily to the increase in restaurant revenue in the third quarter of 2016. As a percentage of restaurant revenue, cost of sales increased to 27.3% in the third quarter of 2016 from 26.6% in third quarter of 2015. The increase as a percentage of restaurant revenue was primarily the result of modest commodity inflation and the introduction of naturally raised steak to our menu in late July 2016.
Labor Costs
Labor costs increased by $3.3 million, or 8.7%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015, due primarily to the increase in restaurant revenue in the third quarter of 2016. As a percentage of restaurant revenue, labor costs increased to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2016 from 32.4% in the third quarter of 2015. The increase as a percentage of restaurant revenue was due to increases in wage rates and benefit costs, deleverage on lower AUVs and incremental costs associated with our bi-annual restaurant manager conference.
Occupancy Costs
Occupancy costs increased by $0.9 million, or 6.8%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015, due primarily to 31 net restaurant openings. As a percentage of revenue, occupancy costs increased to 11.4% in the third quarter of 2016, compared to 11.1% in the third quarter of 2015. The increase was due primarily to deleverage on lower AUVs.
Other Restaurant Operating Costs
Other restaurant operating costs increased by $1.5 million, or 8.6%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015, due primarily to increased restaurant revenue in the third quarter of 2016. As a percentage of restaurant revenue, other restaurant operating costs increased to 15.2% in the third quarter of 2016 from 14.6% in the third quarter of 2015. The increase as a percentage of restaurant revenue was primarily due to deleverage on lower AUVs and additional maintenance costs.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expense increased by $5.9 million, or 62.5%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015, primarily attributable to a $2.5 million charge for severance expenses and a $3.0 million charge for a litigation settlement related to the Labor Law Matter described under Part II, Item 1 of this report. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expense increased to 12.4% in the third quarter of 2016 from 8.0% in the third quarter of 2015.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization decreased by $0.1 million, or 1.6%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015. As a percentage of revenue, depreciation and amortization decreased to 5.7% in the third quarter of 2016 from 6.1% in the third quarter of 2015, due primarily to restaurants impaired or closed in prior quarters.
Pre-Opening Costs
Pre-opening costs decreased by $0.3 million, or 22.7%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015. As a percentage of revenue, pre-opening costs decreased to 0.7% in the third quarter of 2016 from 0.9% in the third quarter of 2015. The decrease in pre-opening costs was due to fewer restaurants under construction compared to the comparable period in the prior year.
Restaurant Impairments, Closure Costs and Asset Disposals
Restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals decreased by $14.2 million, or 86.1%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015, due primarily to the impairment of 25 restaurants in the third quarter of 2015, partially offset by ongoing closure costs recognized in the third quarter of 2016 associated with the restaurants closed in the fourth quarter of 2015 and a $1.1 million charge to reduce capitalized labor and overhead as a result of the reduced growth for new restaurant development. Additionally, the third quarter of 2016 includes a $0.4 million gain from insurance proceeds received for property damage in excess of the loss recognized.
Each quarter we evaluate possible impairment of fixed assets at the restaurant level and record an impairment loss whenever we determine that the fair value of these assets is less than their carrying value. There can be no assurance that such evaluations will not result in additional impairment costs in future periods.
Interest Expense
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Interest expense increased by $0.3 million, or 88.7%, in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015. The increase was the result of higher average borrowings and an increase in the interest rate on our credit facility in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
In the third quarter of 2016, we had a provision for income taxes compared to a benefit from income taxes of $5.9 million in the third quarter of 2015. The benefit from income tax in the third quarter of 2015 is primarily based on the annual tax rate adjusted for non-deductible expenses and discrete items. As of September 27, 2016, we continued to maintain a full valuation allowance on our U.S. and Canadian deferred tax assets due to uncertainty regarding the realizability of future tax benefits. As a result, the effective tax rate decreased to (0.4)% for the third quarter of 2016 compared to 37.4% for the third quarter of 2015. For the remainder of fiscal 2016 we do not anticipate material income tax expense or benefit as a result of the valuation allowance recorded.
Three Quarters Ended September 27, 2016 compared to Three Quarters Ended September 29, 2015
The table below presents our unaudited operating results for the first three quarters of 2016 and 2015, and the related period-over-period changes.
Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | Increase / (Decrease) | ||||||||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | $ | % | ||||||||||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||||||||
Revenue: | |||||||||||||||
Restaurant revenue | $ | 354,511 | $ | 334,767 | $ | 19,744 | 5.9 | % | |||||||
Franchising royalties and fees | 3,563 | 3,555 | 8 | 0.2 | % | ||||||||||
Total revenue | 358,074 | 338,322 | 19,752 | 5.8 | % | ||||||||||
Costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||
Restaurant operating costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below): | |||||||||||||||
Cost of sales | 95,465 | 88,616 | 6,849 | 7.7 | % | ||||||||||
Labor | 117,723 | 105,865 | 11,858 | 11.2 | % | ||||||||||
Occupancy | 40,794 | 37,609 | 3,185 | 8.5 | % | ||||||||||
Other restaurant operating costs | 53,958 | 46,878 | 7,080 | 15.1 | % | ||||||||||
General and administrative | 35,128 | 27,034 | 8,094 | 29.9 | % | ||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 20,983 | 20,959 | 24 | 0.1 | % | ||||||||||
Pre-opening | 2,689 | 3,150 | (461 | ) | (14.6 | )% | |||||||||
Restaurant impairments, asset disposals and closure costs | 14,547 | 22,815 | (8,268 | ) | (36.2 | )% | |||||||||
Total costs and expenses | 381,287 | 352,926 | 28,361 | 8.0 | % | ||||||||||
Loss from operations | (23,213 | ) | (14,604 | ) | (8,609 | ) | (58.9 | )% | |||||||
Interest expense, net | 1,964 | 818 | 1,146 | * | |||||||||||
Loss before income taxes | (25,177 | ) | (15,422 | ) | (9,755 | ) | (63.3 | )% | |||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 1,124 | (5,911 | ) | 7,035 | * | ||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (26,301 | ) | $ | (9,511 | ) | $ | (16,790 | ) | * | |||||
Company-owned: | |||||||||||||||
Average unit volumes | $ | 1,087 | $ | 1,111 | $ | (24 | ) | (2.2 | )% | ||||||
Comparable restaurant sales | (0.6 | )% | (0.6 | )% | |||||||||||
__________________
* | Not meaningful. |
19
Revenue
Total revenue increased by $19.8 million, or 5.8%, in the first three quarters of 2016 to $358.1 million, compared to $338.3 million the same period of 2015. This increase was the result of new restaurants opened system-wide since the beginning of the first quarter of 2015, partially offset by the closure of 16 company-owned restaurants in the fourth quarter of 2015 and a decline in comparable restaurant sales. Additionally, AUVs overall decreased $24,000 due primarily to lower AUVs at our restaurants that have been open for less than 18 full periods compared to our system-wide average.
Comparable restaurant sales decreased by 0.6% at company-owned restaurants, 0.6% at franchise-owned restaurants and 0.6% system-wide during the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales increased by $6.8 million, or 7.7%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015, due primarily to the increase in restaurant revenue in the first three quarters of 2016. As a percentage of restaurant revenue, cost of sales increased to 26.9% in the first three quarters of 2016 from 26.5% in the first three quarters of 2015. The increase was primarily the result of modest commodity inflation.
Labor Costs
Labor costs increased by $11.9 million, or 11.2%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015, due primarily to the increase in restaurant revenue in the first three quarters of 2016. As a percentage of restaurant revenue, labor costs increased to 33.2% in the first three quarters of 2016 from 31.6% in the first three quarters of 2015 as a result of an increase in wage rates and benefit costs, as well as deleverage on lower AUVs.
Occupancy Costs
Occupancy costs increased by $3.2 million, or 8.5%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015, due primarily to 31 net restaurant openings. As a percentage of revenue, occupancy costs increased to 11.5% in first three quarters of 2016, compared to 11.2% in the first three quarters of 2015. The increase was due primarily to deleverage on lower AUVs.
Other Restaurant Operating Costs
Other restaurant operating costs increased by $7.1 million, or 15.1%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015, primarily due to increased restaurant revenue in the first three quarters of 2016. As a percentage of restaurant revenue, other restaurant operating costs increased to 15.2% in the first three quarters of 2016, compared to 14.0% in the first three quarters of 2015. The increase as a percentage of restaurant revenue was due to increased marketing initiatives, deleverage on lower AUVs and additional maintenance costs.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expense increased by $8.1 million, or 29.9%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015, due primarily to a $2.5 million charge for severance expenses, a $3.0 million charge for a litigation settlement related to the Labor Law Matter described under Part II, Item 1 of this report, and an increase in wages and benefits, including support for additional restaurants. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expense increased to 9.8% in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to 8.0% in first three quarters of 2015.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization remained relatively flat in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015. As a percentage of revenue, depreciation and amortization decreased to 5.9% in the first three quarters of 2016, compared to 6.2% in the first three quarters of 2015, due primarily to restaurants impaired or closed in previous quarters.
Pre-Opening Costs
Pre-opening costs decreased by $0.5 million, or 14.6%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015. As a percentage of revenue, pre-opening costs decreased slightly to 0.8% in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to 0.9% in the first three quarters of 2015.
Restaurant Impairments, Closure Costs and Asset Disposals
Restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals decreased by $8.3 million, or 36.2%, in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015, due primarily to the impairment of twelve restaurants in the first three quarters of 2016 as a result of our current assessment of expected future cash flows, compared to the impairment of 33 restaurants in the
20
first three quarters of 2015. The performance at these restaurants, compounded by the higher than average construction costs of some of these restaurants, resulted in us recording an impairment of the fixed assets during the first three quarters of 2016 and 2015. This decrease was partially offset by ongoing closure costs recognized in the first three quarters of 2016 associated with the restaurants closed in the fourth quarter of 2015 and $1.1 million charge to reduce capitalized labor and overhead as a result of the reduced growth for new restaurant development. Additionally, the first three quarters of 2016 include a $0.4 million gain from insurance proceeds received for property damage in excess of the loss recognized.
Interest Expense
Interest expense increased by $1.1 million in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015. The increase was the result of higher average borrowings and an increase in the interest rate on our credit facility in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the first three quarters of 2015.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
In the first three quarters of 2016, we had a provision for income taxes of $1.1 million compared to a benefit from income taxes in the first three quarters of 2015 of $5.9 million. The provision for income taxes reported in the first three quarters of 2016 is primarily related to a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, whereas the benefit from income taxes reported in the first three quarters of 2015 was based on the annual tax rate adjusted for non-deductible expenses. During the first three quarters of 2016, we recorded a valuation allowance of $0.9 million against U.S. and Canadian deferred tax assets and recognized a provision for income taxes for discrete and certain other items. As a result, the effective tax rate decreased to (4.5)% for the first three quarters of 2016 compared to 38.3% for the three quarters 2015. For the remainder of fiscal 2016 we do not anticipate material income tax expense or benefit as a result of the valuation allowance recorded.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Summary of Cash Flows
Our primary sources of liquidity and cash flows are operating cash flows and borrowings on our revolving line of credit. We use these cash sources to fund capital expenditures for new restaurant openings, to reinvest in our existing restaurants, to invest in infrastructure and information technology and to maintain working capital. Our working capital position benefits from the fact that we generally collect cash from sales to customers on the same day, or in the case of credit or debit card transactions, within several days of the related sale, and we typically have at least 30 days to pay our vendors. We believe that expected cash flows from operations and planned borrowing capacity are adequate to fund debt service requirements, operating lease obligations, capital expenditures and working capital obligations for the remainder of fiscal year 2016.
Cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities are shown in the following table (in thousands):
Three Fiscal Quarters Ended | ||||||||
September 27, 2016 | September 29, 2015 | |||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 16,064 | $ | 37,886 | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities | (33,284 | ) | (36,244 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 17,232 | (1,440 | ) | |||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | 42 | (92 | ) | |||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 54 | $ | 110 | ||||
Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $16.1 million for the first three quarters of 2016, a decrease from $37.9 million for the first three quarters of 2015. The decrease resulted primarily from the higher net loss during the first three quarters of 2016, compared to the first three quarters of 2015, adjusted for non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization, restaurant impairments, closure costs and asset disposals and stock-based compensation expense, as well as changes in certain working capital accounts for recording accruals for severance costs and a litigation settlement during the first three quarters of 2016.
Investing Activities
Net cash flows used in investing activities decreased to $33.3 million for the first three quarters of 2016 from $36.2 million for the first three quarters of 2015, primarily due to the timing of new restaurant construction, partially offset by insurance proceeds
21
received for property damage during the first three quarters of 2016 and by the acquisition of a franchise restaurant during the first three quarters of 2015.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities was $17.2 million for the first three quarters of 2016, as compared to cash used in financing activities of $1.4 million for the first three quarters of 2015. The increase in net cash provided by financing activities is primarily due to lower operating cash flow generated during the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, which resulted in the need to increase our borrowings on our revolving line of credit.
Capital Resources
Future Capital Expenditure Requirements. Our capital expenditure requirements are primarily dependent upon the pace of our real estate development program and resulting new restaurants opened. Our real estate development program is dependent upon many factors, including economic conditions, real estate markets, site locations and the nature of lease agreements. Our capital expenditure outlays are also dependent on costs for maintenance and remodeling our existing restaurants as well as information technology expenses and other general corporate capital expenditures.
We estimate capital expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2016 to be in the range of approximately $5.0 million to $8.0 million for a total of $35.0 million to $40.0 million for the fiscal year, of which $26.0 million to $31.0 million relates to our construction of new restaurants before any reductions for landlord reimbursements, and the remainder relates primarily to reinvestment in existing restaurants and investments in technology. We anticipate capital expenditures in 2017 to decline relative to 2016 as we expect to open significantly fewer new restaurants. We expect such capital expenditures to be funded by a combination of cash from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility.
Current Resources. Our operations have not required significant working capital and, like many restaurant companies, we operate with negative working capital. Restaurant sales are primarily paid for in cash or by credit or debit card, and restaurant operations do not require significant inventories or receivables. In addition, we receive trade credit for the purchase of food, beverages and supplies, therefore reducing the need for incremental working capital to support growth.
Liquidity. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, the expected cash flows from Company-owned restaurant operations, the expected franchise fees and royalties and borrowings under the credit facility will be sufficient to fund our cash requirements for working capital needs and capital improvements and maintenance of existing restaurants for the next twelve months.
Credit Facility
We maintain a $100.0 million revolving line of credit under our credit facility. The revolving line of credit includes a swing line loan of $10.0 million used to fund working capital requirements. The credit facility matures in June 2020.
On August 2, 2016, we entered into an amendment to our credit facility to revise the financial covenant levels and related definitions and make certain other changes, including adjusting the interest rate and commitment fee. All other material terms remained the same. We also maintain outstanding letters of credit to secure obligations under our workers’ compensation program and certain lease obligations.
As of September 27, 2016, we had $84.5 million of indebtedness and $2.7 million of letters of credit outstanding under our revolving line of credit. Our ability to borrow funds pursuant to the revolving line of credit is further limited by the requirement that we comply with the revolving line of credit’s financial covenants upon the measurement dates specified therein. These financial covenants include a maximum lease-adjusted leverage ratio and a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. The credit agreement contains other customary covenants, including limitations on additional borrowings, acquisitions, dividend payments and lease commitments.
As of September 27, 2016, we were in compliance with all of our debt covenants. The maximum lease-adjusted leverage ratio applicable at the end of our third quarter was 5.25:1.00 and as of September 27, 2016 our ratio was 5.22:1.00. The minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio at September 27, 2016 was 1.50:1.00 and as of September 27, 2016 our ratio was 1.57:1.00.
On November 4, 2016, we entered into an amendment to our credit facility to (i) remove the ability to increase the maximum commitment amount under the credit facility, (ii) require quarterly amortization payments of $2.5 million, with corresponding reductions of commitments, beginning in the third fiscal quarter of 2017, (iii) revise the financial covenant levels and related financial definitions (as described below) , (iv) reduce certain of the baskets for permitted indebtedness, (v) add restrictions with respect to capital expenditures and the entry into new leases (as described below), (vi) increase the interest rate margin and commitment fees and (vii) make certain other changes. The Consolidated EBITDA definition in the amended credit facility will
22
permit up to $1.5 million of one-time costs associated with the termination of leases associated with our reduction in development and up to $2.7 million of pro forma general and administrative cash cost savings resulting from the headcount reduction completed prior to the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2016 to be added back into the EBITDA calculation. The credit facility amendment will increase the maximum lease-adjusted leverage ratio to 5.50x, and it provides for such ratio to step down to 5.25x in the second fiscal quarter of 2017, 5.00x in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2017 and 4.75x in the second fiscal quarter of 2018. The amendment also reduces the minimum fixed charge coverage level from 1.50x to 1.15x (stepping up to 1.25x in the third fiscal quarter of 2017). Growth capital expenditures (such as expenditures for new restaurants and acquisitions) will be limited under the amended credit facility to $4 million in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2016 and to $10 million in each fiscal year thereafter, and there will be a test of availability under the line of credit for any borrowings the proceeds of which are to be used for such growth capital expenditures. The amended credit facility also contains a new negative covenant that requires us to be in compliance with a 5.00x lease-adjusted leverage ratio or have liquidity of at least $10 million to enter into leases for new restaurants. Certain of the revisions to the financial covenants and financial covenant definitions in the credit facility amendment provide us with more flexibility; however, certain other terms of our amended credit facility, and specifically the added restrictions with respect to capital expenditures and the entry into new leases, may restrict our activities, particularly development of new restaurants.
We expect that we will meet all applicable financial covenants in our credit facility, including the maximum lease-adjusted leverage ratio, throughout the fiscal year ending January 3, 2017, giving effect to the amendment of our credit facility on November 4, 2016. However, there can be no assurance we will meet such financial covenants. If such covenants are not met, we would be required to seek a waiver or amendment from the banks participating in the credit facility. There can be no assurance that such waiver or amendment would be granted, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Our credit facility is secured by a pledge of stock of substantially all of our subsidiaries and a lien on substantially all of our and our subsidiaries’ personal property assets.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We had no off-balance sheet arrangements or obligations as of September 27, 2016.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Preparing consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. These estimates and assumptions are affected by the application of our accounting policies. Our significant accounting policies are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2015. Critical accounting estimates are those that require application of management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. While we apply our judgment based on assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, actual results could vary from these assumptions. It is possible that materially different amounts would be reported using different assumptions. Our critical accounting estimates are identified and described in our annual consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 29, 2015.
JOBS Act
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the provisions of the Jumpstart our Business Startups (“JOBS”) Act. For as long as we are an “emerging growth company,” we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, exemptions from the requirements of holding advisory “say-on-pay” votes on executive compensation and shareholder advisory votes on golden parachute compensation. We could be an “emerging growth company” until the end of our 2018 fiscal year.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. An “emerging growth company” can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we have chosen to “opt out” of such extended transition period and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Interest Rate Risk
We are exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates on debt. Our exposure to interest rate fluctuations is limited to our outstanding bank debt, which bears interest at variable rates. As of September 27, 2016, we had $84.5 million of indebtedness under our revolving line of credit. An increase or decrease of 1.0% in the effective interest rate applied on this loan would have resulted in a pre-tax interest expense fluctuation of approximately $0.8 million on an annualized basis.
Commodity Price Risk
We purchase certain products that are affected by commodity prices and are, therefore, subject to price volatility caused by weather, market conditions and other factors which are not considered predictable or within our control. Although these products are subject to changes in commodity prices, certain purchasing contracts or pricing arrangements contain risk management techniques designed to minimize price volatility. The purchasing contracts and pricing arrangements we use may result in unconditional purchase obligations, which are not reflected in our consolidated balance sheets. Typically, we use these types of purchasing techniques to control costs as an alternative to directly managing financial instruments to hedge commodity prices. In many cases, we believe we will be able to address material commodity cost increases by adjusting our menu pricing or changing our product delivery strategy. However, increases in commodity prices, without adjustments to our menu prices, could increase restaurant operating costs as a percentage of company-owned restaurant revenue.
Inflation
The primary inflationary factors affecting our operations are food, labor costs, energy costs and materials used in the construction of new restaurants. Increases in the minimum wage directly affect our labor costs. Many of our leases require us to pay taxes, maintenance, repairs, insurance and utilities, all of which are generally subject to inflationary increases. Finally, the cost of constructing our restaurants is subject to inflationary increases in the costs of labor and material. Over the past five years, inflation has not significantly affected our operating results with the exception of increased wage inflation that affected our results in 2015 and in 2016 to date. We expect wage inflation to continue to affect our results in the near future.
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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Our management carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 27, 2016, pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Based on that evaluation, our interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Data Security Litigation
On June 28, 2016, we announced that a data security incident compromised the security of the payment information of some customers who used debit or credit cards at certain Noodles & Company locations between January 31, 2016 and June 2, 2016. In addition to claims by payment card companies with respect to the data security incident, Selco Community Credit Union filed a purported class action lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on September 6, 2016 alleging that we negligently failed to provide adequate security to protect the personal and financial information of customers of Selco and other similarly situated credit unions, banks and other financial institutions alleged to be part of the putative class (the “Selco Litigation”). The complaint in the Selco Litigation also claims that we violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair practices in or affecting commerce, and it seeks monetary damages, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees.
Midwest America Federal Credit Union and Veridian Credit Union also filed a purported class action lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on October 6, 2016 on behalf of itself and similarly situated credit unions, banks and other financial institutions containing the same allegations and seeking the same remedies as the Complaint in the Selco Litigation (the “Midwest America Litigation”).
Kemba Financial Credit Union also filed a purported class action lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on October 24, 2016 on behalf of itself and similarly situated credit unions, banks and other financial institutions containing the same allegations and seeking the same remedies as the complaints in the Selco Litigation and the Midwest America Litigation (the “Kemba Financial Litigation”).
We intend to seek to consolidate the Selco Litigation, the Midwest America Litigation and the Kemba Financial Litigation, and intend to vigorously defend these actions. We cannot reasonably estimate the range of potential losses that will be associated with these actions because each is at an early stage. Although we maintain data security liability insurance, we currently believe that it is possible that the ultimate amount paid by us with respect to this matter will be in excess of the limits of our data security liability insurance coverage applicable to claims of this nature. It is possible that losses associated with the data privacy incident, including losses associated with these actions, could have a material impact on our results of operations in future periods. We will continue to evaluate information as it becomes known and will record an estimate for losses at the time or times when it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount of the loss is reasonably estimable.
Labor Law Matter
As we reported in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 29, 2016 and June 28, 2016, Carrie Castillo, Anastassia Letourneau and Jacquelyn Myhre, former employees of the Company, filed a purported collective and class action lawsuit against us on March 10, 2016 alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois and Minnesota wage laws (the “Labor Laws”) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The plaintiffs filed the case on their behalf and on behalf of all assistant general managers employed by us since January 5, 2013 whom we classified as exempt employees, and they allege that we violated the Labor Laws by not paying overtime compensation to our assistant general managers. The plaintiffs were seeking, on behalf of themselves and members of the putative class, unpaid overtime compensation, liquidated damages and available penalties under applicable state laws, a declaratory judgment, an injunction and attorneys’ fees and costs. In the third quarter of 2016, we and the plaintiffs in the litigation agreed in principle to settle the litigation. To cover the estimated costs of the settlement, including estimated payments to any opt-in members and class attorneys, as well as related settlement administration costs, we recorded a charge of $3.0 million in the third quarter of 2016. The charge was recorded in general and administrative expenses in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. The settlement is subject to approval of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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Other Matters
In the normal course of business, we are subject to other proceedings, lawsuits and claims. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties, and outcomes are not predictable. Consequently, we are unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability or financial impact with respect to these matters as of September 27, 2016. These matters could affect the operating results of any one financial reporting period when resolved in future periods. We believe that an unfavorable outcome with respect to these matters is remote or if an unfavorable result occurs, the potential range of loss is not material to its consolidated financial statements. Significant increases in the number of these claims, or one or more successful claims that result in greater liabilities than we currently anticipate, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
A description of the risk factors associated with our business is contained in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 29, 2015. There have been no material changes to our Risk Factors as previously reported.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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Item 5. Other Information
The information set forth below is included herewith for the purpose of providing disclosure under “Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement” and “Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant” of a Current Report on Form 8-K.
On November 4, 2016, we entered into an amendment to our credit facility to (i) remove the ability to increase the maximum commitment amount under the credit facility, (ii) require quarterly amortization payments of $2.5 million, with corresponding reductions of commitments, beginning in the third fiscal quarter of 2017, (iii) revise the financial covenant levels and related financial definitions (as described below) , (iv) reduce certain of the baskets for permitted indebtedness, (v) add restrictions with respect to capital expenditures and the entry into new leases (as described below), (vi) increase the interest rate margin and commitment fees and (vii) make certain other changes. The Consolidated EBITDA definition in the amended credit facility will permit up to $1.5 million of one-time costs associated with the termination of leases associated with our reduction in development and up to $2.7 million of pro forma general and administrative cash cost savings resulting from the headcount reduction completed prior to the third fiscal quarter of 2016 to be added back into the EBITDA calculation. The credit facility amendment will increase the maximum lease-adjusted leverage ratio to 5.50x, and it provides for such ratio to step down to 5.25x in the second fiscal quarter of 2017, 5.00x in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2017 and 4.75x in the second fiscal quarter of 2018. The amendment also reduces the minimum fixed charge coverage level from 1.50x to 1.15x (stepping up to 1.25x in the third fiscal quarter of 2017). Growth capital expenditures (such as expenditures for new restaurants and acquisitions) will be limited under the amended credit facility to $4 million in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2016 and to $10 million in each fiscal year thereafter, and there will be a test of availability under the line of credit for any borrowings the proceeds of which are to be used for such growth capital expenditures. The amended credit facility also contains a new negative covenant that requires us to be in compliance with a 5.00x lease-adjusted leverage ratio or have liquidity of at least $10 million to enter into leases for new restaurants. Certain of the revisions to the financial covenants and financial covenant definitions in the credit facility amendment provide us with more flexibility; however, certain other terms of our amended credit facility, and specifically the added restrictions with respect to capital expenditures and the entry into new leases, may restrict our activities, particularly development of new restaurants.
The foregoing description of the Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment, which is filed as Exhibit 10.3 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
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Item 6. Exhibit Index
Exhibit Number | Description of Exhibit | ||
10.1 | Noodles & Company Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors Amended and Restated July 25, 2016 | ||
10.2 | Amendment No. 3 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 2, 2016, by and among Noodles & Company, each of the Guarantors signatory thereto, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and the lenders signatory thereto (incorporated herein by reference from Exhibit 10.2 of the Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 5, 2016) | ||
10.3 | Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of November 4, 2016, by and among Noodles & Company, each of the Guarantors signatory thereto, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and the lenders signatory thereto | ||
10.4 | Interim Chief Executive Officer Letter Agreement, dated July 25, 2016, between Noodles & Company and Dave Boennighausen (incorporated herein by reference from Exhibit 10.1 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 26, 2016) | ||
10.5 | Indemnification Agreement, dated July 25, 2016, between Noodles & Company and Robert M. Hartnett (incorporated herein by reference from Exhibit 10.2 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 26, 2016) | ||
10.6 | Release Agreement, dated July 25, 2016, between Noodles & Company and Kevin Reddy (incorporated herein by reference from Exhibit 10.3 of the Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 26, 2016) | ||
10.7 | Offer Letter, dated July 25, 2016, between the Company and Robert Hartnett | ||
10.8 | Offer Letter, dated July 3, 2016, between the Company and Victor R. Heutz | ||
31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | ||
32.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | ||
101.INS | XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document | ||
101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | ||
101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | ||
101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | ||
101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | ||
101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document | ||
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
NOODLES & COMPANY | |
By: | /s/ DAVE BOENNIGHAUSEN |
Dave Boennighausen Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | |
Date | November 4, 2016 |
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Exhibit 10.1
NOODLES & COMPANY
COMPENSATION PLAN FOR NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS
AMENDED AND RESTATED JULY 25, 2016
AMENDED AND RESTATED JULY 25, 2016
I. PURPOSE
1.1 The purpose of the Noodles & Company Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors (this “Plan”) is to provide a comprehensive compensation program to attract and retain qualified individuals who are not employed by Noodles & Company (the “Company”) or its subsidiaries to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors. In particular, this Plan aligns the interests of such directors with those of the Company’s shareholders by providing that a significant portion of such directors’ compensation is directly linked to the value of the Company’s common stock. This amendment and restatement of the Plan is effective beginning July 25, 2016.
1.2 Non-Covered Non-Employee Directors. This Plan shall not apply to any non-employee director serving on the Company’s Board of Directors who formerly held a management position at the Company, and no such individual shall be eligible for any grants or payments hereunder. For purposes of this Plan a “management position” is defined to include the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Chief Operations Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and equivalent positions thereto.
II. CASH RETAINERS
2.1 Annual Board Retainer. Except as provided in Section 2.4 of this Plan, each non-employee director shall be entitled to receive an annual cash retainer for his or her Board service, in such amount as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time, which shall be payable in quarterly installments. As of December 30, 2015, this amount is $50,000.
2.2 Committee Retainer. A non-employee director appointed as a member of a standing committee of the Board of Directors shall receive an annual cash retainer, payable in quarterly installments, in such amount as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time. These committee retainers are in addition to the annual retainer set forth in Section 2.1 above.
2.3 Retainer for Committee Chairs. A non-employee director appointed to chair a standing committee of the Board of Directors shall be paid an annual cash retainer, payable in quarterly installments, in such amount as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time. These committee chair retainers are in addition to the retainers set forth in Sections 2.1 and 2.2 above.
2.4 Retainer for Chairman of the Board of Directors. A non-employee director appointed to act as Chairman of the Board of Directors (“Chairman”) shall receive an annual cash retainer for his or her Board service and service as Chairman, in such amount as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time, which shall be paid in monthly installments. As of July 25, 2016, this amount is $100,000 per annum. Retainer payments under this Section 2.4 are in lieu of any payments under Section 2.1 of this Plan.
2.5 Pro-Rata Retainer. A non-employee director who commences service after the Annual Meeting of Shareholders shall be entitled to a pro-rated annual cash retainer as well as pro-rated annual committee and committee chair retainers, or a retainer for acting as Chairman, as applicable, and as approved by the incumbent non-employee directors. The amount of the retainer(s) shall be determined based on the number of full months during the year that a new non-employee director is in active service. The pro-rated portion of the annual retainer, if any, shall be payable in quarterly installments.
2.6 Equity Sponsors. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article II, for directors affiliated with the Company’s Equity Sponsors, the cash retainer for the period from July 1, 2016 through the end of the fiscal year commencing December 30, 2015 only shall be $25,000, which amount shall be payable in equal installments in the third and fourth quarters of 2016. No cash retainer shall be payable to such directors for any period prior to July 1, 2016. For subsequent fiscal years, the foregoing provisions of this Article II shall apply. For purposes of this Plan, Equity Sponsors shall mean Catterton Partners and Public Service Pension Board of Canada.
III. EQUITY AWARDS
3.1 Company’s Stock Incentive Plan. Grants of equity awards made under this Plan shall be made under the Company’s stock incentive plan that is in effect from time to time (“Stock Plan”). The terms “Fair Market Value” and “Stock” used in this Article III shall have the meanings set forth in the Stock Plan.
3.2 Annual Retainer Grants. Except as provided in Section 3.3 of this Plan, at the close of business on the date of each Annual Meeting of Shareholders, each non-employee director who then continues as a member of the Board of Directors may be granted restricted stock units (“RSUs”) in such amounts as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors may grant any one or more of the awards set forth under the Stock Plan in such amounts and on such terms as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time. As of December 30, 2015, the Fair Market Value of the RSUs granted is $50,000. Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective as of July 1, 2016, directors affiliated with the Company’s Equity Sponsors shall receive RSU grants with a Fair Market Value of $25,000 for their service on the Board of Directors for the period from July 1, 2016 through the end of the fiscal year commencing December 30, 2015.
3.3 Annual Chairman Retainer Grants. A non-employee director acting as Chairman will receive RSUs in such amounts as determined by the Board of Directors from time to time. As of July 25, 2016, the Fair Market Value of the RSUs granted is $100,000, with such grant taking place as of the date of appointment as Chairman on the first year of service as Chairman and on the date of each Annual Meeting of Shareholders thereafter. RSU grants pursuant to this Section 3.3 are in lieu of any grant under Section 3.2 of this Plan.
3.4 Vesting of RSUs. A non-employee director’s RSUs shall be fully vested upon grant.
3.5 Pro-Rata Awards. Except as set forth in Section 3.3 of this Plan, a non-employee director who commences service after the Annual Meeting of Shareholders will receive a pro-rated equity award at the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders based upon the Fair Market Value of the equity award granted to the incumbent non-employee directors in the year in which such director was appointed or as otherwise approved by the incumbent non-employee directors. The amount of the award shall be determined based on the number of full months during the year that a new non-employee director is in active service.
3.6 Settlement of RSUs. The RSUs shall be settled by delivering shares of Stock promptly following vesting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the election of the non-employee director, settlement of the Stock may be deferred until the earlier of the director’s separation from Board service or a change in control of the Company, provided that any such election shall comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
IV. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS
4.1 For periods prior to July 1, 2016, no compensation shall be payable under this Plan to directors affiliated with the Company’s Equity Sponsors.
4.2 This Plan shall be administered by the Board of Directors, which shall have the power to interpret this Plan and amend it from time to time as it deems proper. To the fullest extent practicable, however, the terms and conditions of the Stock Plan shall be applicable to equity awards granted under this Plan.
4.3 This Plan may be suspended or terminated at any time by action of the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding any such suspension or termination, the Company shall remain obligated to pay cash retainer amounts earned but not yet paid and any outstanding equity awards under this Plan will continue to be governed by the terms of this Plan as in effect at the time of such suspension or termination, the Stock Plan or a prior stock plan, as applicable, and any applicable stock incentive award agreements.
4.4 Unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors, the right to receive any compensation under this Plan, whether under new or outstanding equity awards, may not be transferred, assigned, or subject to attachment or other legal process.
4.5 To the extent any amounts paid under this Plan are subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, this Plan will be interpreted in a manner to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
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4.6 Subject to Sections 4.3 and 4.4 above, any outstanding equity awards under this Plan will continue to be governed by the terms of this Plan as in effect at the time such awards were granted.
4.7 This Plan shall be governed by and subject to the laws of the State of Delaware and applicable Federal laws.
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Exhibit 10.3
[EXECUTION VERSION]
AMENDMENT NO. 4
TO
AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT
TO
AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT
This AMENDMENT NO. 4 TO AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of November 4, 2016 (this “Amendment”) is by and among (a) NOODLES & COMPANY (the “Borrower”), (b) each of the Guarantors (as defined in the Credit Agreement referred to below) signatory hereto, (c) BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as administrative agent (in such capacity, the “Administrative Agent”), L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender (each such term defined in the Credit Agreement referred to below) and (d) the lenders signatory hereto and amends that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of November 22, 2013, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of June 4, 2015, that certain Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of November 24, 2015, and that certain Amendment No. 3 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of August 2, 2016 (as further amended, restated, extended, supplemented, modified and otherwise in effect from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”) by and among the Borrower, the other Loan Parties (as defined in the Credit Agreement) party thereto, the Lenders party thereto, the Administrative Agent, and Bank of America, N.A., as L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement.
WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested that the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agree to amend certain of the terms and provisions of the Credit Agreement, as specifically set forth in this Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders have agreed to amend certain provisions of the Credit Agreement as provided more fully herein below.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements contained in the Credit Agreement and herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
§1.Amendments to the Credit Agreement. Subject to and upon the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 5 hereof on the Fourth Amendment Effective Date (as defined below), the Credit Agreement is hereby amended to delete the stricken text (indicated textually in the same manner as the following example: stricken text) and to add the double-underlined text (indicated textually in the same manner as the following example: double-underlined text) as set forth in the Credit Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A.
§2. Amendment to the Exhibit D to the Credit Agreement. Exhibit D (Form of Compliance Certificate) to the Credit Agreement is hereby replaced by Exhibit D (Form of Compliance Certificate) attached hereto as Exhibit B.
§3. Affirmation and Acknowledgment. Each Loan Party hereby ratifies and confirms all of its Obligations to the Lenders and the Administrative Agent, and the Borrower hereby affirms its absolute and unconditional promise to pay to the Lenders the Loans, the other Obligations, and all other amounts due under the Credit Agreement as amended hereby. Each Loan Party hereby
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ratifies and reaffirms the validity and enforceability of all of the Liens and security interests heretofore granted and pledged by such Loan Party pursuant to the Loan Documents to the Administrative Agent, on behalf and for the benefit of the Secured Parties, as collateral security for the Obligations, and acknowledges that all of such Liens and security interests, and all Collateral heretofore granted, pledged or otherwise created as security for the Obligations continue to be and remain collateral security for the Obligations from and after the date hereof. Each of the Guarantors party to the Guaranty hereby acknowledges and consents to this Amendment and agrees that the Guaranty and all other Loan Documents to which each of the Guarantors are a party remain in full force and effect, and each of the Guarantors confirms and ratifies all of its Obligations thereunder.
§4. Representations and Warranties. Each Loan Party hereby represents and warrants to the Lenders and the Administrative Agent as follows:
(a) The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of this Amendment and the performance by such Loan Party of its obligations and agreements under this Amendment and the Credit Agreement, as amended hereby, have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not and will not (i) contravene the terms of any of such Loan Party’s Organization Documents, (ii) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (A) any material Contractual Obligation (other than the creation of Liens under the Loan Documents) to which such Loan Party is a party or affecting such Loan Party or the properties of such Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries or (B) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Loan Party or its property is subject; or (iii) violate any Law, except to the extent that any such violation, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) This Amendment has been duly executed and delivered by such Loan Party. Each of this Amendment and the Credit Agreement, as amended hereby, constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against such Loan Party in accordance with their respective terms except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles, whether enforcement is sought by a proceeding in equity or at law.
(c) No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by such Loan Party of this Amendment or the Credit Agreement as amended hereby.
(d) The representations and warranties of such Loan Party contained in Article V of the Credit Agreement or in any other Loan Document, or which are contained in any document furnished at any time under or in connection therewith, are true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date hereof (other than to the extent that any representation and warranty is already qualified by materiality, in which case, such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of the date hereof), except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that the representations and warranties contained in Sections 5.05(a) and 5.05(b) of the Credit Agreement
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shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to Sections 6.01(a) and 6.01(b) of the Credit Agreement, respectively.
(e) As of the date hereof, after giving effect to the provisions hereof, there exists no Default or Event of Default.
§5. Conditions. The effectiveness of this Amendment is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions precedent or concurrent on November 4, 2016 (the “Fourth Amendment Effective Date”):
(a) This Amendment shall have been duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall have received certificates executed by a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party attaching (i) resolutions or other action authorizing the actions under this Amendment and the Credit Agreement as amended hereby, (ii) incumbency certificates, (iii) certified copies of the Organization Documents of such Loan Party, in each case, certified as true, accurate and complete and in effect on the Fourth Amendment Effective Date (or a certification that there shall have been no changes to the Organization Documents of such Loan Party since August 2, 2016) and (iv) such other documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, and that each Loan Party is validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in business in each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying (i) that the conditions specified in this Section 5 have been satisfied, and (ii) that there has been no event or circumstance since December 29, 2015 that has had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate attesting to the Solvency of the Loan Parties on a consolidated basis before and after giving effect to this Amendment, from the chief financial officer of the Borrower.
(e) The representations and warranties set forth in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct.
(f) All fees and expenses due and owing to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and required to be paid on or before the Fourth Amendment Effective Date pursuant to that certain Fourth Amendment Fee Letter dated as of November 4, 2016 by and among the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, shall have been paid (or shall be paid concurrently with the closing of this Amendment).
(g) The Administrative Agent shall have been reimbursed for all reasonable and documented fees and out-of-pocket charges and other expenses incurred in connection with this Amendment, including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent, to the extent documented prior to or on the date hereof (for the avoidance of
3
doubt, a summary statement of such fees, charges and disbursements shall be sufficient documentation for the obligations set forth in this Section 5(g); provided that supporting documentation for such summary statement is provided promptly thereafter).
§6. Miscellaneous Provisions.
§6.1. Except as expressly amended or otherwise modified by this Amendment, the Credit Agreement and all documents, instruments and agreements related thereto, including, but not limited to the other Loan Documents, are hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects and shall continue in full force and effect. No amendment, consent or waiver herein granted or agreement herein made shall extend beyond the terms expressly set forth herein for such amendment, consent, waiver or agreement, as the case may be, nor shall anything contained herein be deemed to imply any willingness of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders to agree to, or otherwise prejudice any rights of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders with respect to, any similar amendments, consents, waivers or agreements that may be requested for any future period, and this Amendment shall not be construed as a waiver of any other provision of the Loan Documents or to permit the Borrower or any other Loan Party to take any other action which is prohibited by the terms of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents. The Credit Agreement and this Amendment shall be read and construed as a single agreement. All references in the Credit Agreement, or any related agreement or instrument, to the Credit Agreement shall hereafter refer to the Credit Agreement, as amended hereby. This Amendment shall constitute a Loan Document.
§6.2. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES THEREOF (OTHER THAN SECTIONS 5-1401 AND 5-1402 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).
§6.3. THE BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT COMMENCE ANY ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING OF ANY KIND OR DESCRIPTION, WHETHER IN LAW OR EQUITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT OR OTHERWISE, AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER, THE L/C ISSUER, OR ANY RELATED PARTY OF THE FOREGOING IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AMENDMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATING HERETO OR THERETO, IN ANY FORUM OTHER THAN THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS AND AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH NEW YORK STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING IN THIS AMENDMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR THE L/C
4
ISSUER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AMENDMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST THE BORROWER OR ANY OTHER LOAN PARTY OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.
§6.4. This Amendment may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract.. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Amendment by telecopy or other electronic imaging means shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Amendment. In making proof of this Amendment, it shall not be necessary to produce or account for more than one counterpart signed by each party hereto by and against which enforcement hereof is sought.
§6.5. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, on demand by the Administrative Agent, all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred or sustained by the Administrative Agent in connection with the preparation of this Amendment (including legal fees).
§6.6. The provisions of this Amendment are solely for the benefit of the Loan Parties, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and no other Person shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions.
[THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK.]
5
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Amendment as a document under seal as of the date first above written.
NOODLES & COMPANY,
a Delaware corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
TNSC, INC., a Colorado corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
NOODLES & COMPANY SERVICES CORP.,
a Colorado corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
NOODLES & COMPANY FINANCE CORP.,
a Colorado corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – COLORADO, INC.,
a Colorado corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – WISCONSIN, INC.,
a Wisconsin corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – MINNESOTA, INC.,
a Minnesota corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – ILLINOIS, INC.,
an Illinois corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – VIRGINIA, INC.,
a Virginia corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Vice President and Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – MARYLAND, INC.,
a Maryland corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Vice President
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND, a Maryland corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President and Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – CHARLES COUNTY, INC.,
a Maryland corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – HOWARD COUNTY, INC.,
a Maryland corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Assistant Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – DELAWARE, INC.,
a Delaware corporation
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – COLLEGE PARK, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Class A Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – BALTIMORE
COUNTY, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Class A Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – ANNAPOLIS, LLC,
a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Class A Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – KANSAS, LLC,
a Kanasa limited liability company
By: TNSC, Inc., a Colorado corporation,
its Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: President and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – FREDERICK
COUNTY, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Managing Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – ST MARY’S
COUNTY, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Managing Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – WASHINGTON
COUNTY, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Managing Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – HARFORD
COUNTY, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Managing Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
THE NOODLE SHOP, CO. – CARROLL
COUNTY, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company
By: Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation,
its Class A Member
By: /s/ Paul A. Strasen
Name: Paul A. Strasen
Title: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent
By: /s/ Darleen R. DiGrazia
Name: Darleen R. DiGrazia
Title: Vice President
Name: Darleen R. DiGrazia
Title: Vice President
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as a Lender, L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender
By: /s/ Anthony Luppino
Name: Anthony Luppino
Title: Vice President
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Jason B. Fritz
Name: Jason B. Fritz
Title: Vice President
Name: Jason B. Fritz
Title: Vice President
[Signature Page to Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement]
Exhibit A
Amendments to Credit Agreement
[See Attached]
Exhibit B
Exhibit D – Form of Compliance Certificate
[See Attached]
[THIS COMPOSITE, CONFORMED COPY OF THE CREDIT AGREEMENT AND THE AMENDMENTS THERETO HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PARTIES THERETO. REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE ORIGINAL EXECUTED CREDIT AGREEMENT AND THE AMENDMENTS THERETO FOR THE DEFINITIVE PROVISIONS THEREOF. THIS IS NOT A LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT.]
EXHIBIT A – CONFORMED THROUGH AMENDMENT NO. 4
[Published CUSIP Number: 65538EAC7]
AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT
Dated as of November 22, 2013
among
NOODLES & COMPANY,
as the Borrower,
each other Loan Party party hereto,
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender,
THE OTHER LENDERS PARTY HERETO,
and
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED,
as Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Book Manager
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I | DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS | 1 | ||
1.01 | Defined Terms | 1 | ||
1.02 | Other Interpretive Provisions | [36]37 | ||
1.03 | Accounting Terms | [37]38 | ||
1.04 | Rounding | 38 | ||
1.05 | Times of Day | 38 | ||
1.06 | Letter of Credit Amounts | 38 | ||
1.07 | Exchange Rates; Currency Equivalents | [38]39 | ||
ARTICLE II | THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS | [38]39 | ||
2.01 | The Loans | [38]39 | ||
2.02 | Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans | 39 | ||
2.03 | Letters of Credit | 41 | ||
2.04 | Swing Line Loans | [49]50 | ||
2.05 | Prepayments | [53]54 | ||
2.06 | Termination or Reduction of Commitments | [54]55 | ||
2.07 | Repayment of Loans | [55]56 | ||
2.08 | Interest | [55]57 | ||
2.09 | Fees | [56]57 | ||
2.10 | Computation of Interest and Fees | [56]58 | ||
2.11 | Evidence of Debt | [57]58 | ||
2.12 | Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback | [58]59 | ||
2.13 | Sharing of Payments by Lenders | [60]61 | ||
2.14 | Cash Collateral | [61]62 | ||
2.15 | Defaulting Lenders | [62]63 | ||
2.16 | [Increase in Revolving Credit Facility | 64] [Reserved.]65 | ||
ARTICLE III | TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY | 65 | ||
3.01 | Taxes | 65 | ||
3.02 | Illegality | 70 | ||
3.03 | Inability to Determine Rates | [71]70 | ||
3.04 | Increased Costs; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans | [72]71 | ||
3.05 | Compensation for Losses | 73 | ||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
3.06 | Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders | 74 | ||
3.07 | Survival | [75]74 | ||
ARTICLE IV | CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO EFFECTIVENESS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS | [75]74 | ||
4.01 | Conditions to Effectiveness on the Closing Date | [75]74 | ||
4.02 | Conditions to all Credit Extensions | 77 | ||
ARTICLE V | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES | 78 | ||
5.01 | Existence, Qualification and Power | 78 | ||
5.02 | Authorization; No Contravention | 78 | ||
5.03 | Governmental Authorization; Other Consents | 78 | ||
5.04 | Binding Effect | 79 | ||
5.05 | Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect | 79 | ||
5.06 | Litigation | [80]79 | ||
5.07 | No Default | 80 | ||
5.08 | Ownership of Property | 80 | ||
5.09 | Environmental Compliance | 80 | ||
5.10 | Insurance | 81 | ||
5.11 | Taxes | 81 | ||
5.12 | ERISA Compliance | [82]81 | ||
5.13 | Subsidiaries; Equity Interests; Loan Parties | [83]82 | ||
5.14 | Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act | 83 | ||
5.15 | Disclosure | 83 | ||
5.16 | Compliance with Laws | [84]83 | ||
5.17 | Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc | 84 | ||
5.18 | Status of Liquor License Approvals and Filings | 84 | ||
5.19 | Material Contracts | 84 | ||
5.20 | Leases | 84 | ||
5.21 | Unit Locations; Franchised Unit Locations | 85 | ||
5.22 | Franchise Agreements | 85 | ||
5.23 | Solvency | 85 | ||
5.24 | Labor Matters | 85 | ||
5.25 | Collateral Documents | 85 | ||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
5.26 | Compliance with OFAC Rules and Regulations | 85 | ||
5.27 | Anti-Corruption Laws | 86 | ||
5.28 | Use of Proceeds | 86 | ||
ARTICLE VI | AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS | 86 | ||
6.01 | Financial Statements | 86 | ||
6.02 | Compliance Certificates and Certain Reports Sent to Other Parties | 87 | ||
6.03 | Notices | 90 | ||
6.04 | Payment of Obligations | [91]90 | ||
6.05 | Preservation of Existence, Permits, License, Etc | 91 | ||
6.06 | Maintenance of Properties and Liquor Licenses | 91 | ||
6.07 | Maintenance of Insurance | 91 | ||
6.08 | Compliance with Laws | [92]91 | ||
6.09 | Books and Records | 92 | ||
6.10 | Inspection Rights | 92 | ||
6.11 | Use of Proceeds | 92 | ||
6.12 | Additional Subsidiaries and Collateral Generally | 92 | ||
6.13 | Compliance with Environmental Laws | 94 | ||
6.14 | Further Assurances | 94 | ||
6.15 | Compliance with Terms of Leaseholds | [95]94 | ||
6.16 | Anti-Corruption Laws | 95 | ||
6.17 | Material Contracts | 95 | ||
6.18 | Compliance with Terms of Franchise Agreements | 95 | ||
6.19 | Cash Collateral Accounts | 95 | ||
6.20 | Cash Management Arrangements | 95 | ||
ARTICLE VII | NEGATIVE COVENANTS | [96]95 | ||
7.01 | Liens | 96 | ||
7.02 | Indebtedness | [98]97 | ||
7.03 | Investments | 99 | ||
7.04 | Fundamental Changes | 100 | ||
7.05 | Dispositions | 101 | ||
7.06 | Restricted Payments | 102 | ||
7.07 | Change in Nature of Business | 103 | ||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
7.08 | Transactions with Affiliates | 103 | ||
7.09 | Burdensome Agreements | 103 | ||
7.10 | Use of Proceeds | 103 | ||
7.11 | Financial Covenants | 103 | ||
7.12 | [[Intentionally Omitted.]....... 104] Consolidated Growth Capital Expenditures. | 104 | ||
7.13 | Amendments of Organization Documents | 104 | ||
7.14 | Accounting Changes | 104 | ||
7.15 | Prepayments, Etc. of Indebtedness | 104 | ||
7.16 | Sanctions | 104 | ||
7.17 | Anti-Corruption Laws | 105 | ||
7.18 | New Operating Unit Lease Incurrences................................................................. | 105 | ||
ARTICLE VIII | EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES | 105 | ||
8.01 | Events of Default | 105 | ||
8.02 | Remedies Upon Event of Default | [107]108 | ||
8.03 | Application of Funds | 108 | ||
ARTICLE IX | ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT | 109 | ||
9.01 | Appointment and Authority | 109 | ||
9.02 | Rights as a Lender | 110 | ||
9.03 | Exculpatory Provisions | 110 | ||
9.04 | Reliance by Administrative Agent | 111 | ||
9.05 | Delegation of Duties | 111 | ||
9.06 | Resignation of Administrative Agent | [111]112 | ||
9.07 | Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders | [112]113 | ||
9.08 | No Other Duties, Etc | 113 | ||
9.09 | Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim; Credit Bidding | 113 | ||
9.10 | Collateral and Guaranty Matters | 114 | ||
9.11 | Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements | 115 | ||
ARTICLE X | CONTINUING GUARANTY | [115]116 | ||
10.01 | Guaranty | [115]116 | ||
10.02 | Rights of Lenders | 116 | ||
10.03 | Certain Waivers | 116 | ||
10.04 | Obligations Independent | 117 | ||
- v -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
10.05 | Subrogation | 117 | ||
10.06 | Termination; Reinstatement | 117 | ||
10.07 | Subordination | [117]118 | ||
10.08 | Stay of Acceleration | 118 | ||
10.09 | Condition of Borrower | 118 | ||
10.10 | Contribution | 118 | ||
10.11 | Concerning Joint and Several Liability of the Guarantors | 118 | ||
10.12 | Guarantors’ Agreement to Pay Enforcement Costs, etc | 119 | ||
10.13 | Keepwell | 119 | ||
ARTICLE XI | MISCELLANEOUS | 119 | ||
11.01 | Amendments, Etc | 119 | ||
11.02 | Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communications | 121 | ||
11.03 | No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement | 123 | ||
11.04 | Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver | 124 | ||
11.05 | Payments Set Aside | 126 | ||
11.06 | Successors and Assigns | [126]127 | ||
11.07 | Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality | 131 | ||
11.08 | Right of Setoff | 132 | ||
11.09 | Interest Rate Limitation | [132]133 | ||
11.10 | Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness | 133 | ||
11.11 | Survival of Representations and Warranties | 133 | ||
11.12 | Severability | 133 | ||
11.13 | Replacement of Lenders | 134 | ||
11.14 | Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc | 134 | ||
11.15 | Waiver of Jury Trial | 135 | ||
11.16 | No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility | 135 | ||
11.17 | Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents | 135 | ||
11.18 | USA PATRIOT Act | [136]137 | ||
11.19 | ENTIRE AGREEMENT | 137 | ||
11.20 | Amendment and Restatement | 137 | ||
11.21 | Appointment of Borrower | 137 | ||
11.22 | Judgment Currency | 138 | ||
- vi -
SCHEDULES
1.01(a) Existing Letters of Credit
2.01 Commitments and Applicable Percentages
5.06 Litigation
5.08(b) Real Property (owned and Leased)
5.09 Environmental Compliance
5.12(d) ERISA Compliance
5.13 Subsidiaries and Other Equity Investments; Loan Parties
5.17 Intellectual Property Matters
5.20 Leases
5.21 Unit Locations; Franchised Unit Locations
5.22 Franchise Agreements
7.01(b) Existing Liens
7.02 Existing Indebtedness
7.03(f) Existing Investments
7.09 Burdensome Agreements
11.02 Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices
EXHIBITS
Form of
A Committed Loan Notice
B Swing Line Loan Notice
C-2 Revolving Credit Note
D Compliance Certificate
E-1 Assignment and Assumption
E-2 Administrative Questionnaire
F Form of U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate
G Form of Notice of Loan Prepayment
AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT
This AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT (as the same may be further amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”) is entered into as of November 22, 2013, among NOODLES & COMPANY, a Delaware corporation (the “Borrower”), each other Loan Party party hereto, each lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, the “Lenders” and individually, a “Lender”), and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender.
PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS:
WHEREAS, the Borrower, certain of the Lenders, the Administrative Agent, the Swing Line Lender and the L/C Issuer are party to that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of February 28, 2011 (as amended, amended and restated, supplemented or modified and in effect immediately prior to the date hereof, the “Existing Credit Agreement”) pursuant to which certain of the Lenders made loans and other extensions of credit to the Borrower;
WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested and the Lenders are willing to amend and restate the Existing Credit Agreement in its entirety and make loans and other extensions of credit, including the L/C Issuer to issue letters of credit, to the Borrower, all on the terms and conditions set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, those certain Lenders party to the Existing Agreement that are not continuing under the Agreement shall be paid in full upon the Closing Date.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree that as of the Closing Date, the Existing Credit Agreement shall be amended and restated in its entirety as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS
DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS
1.01 Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
“Administrative Agent” means Bank of America in its capacity as sole administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent appointed in accordance with the terms hereof.
“Administrative Agent’s Office” means the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 11.02, or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify to the Borrower and the Lenders.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in substantially the form of Exhibit E-2 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.
“Aggregate Commitments” means the Commitments of all the Lenders.
“Agreement” means this Credit Agreement, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof.
“Agreement Currency” has the meaning specified in Section 11.22.
“Applicable Percentage” means with respect to any Revolving Credit Lender at any time, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of the Revolving Credit Facility represented by such Revolving Credit Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment at such time, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.15 and 2.16. If the commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender to make Revolving Credit Loans and the obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions have been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02, or if the Revolving Credit Commitments have expired, then the Applicable Percentage of each Revolving Credit Lender in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility shall be determined based on the Applicable Percentage of such Revolving Credit Lender in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility most recently in effect, giving effect to any subsequent assignments. The initial Applicable Percentage of each Lender in respect of the Facility is set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable.
“Applicable Rate” means,[ the] applicable percentage per annum set forth below for each Type of Loan (and for the Letter of Credit Fees and Commitment Fees) determined by reference to the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as set forth in the most recent Compliance Certificate received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.02(a):
2
Pricing Level | Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio | Eurodollar Rate Loans and Letter of Credit Fees | Base Rate Loans and Canadian Prime Rate Loans | Commitment Fee |
1 | <[3.25]3.75:1.00 | [1.50]2.00% | [0.50]1.00% | [0.15]0.30% |
[2] | [>3.25:1.00 but <3.75:1.00] | [1.75%] | [0.75%] | [0.20%] |
[3]2 | [>]≥3.75:1.00 but <4.25:1.00 | [2.00]2.25% | [1.00]1.25% | [0.25]0.35% |
[4]3 | [>]≥4.25:1.00 but <4.75:1.00 | [2.25]2.50% | [1.25]1.50% | [0.30]0.40% |
4 | ≥4.75:1.00 but <5.25:1.00 | 2.75% | 1.75% | 0.45% |
5 | [>4.75]≥5.25:1.00 | [2.50]3.00% | [1.50]2.00 % | [0.35]0.50% |
Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(a); provided, however, that if a Compliance Certificate is not delivered when due in accordance with such Section, then, Pricing Level 5 shall apply as of the first Business Day after the date on which such Compliance Certificate was required to have been delivered and shall remain in effect until the date on which such Compliance Certificate is delivered.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this definition, (x) from the Fourth Amendment Effective Date to the date on which the Administrative Agent receives a Compliance Certificate pursuant to Section 6.02(a) for the first full fiscal quarter ending after the Fourth Amendment Effective Date, the Applicable Rate shall be not less than the percentage per annum set forth in Pricing Level 4, and (y) the determination of the Applicable Rate for any period shall be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.08(b) and 2.10.
“Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage” means with respect to any Revolving Credit Lender at any time, such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Percentage in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility at such time.
“Appropriate Lender” means, at any time, (a) with respect to the Revolving Credit Facility, a Lender that has a Commitment with respect to such Facility or holds a Revolving Credit Loan, at such time, (b) with respect to the Letter of Credit Sublimit, (i) the L/C Issuer and (ii) if any Letters of Credit have been issued pursuant to Section 2.03(a), the Revolving Credit Lenders and (c) with respect to the Swing Line Sublimit, (i) the Swing Line Lender and (ii) if any Swing Line Loans are outstanding pursuant to Section 2.04(a), the Revolving Credit Lenders.
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“Approved Fund” means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
“Arranger” means Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (or any other registered broker-dealer wholly-owned by Bank of America Corporation to which all or substantially all of Bank of America Corporation’s or any of its subsidiaries’ investment banking, commercial lending services or related businesses may be transferred following the date of this Agreement), in its capacity as sole lead arranger and sole bookrunner.
“Assignee Group” means two or more Eligible Assignees that are Affiliates of one another or two or more Approved Funds managed by the same investment advisor.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an Eligible Assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 11.06(b)), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit E-1 or any other form (including electronic documentation generated by use of an electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Attributable Indebtedness” means, on any date, (a) in respect of any Capitalized Lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP, (b) in respect of any Synthetic Lease Obligation, the capitalized amount of the remaining lease or similar payments under the relevant lease or other applicable agreement or instrument that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP if such lease or other agreement or instrument were accounted for as a Capitalized Lease and (c) all Synthetic Debt of such Person.
“Audited Financial Statements” means the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the Fiscal Year ended January 1, 2013, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such Fiscal Year of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the notes thereto.
“Autoborrow Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 2.04(b).
“Auto-Extension Letter of Credit” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(b)(iii).
“Availability Period” means in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, the period from and including the Closing Date to the earliest of (i) the Maturity Date, (ii) the date of termination of the Revolving Credit Commitments pursuant to Section 2.06, and (iii) the date of termination of the commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender to make Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans and of the obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions pursuant to Section 8.02.
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“Bank of America” means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.
“Base Rate” means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Bank of America as its “prime rate” and (c) the Eurodollar Rate plus 1.00%; and if the Base Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement. The “prime rate” is a rate set by Bank of America based upon various factors including Bank of America’s costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate. Any change in such prime rate announced by Bank of America shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change.
“Base Rate Loan” means a Revolving Credit Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate. All Base Rate Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.
“Borrower” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.
“Borrower Materials” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
“Borrowing” means a Revolving Credit Borrowing or a Swing Line Borrowing, as the context may require.
“Budget” has the meaning specified in Section 6.01(d).
“Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in, the state where the Administrative Agent’s Office is located and,
(a) if such day relates to any interest rate settings as to a Eurodollar Rate Loan denominated in Dollars, any fundings, disbursements, settlements and payments in Dollars in respect of any such Eurodollar Rate Loan, or any other dealings in Dollars to be carried out pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any such Eurodollar Rate Loan, means any such day that is also a London Banking Day; and
(b) if such day relates to any interest rate settings as to a Eurodollar Rate Loan denominated in Canadian Dollars, means any such day on which banks are open for foreign exchange business in the principal financial center of the country of such currency.
“Canadian Dollar” and “CAD” means the lawful currency of Canada.
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“Canadian Dollar Sublimit” means an amount equal to the lesser of (a) $5,000,000 and (b) the Revolving Credit Facility. The Canadian Dollar Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.
“Canadian Prime Rate” means, for any day a fluctuating rate of interest per annum equal to the greater of (a) the per annum rate of interest quoted or established as the “prime rate” of the Administrative Agent which it quotes or establishes for such day as its reference rate of interest in order to determine interest rates for commercial loans in Canadian Dollars in Canada to its Canadian borrowers; and (b) the average CDOR Rate for a 30-day term plus 1/2 of 1% per annum, adjusted automatically with each quoted or established change in such rate, all without the necessity of any notice to the Borrower or any other Person; and if the Canadian Prime Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement. The “Canadian prime rate” is a rate set by Bank of America based upon various factors including Bank of America’s costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate. Any change in such rate shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change.
“Canadian Prime Rate Loan” means a Revolving Credit Loan that bears interest based on the Canadian Prime Rate. All Canadian Prime Rate Loans shall be denominated in Canadian Dollars.
“Capital Expenditures” means, with respect to any Person for any period, any expenditure in respect of the purchase or other acquisition of any fixed or capital asset (including expenditures made to fund Permitted Acquisitions but excluding (i) normal replacements and maintenance which are properly charged to current operations) and (ii) expenditures made from insurance proceeds paid in connection with property loss or damages to purchase comparable replacement assets.
“Capitalized Leases” means all leases that have been or should be, in accordance with GAAP, recorded as capitalized leases.
“Cash Collateral Account” means a blocked, non-interest bearing deposit account of one or more of the Loan Parties at Bank of America (or another commercial bank selected in compliance with Section 6.19) in the name of the Administrative Agent and under the sole dominion and control of the Administrative Agent, and otherwise established in a manner satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
“Cash Collateralize” means to pledge and deposit with or deliver to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender (as applicable) and the Lenders, as collateral for L/C Obligations, Obligations in respect of Swing Line Loans or obligations of Lenders to fund participations in respect of either thereof (as the context may require), cash or deposit account balances or, if the L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender benefiting from such
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collateral shall agree in its sole discretion, other credit support, in each case pursuant to documentation in form and substance satisfactory to (a) the Administrative Agent and (b) the L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender (as applicable). “Cash Collateral” shall have a meaning correlative to the foregoing and shall include the proceeds of such cash collateral and other credit support.
“Cash Equivalents” means any of the following types of Investments, to the extent owned by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens created under the Collateral Documents):
(a) readily marketable obligations issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof having maturities of not more than 360 days from the date of acquisition thereof; provided that the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged in support thereof;
(b) time deposits with, or insured certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances of, any commercial bank that (i) (A) is a Lender or (B) is organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or is the principal banking subsidiary of a bank holding company organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, and is a member of the Federal Reserve System, (ii) issues (or the parent of which issues) commercial paper rated as described in clause (c) of this definition and (iii) has combined capital and surplus of at least $1,000,000,000, in each case with maturities of not more than 360 days from the date of acquisition thereof;
(c) commercial paper issued by any Person organized under the laws of any state of the United States of America and rated at least “Prime-1” (or the then equivalent grade) by Moody’s or at least “A-1” (or the then equivalent grade) by S&P, in each case with maturities of not more than 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof; and
(d) Investments, classified in accordance with GAAP as current assets of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, in money market investment programs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which are administered by financial institutions that have the highest rating obtainable from either Moody’s or S&P, and the portfolios of which are limited solely to Investments of the character, quality and maturity described in clauses (a), (b) and (c) of this definition.
“Cash Management Agreement” means any agreement to provide cash management services, including treasury, depository, overdraft, credit or debit card, electronic funds transfer and other cash management arrangements.
“Cash Management Bank” means any Person that, at the time it enters into a Cash Management Agreement, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, in its capacity as a party to such Cash Management Agreement.
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“Catterton Investor” means Catterton-Noodles, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, together with its Affiliates and associated funds.
“CERCLA” means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980.
“CERCLIS” means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“CFC” means a Person that is a controlled foreign corporation under Section 957 of the Code.
“Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, rule, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority; provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines or directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law,” regardless of the date enacted, adopted or issued.
“Change of Control” means an event or series of events by which:
(a) any “person” or “group” (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, but excluding any employee benefit plan of such person or its subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such plan) other than the Sponsor Investors, becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), directly or indirectly, of more than 35% of the equity securities of the Borrower entitled to vote for members of the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the Borrower on a fully-diluted basis; or
(b) during any period of 12 consecutive months, a majority of the members of the board of directors or other equivalent governing body of the Borrower cease to be composed of individuals (i) who were members of that board or equivalent governing body on the first day of such period, (ii) whose election or nomination to that board or equivalent governing body was approved by individuals referred to in clause (i) above constituting at
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the time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or equivalent governing body or (iii) whose election or nomination to that board or other equivalent governing body was approved by individuals referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) above constituting at the time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or equivalent governing body; or
(c) except as permitted under Sections 7.04 and 7.05, the Borrower shall cease, directly or indirectly, to own and control legally and beneficially the percentage of Equity Interests in each Subsidiary set forth on Schedule 5.13.
“Class C Common Stock Dividend” means the Restricted Payments made to the PSP Investor in respect of its Class C Common Stock of the Borrower.
“Closing Date” means the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 11.01.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
“Collateral” means all of the “Collateral” referred to in the Collateral Documents and all of the other property that is or is intended under the terms of the Collateral Documents to be subject to Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties.
“Collateral Documents” means, collectively, the Security Agreement, the Pledge Agreements, the Intellectual Property Security Agreements, the Mortgages, if any, each intellectual property security agreement supplement, each of the mortgages, collateral assignments, security agreements, pledge agreements or other similar agreements delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.12, and each of the other agreements, instruments or documents that creates or purports to create a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties.
“Commitment” means a Revolving Credit Commitment.
“Committed Loan Notice” means a notice of (a) a Revolving Credit Borrowing, (b) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or (c) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a), which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A or such other form as may be approved by the Administrative Agent (including any form on an electronic platform or electronic transmission system as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent), appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower.
“Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.
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“Compliance Certificate” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D.
“Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.
“Consolidated Adjusted Cash Rental Expense” means, as of the date of determination, for any relevant Measurement Period, Consolidated Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period multiplied by eight (8).
“Consolidated Cash Rental Expense” means, as of the date of determination, for the relevant Measurement Period, all cash rental expense of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such Measurement Period, determined on a consolidated basis, incurred under any rental agreements or leases, other than (i) obligations in respect of any Capitalized Leases and Synthetic Lease Obligations, or (ii) cash rental expense actually incurred during such Measurement Period for the 16 Restaurant locations the closure of which has been announced prior to the Second Amendment Effective Date and which are actually closed during or prior to such Measurement Period.
“Consolidated EBITDA” means, at any date of determination, an amount equal to Consolidated Net Income of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period plus (a) the following to the extent deducted in calculating such Consolidated Net Income and without duplication: (i) Consolidated Interest Charges, (ii) the provision for Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes paid or payable, (iii) depreciation and amortization expense, (iv) Consolidated Restaurant Pre-Opening Costs in an amount not to exceed an average of $85,000 per Restaurant for all Restaurants incurred during such Measurement Period, (v) non-cash rent expense, (vi) non-cash compensation expense, (vii) non-recurring expenses or charges (or minus non-recurring income items) reducing (or in the case of non-recurring income, increasing) such Consolidated Net Income, in each case, which do not represent a cash item in such period or any future period, (viii) without duplication of any add backs pursuant to clause (vii) above, non-recurring cash expenses (including severance payments) or charges and non-recurring non-cash charges, in each case in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,000,000 in any Measurement Period, (ix) management fees (including the Class C Common Stock Dividend but, for the avoidance of doubt, only if such dividend is deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income) actually paid if and to the extent permitted under this Agreement, or if paid prior to the Closing Date, the Existing Credit Agreement, (x) one time fees and out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with Permitted Acquisitions, (xi) fees and expenses arising from the Transaction, Borrower’s initial public offering or any follow-on offering of the Borrower’s securities, (xii) without duplication of any add backs pursuant to clause (vii) or (viii) above, non-recurring cash expenses and non-recurring non-cash charges, in each case to the extent deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income for any period ending on or prior to December 27, 2016 and relating to the actual closure of the 16 Restaurant locations, the closure of which was announced prior to the Second Amendment Effective Date, in
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an aggregate amount not to exceed $7,000,000 at any time, (xiii) such reasonable and customary one-time costs associated with the data security incident announced by the company on June 28, 2016, as may be consented to in writing by the Required Lenders, (xiv) any one-time settlement costs associated with certain litigation matters disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent on the Third Amendment Effective Date, in an aggregate amount reasonably acceptable to and consented to in writing by the Required Lenders[ and], (xv) one-time non-recurring cash expenses or charges and non-recurring non-cash charges, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,000,000, associated with the severance and replacement of the Borrower’s Chief Executive Officer and severance of the Borrower’s Chief Marketing Officer, (xvi) one-time costs associated with the termination of Leases, in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000 in the aggregate, and (xvii) pro forma general and administrative cash cost savings resulting from the headcount reduction completed prior to the end of the third Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2016 of up to $2,700,000 in the aggregate minus (b) to the extent included in calculating such Consolidated Net Income, Federal, state, local and foreign income tax credits (of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such Measurement Period); provided that the net income (or loss) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries actually incurred during such Measurement Period attributable to the 16 Restaurant locations, the closure of which was announced prior to the Second Amendment Effective Date and which are actually closed during or prior to such Measurement Period, shall be excluded from the calculation of Consolidated EBITDA.
“Consolidated EBITDAR” means, as of the date of determination, an amount equal to (without duplication) (i) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently completed Measurement Period, plus (ii) Consolidated Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period.
“Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio” means, at any date of determination, the ratio of (a) (i) Consolidated EBITDAR for the most recently completed Measurement Period, less (ii) the aggregate amount of Consolidated Maintenance Capital Expenditures paid in cash during such Measurement Period less (iii) the aggregate amount of Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes paid in cash during such Measurement Period to (b) the sum of (i) Consolidated Interest Charges paid in cash, (ii) without duplication of clause (iv) below, the aggregate principal amount of all regularly scheduled principal payments or redemptions or similar acquisitions for value of outstanding debt for borrowed money, but excluding any such payments to the extent refinanced through the incurrence of additional Indebtedness otherwise expressly permitted under Section 7.02,[ and] (iii) Consolidated Cash Rental Expense, in each case, of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the most recently completed Measurement Period, and (iv) reductions to the Revolving Credit Commitment pursuant to Section 2.06(b)(i) hereof in the aggregate principal amount of $10,000,000, calculated on a pro forma basis whether or not such scheduled reduction has in fact occurred; provided that if any Permitted Acquisition shall have been consummated during such Measurement Period, the Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio shall be calculated on a Pro Forma Basis.
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“Consolidated Funded Indebtedness” means, as of any date of determination and without duplication, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the sum of (a) the outstanding principal amount of all obligations, whether current or long-term, for borrowed money (including Obligations hereunder) and all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments, (b) all purchase money Indebtedness, (c) all direct obligations arising under letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments, (d) all obligations in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business), (e) all Attributable Indebtedness, (f) without duplication, all Guarantees with respect to outstanding Indebtedness of the types specified in clauses (a) through (e) above of Persons other than the Borrower or any Subsidiary, and (g) all Indebtedness of the types referred to in clauses (a) through (f) above of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which the Borrower or a Subsidiary is a general partner or joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to the Borrower or such Subsidiary.
“Consolidated Growth Capital Expenditures” means Capital Expenditures of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for growth (including, but not limited to, New Construction, expenditures for increases to restaurant capacity and expenditures in connection with Permitted Acquisitions).
“Consolidated Interest Charges” means, for any Measurement Period, the sum of (a) all interest, premium payments, debt discount, fees, charges and related expenses in connection with borrowed money (including capitalized interest) or in connection with the deferred purchase price of assets, in each case to the extent treated as interest in accordance with GAAP, (b) all interest paid or payable with respect to discontinued operations and (c) the portion of rent expense under Capitalized Leases that is treated as interest in accordance with GAAP, in each case, of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period.
“Consolidated Maintenance Capital Expenditures” means all Capital Expenditures of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis other than those constituting Consolidated Growth Capital Expenditures.
“Consolidated Net Income” means, at any date of determination, the net income (or loss) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period, after deduction of all expenses, taxes and other proper charges (including minority interests), in each case, determined in accordance with GAAP, and excluding all extraordinary gains and extraordinary losses for such Measurement Period.
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“Consolidated Restaurant Pre-Opening Costs” means “Start-up costs” (such term used herein as defined in SOP 98-5 published by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) incurred by the Borrower and/or its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis related to the acquisition, opening and organizing of New Operating Units, such costs to include, without limitation, the cost of feasibility studies, one-time unit level marketing costs incurred during the one-month period prior to the opening of such New Operating Unit and the one-month period following the opening of such New Operating Unit, staff-training (including training related to food preparation), food costs related to staff training, smallware and recruiting and travel costs for employees engaged in such start-up activities.
“Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness as of the last day of the most recently ended Measurement Period, plus Consolidated Adjusted Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period plus to the extent not included in Consolidated Funded Indebtedness, L/C Obligations as at the last day of such Measurement Period to (b) Consolidated EBITDAR for such Measurement Period; provided that if any Permitted Acquisition shall have been consummated during such Measurement Period, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio shall be calculated on a Pro Forma Basis.
“Contractual Obligation” means, as to any Person, any material provision (which for clarity shall include without limitation all provisions relating to monetary obligations) of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.
“Copyright Security Agreements” means, collectively, any copyright property security agreements in respect of any copyright property that may be entered into after the Closing Date and that is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“Credit Extension” means each of the following: (a) a Borrowing and (b) an L/C Credit Extension.
“Debtor Relief Laws” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.
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“Default” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.
“Default Rate” means (a) when used with respect to Obligations other than Letter of Credit Fees, an interest rate equal to (i) the Base Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate, if any, applicable to Base Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum, provided, however, that (A) with respect to Canadian Prime Rate Loans, the Default Rate shall be an interest rate equal to (i) the Canadian Prime Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate, if any, applicable to Canadian Prime Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum and (B) with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Default Rate shall be an interest rate equal to the interest rate (including any Applicable Rate) otherwise applicable to such Loan plus 2% per annum; and (b) when used with respect to Letter of Credit Fees, a rate equal to the Applicable Rate plus 2% per annum.
“Defaulting Lender” means, subject to Section 2.15(b), any Lender that, as determined by the Administrative Agent, (a) has failed to perform any of its funding obligations hereunder, including in respect of its Loans or participations in respect of Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans, within one Business Day of the date required to be funded by it hereunder, (b) has notified the Borrower or the Administrative Agent that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations or has made a public statement to that effect with respect to its funding obligations hereunder or under other agreements in which it commits to extend credit (other than, in the case of such other agreements, to the extent such Lender’s notice or public statement of non-compliance is a result of such Lender’s good faith dispute with respect to its funding obligations thereunder), (c) has failed, within one Business Day after request by the Administrative Agent, to confirm in a manner satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that it will comply with its funding obligations, or (d) has, or has a direct or indirect parent company that has, (i) become the subject of a proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, (ii) had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or a custodian appointed for it, or (iii) taken any action in furtherance of, or indicated its consent to, approval of or acquiescence in any such proceeding or appointment; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any equity interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority; and provided, further, that in each of clauses (d)(i), (d)(ii) and (d)(iii), the Administrative Agent has determined in its discretion that such Lender is reasonably likely to fail to perform any of its funding obligations under the Loan Documents. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a) through (d) above, and of the effective date of such status, shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender (subject to Section 2.15(b)) as of the date established therefor by the Administrative Agent in a written notice of such determination, which shall be delivered by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower, the L/C Issuer, the Swing Line Lender and each other Lender promptly following such determination.
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“Designated Jurisdiction” means any country or territory to the extent that such country or territory itself is the subject of any Sanction.
“Disclosed Litigation” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.06.
“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Person (or the granting of any option or other right to do any of the foregoing), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.
“Disqualified Securities” means any Equity Interest which, by its terms (or by the terms of any security or other Equity Interest into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event or condition, (a) matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date which is one (1) year after the Maturity Date, (b) is convertible in or exchangeable for (i) debt securities or (ii) any Equity Interests referred to in clause (a) above, in each case, at any time prior to the date which is one year after the Maturity Date, (c) contains any repurchase obligations which may come into effect prior to payment in full of all Obligations (other than customary contingent indemnification claims for which a claim has not then been asserted) or (d) requires the payment of cash dividends or distributions prior to the date which is one year after the Maturity Date.
“Dollar” and “$” mean lawful money of the United States.
“Dollar Equivalent” means, at any time, (a) with respect to any amount denominated in Dollars, such amount, and (b) with respect to any amount denominated in Canadian Dollars, the equivalent amount thereof in Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, at such time on the basis of the Spot Rate (determined in respect of the most recent Revaluation Date) for the purchase of Dollars with Canadian Dollars.
“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of any political subdivision of the United States.
“Eligible Assignee” means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Section 11.06(b)(iii), and (v) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 11.06(b)(iii)).
“Environmental Laws” means any and all Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to pollution and the protection of the
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environment or the release of any materials into the environment, including those related to hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions and discharges to waste or public systems.
“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
“Environmental Permit” means any permit, approval, identification number, license or other authorization required under any Environmental Law.
“Equity Interests” means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants, options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under common control with the Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code (and Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Code for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the Code).
“ERISA Event” means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) the withdrawal of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which such entity was a “substantial employer” as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) a complete or partial withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization; (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Pension Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA; (e) the institution by the PBGC of proceedings to terminate a Pension Plan; (f) any event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan; (g) the
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determination that any Pension Plan is considered an at-risk plan or a plan in endangered or critical status within the meaning of Sections 430, 431 and 432 of the Code or Sections 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA; or (h) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.
“Eurodollar Rate” means:
(a) For any Interest Period, with respect to any Credit Extension:
(i) denominated in Dollars, the rate per annum equal to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or a comparable or successor rate, which rate is approved by the Administrative Agent, as published on the applicable Bloomberg screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time) (in such case, the “LIBOR Rate”) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two (2) Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, for Dollar deposits (for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period) with a term equivalent to such Interest Period;
(ii) denominated in Canadian Dollars, the rate per annum equal to the Canadian Dealer Offered Rate (“CDOR”), or a comparable or successor rate which rate is approved by the Administrative Agent, as published on the applicable Bloomberg screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time) (in such case, the “CDOR Rate”) at or about 10:00 a.m. (Toronto, Ontario time) on the Rate Determination Date with a term equivalent to such Interest Period;
(b) for any interest calculation with respect to a Base Rate Loan on any date, the rate per annum equal to the LIBOR Rate, at or about 11:00 a.m., London time determined two (2) Business Days prior to such date for Dollar deposits with a term of one month commencing that day;
provided that (i) to the extent a comparable or successor rate is approved by the Administrative Agent in connection herewith, the approved rate shall be applied in a manner consistent with market practice; provided, further that to the extent that such market price is not administratively feasible for the Administrative Agent, such approved rate shall be applied in a manner as otherwise reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent; and (ii) if the Eurodollar Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Eurodollar Rate Loan” means a Revolving Credit Loan that bears interest at a rate based on clause (a) of the definition of “Eurodollar Rate”. Subject to the terms hereof, Eurodollar Rate Loans may be denominated in Dollars or in Canadian Dollars.
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“Event of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01.
“Excess Revolving Availability” means, as of any date of determination, the amount by which (a) the Revolving Credit Facility exceeds (b) the Total Outstandings.
“Excluded Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Guarantor, any Swap Obligation if, and to the extent that, all or a portion of the Guarantee of such Guarantor of, or the grant by such Guarantor of a security interest to secure, such Swap Obligation (or any Guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) by virtue of such Guarantor’s failure for any reason to constitute an “eligible contract participant” as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act and the regulations thereunder (determined after giving effect to Section 10.13 and any other “keepwell, support or other agreement” for the benefit of such Guarantor and any and all guarantees of such Guarantor’s Swap Obligations by other Loan Parties) at the time the Guarantee of such Guarantor or the grant of such security interest becomes effective with respect to such Swap Obligation. If a Swap Obligation arises under a master agreement governing more than one swap, such exclusion shall apply only to the portion of such Swap Obligation that is attributable to swaps for which such Guarantee or security interest is or becomes excluded in accordance with the first sentence of this definition.
“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to any Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its Lending Office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 11.13) or (ii) such Lender changes its Lending Office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 3.01(a)(ii) or (iii), amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its Lending Office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 3.01(e) and (d) any U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed pursuant to FATCA.
“Existing Credit Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Existing Letters of Credit” means those letters of credit set forth on Schedule 1.01(a) hereto issued for the account of the Borrower under the Existing Credit Agreement.
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“Extraordinary Receipt” means any cash received by or paid to or for the account of any Person not in the ordinary course of business, including tax refunds, pension plan reversions, judgments or the settlement of any dispute (and payments in lieu thereof), indemnity payments and any purchase price adjustments in connection with a Permitted Acquisition.
“Facility” means the Revolving Credit Facility.
“FASB ACS” means the Accounting Standards Codification of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code, and any applicable intergovernmental agreement with respect thereto.
“Federal Funds Rate” means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) charged to Bank of America on such day on such transactions as determined by the Administrative Agent.
“Fee Letter” means, collectively, (a) that certain letter agreement dated as of the date hereof by and between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, (b) that certain letter agreement dated as of the First Amendment Effective Date by and between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, (c) that certain letter agreement dated as of the Second Amendment Effective Date by and between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower[ and], (d) that certain letter agreement dated as of the Third Amendment Effective Date by and between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, and (e) that certain letter agreement dated as of the Fourth Amendment Effective Date by and between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower.
“First Amendment Effective Date” means June 4, 2015.
“Fiscal Quarter” means each period of thirteen weeks (with the first two months of such Fiscal Quarter having four weeks and the last month of such Fiscal Quarter having five weeks).
“Fiscal Year” means the 52 or 53 week period ending on the Tuesday closest to December 31st of each calendar year.
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“Foreign Lender” means any Lender that is organized under the Laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes (including such a Lender when acting in the capacity of the L/C Issuer). For purposes of this definition, the United States, each State thereof and the District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single jurisdiction.
“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.
“Fourth Amendment Effective Date” means November 4, 2016.
“Franchise Agreements” means each of the agreements entered into from time to time by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to which a Loan Party as Franchisor agrees to allow a Franchisee to operate a restaurant facility using the “Noodles & Company” restaurant concepts.
“Franchisee” means each third party unaffiliated restaurant operator identified as a franchisee in any Franchise Agreement.
“Franchised Unit Locations” means, collectively, the property comprising Franchised Unit Locations described in Part (b) of Schedule 5.21 (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time with the written consent of the Administrative Agent).
“Franchisor” means any Loan Party.
“FRB” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.
“Fronting Exposure” means, at any time there is a Defaulting Lender, (a) with respect to the L/C Issuer, such Defaulting Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the outstanding L/C Obligations other than L/C Obligations as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof and (b) with respect to the Swing Line Lender, such Defaulting Lender’s Applicable Percentage of Swing Line Loans other than Swing Line Loans as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof.
“Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the
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accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied.
“Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).
“Guarantee” means, as to any Person, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien). Unless such Guarantee is capped at a stated amount, the amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith; provided that if recourse under such Guarantee is limited to the assets securing such Guarantee, the amount of Indebtedness represented by such Guarantee shall be the lesser of (i) the fair market value of such assets or (ii) the amount of the related primary obligation. The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.
“Guarantors” means, collectively, (a) each existing direct and indirect Subsidiary of the Borrower and future direct and indirect Subsidiary of the Borrower that shall be required to execute and deliver a guaranty or guaranty supplement pursuant to Section 6.12 and (b) with respect to (i) Obligations owing by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party (other than the Borrower) under any Secured Hedge Agreement or any Secured Cash Management Agreement and (ii) the payment and performance by each Specified Loan Party of its obligations under its Guaranty with respect to all Swap Obligations, the Borrower.
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“Guaranty” means, collectively, the Guaranty made by each Subsidiary of the Borrower under Article X in favor of the Secured Parties, together with each other guaranty and guaranty supplement delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, in each case, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“Hazardous Materials” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
“Hedge Bank” means any Person that, at the time it enters into an interest rate Swap Contract required or permitted under Article VI or VII, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, in its capacity as a party to such Swap Contract.
“Impacted Loans” has the meaning specified in Section 3.03.
“Indebtedness” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:
(a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;
(b) the maximum amount of all direct or contingent obligations of such Person arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;
(c) net obligations of such Person under any Swap Contract;
(d) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business and, in each case, not past due for more than 60 days after the date on which such trade account payable was created);
(e) indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person, or is limited in recourse, valued in an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the such Indebtedness so secured or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by such Person in good faith or if recourse is limited to such assets, the fair market value of such assets;
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(f) all Attributable Indebtedness in respect of Capitalized Leases and Synthetic Lease Obligations of such Person and all Synthetic Debt of such Person;
(g) all obligations of such Person to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Equity Interest in such Person or any other Person or any warrant, right or option to acquire such Equity Interest, valued, in the case of a redeemable preferred interest, at the greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued and unpaid dividends (but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, the right of such Person to receive a dividend arising solely from the declaration thereof); and
(h) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.
For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person. The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date of determination shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date. The amount of any Capitalized Lease or Synthetic Lease Obligation as of any date of determination shall be deemed to be the amount of Attributable Indebtedness in respect thereof as of such date.
“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in clause (a), Other Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning specified in Section 11.04(b).
“Information” has the meaning specified in Section 11.07.
“Intellectual Property Security Agreements” means, collectively, (i) each of the Trademark Security Agreements, (ii) each of the Patent Security Agreements, if any, (iii) each of the Copyright Security Agreements, if any, and (iv) any other intellectual property security agreements in respect of any intellectual property that may be entered into after the Closing Date and that is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, in each case, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and as amended and in effect from time to time.
“Interest Payment Date” means, (a) as to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date; provided, however, that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan, Canadian Prime Rate Loan or Swing Line Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date.
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“Interest Period” means, as to each Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months thereafter (in each case, subject to availability for the interest rate applicable to the relevant currency), as selected by the Borrower in its Committed Loan Notice; provided that:
(a) any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless, in the case of a Eurodollar Rate Loan, such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;
(b) any Interest Period pertaining to a Eurodollar Rate Loan that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and
(c) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.
“Investment” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of Equity Interests of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor Guarantees Indebtedness of such other Person or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of assets of another Person that constitute a business unit or all or a substantial part of the business of, such Person. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment.
“IP Rights” has the meaning specified in Section 5.17.
“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
“ISP” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the “International Standby Practices 1998” published by the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice, Inc. (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance).
“Issuer Documents” means with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Letter of Credit Application, and any other document, agreement and instrument entered into by the L/C Issuer and the Borrower (or any Subsidiary) or in favor of the L/C Issuer and relating to such Letter of Credit.
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“Joint Venture” means, any joint venture in which any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries hold equity interests that represent less than 100% of the ordinary voting power and aggregate equity value represented by the issued and outstanding equity interests in such joint venture.
“Joint Venture Entities” means, collectively, Noodles Cayman, Noodles China JV, Noodles Hong Kong and any other Joint Ventures entered into by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary from time to time.
“Judgment Currency” has the meaning specified in Section 11.22.
“Laws” means, collectively, all international, foreign, Federal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.
“L/C Advance” means, with respect to each Revolving Credit Lender, such Lender’s funding of its participation in any L/C Borrowing in accordance with its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage. All L/C Advances shall be denominated in Dollars.
“L/C Borrowing” means an extension of credit resulting from a drawing under any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed on the date when made or refinanced as a Revolving Credit Borrowing. All L/C Borrowings shall be denominated in Dollars.
“L/C Credit Extension” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the issuance thereof or extension of the expiry date thereof, or the increase of the amount thereof.
“L/C Issuer” means Bank of America, through itself or through one of its designated Affiliates or branch offices, in its capacity as issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder or any successor issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder.
“L/C Obligations” means, as at any date of determination, the aggregate amount available to be drawn under all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the aggregate of all Unreimbursed Amounts, including all L/C Borrowings. For purposes of computing the amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Rule 3.14 of the ISP, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” in the amount so remaining available to be drawn.
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“Leases” means, collectively, each lease of real property related to a Restaurant or to the operation of the business of the Loan Parties.
“Lender” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto and, as the context requires, includes the Swing Line Lender.
“Lending Office” means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lender’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, which office may include any Affiliate of such Lender or any domestic or foreign branch of such Lender or such Affiliate. Unless the context otherwise requires each reference to a Lender shall include its applicable Lending Office.
“Letter of Credit” means any standby letter of credit issued hereunder and shall include each Existing Letter of Credit.
“Letter of Credit Application” means an application and agreement for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit in the form from time to time in use by the L/C Issuer.
“Letter of Credit Expiration Date” means the day that is seven days prior to the Maturity Date (or, if such date is not a Business Day, the next preceding Business Day).
“Letter of Credit Fee” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(h).
“Letter of Credit Sublimit” means an amount equal to $10,000,000. The Letter of Credit Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.
“LIBOR” has the meaning specified in the definition of Eurodollar Rate.
“Lien” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).
“Loan” means an extension of credit by a Lender to the Borrower under Article II in the form of a Revolving Credit Loan or a Swing Line Loan.
“Loan Documents” means, collectively, (a) this Agreement, (b) the Notes, (c) the Collateral Documents, (d) the Reaffirmation Agreement, (e) any agreement creating or perfecting rights in
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Cash Collateral pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.14 of this Agreement, (f) the Fee Letter, (g) the Autoborrow Agreement and (h) each Issuer Document.
“Loan Parties” means, collectively, the Borrower and each Guarantor.
“London Banking Day” means any day on which dealings in Dollar deposits are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.
“Material Adverse Effect” means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect upon, the operations, business, assets, properties, liabilities (actual or contingent) or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) a material impairment of the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent or any Lender under any Loan Document, or of the ability of the Borrower or any other Loan Party to perform its obligations under any Loan Document to which it is a party, or (c) a material adverse effect upon the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability against the Borrower or any Loan Party of any Loan Document to which it is a party.
“Material Contract” means, with respect to any Person, any contract to which such Person is a party which is material to the business, condition (financial or otherwise), operations, performance, properties or prospects of such Person and includes, without limitation, each Lease and Franchise Agreement.
“Maturity Date” means June 4, 2020; provided, however, that, if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the next preceding Business Day.
“Measurement Period” means, at any date of determination, the most recently completed four Fiscal Quarters of the Borrower.
“Merger Agreement” means that certain Merger Agreement dated as of November 26, 2010 (as amended and in effect on the Original Closing Date and including all schedules and exhibits thereto) between Sponsor Investors, CP/PSP Merger Sub, Inc., the Borrower and David Duncan, a natural person, solely in his capacity as the initial Stockholder Representative (as defined therein).
“Minimum Liquidity” means, as of any date of determination, (a) Excess Revolving Availability and (b) the amount of cash and Cash Equivalents of the Loan Parties.
“Minority Interest” means a percentage of the ownership interest in a Subsidiary of the Borrower that is owned by a Person other than the Borrower or a Guarantor to the extent necessary to comply with local licensing requirements.
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto.
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“Mortgage” means deeds of trust, trust deeds, deeds to secure debt and mortgages covering any real estate owned by a Loan Party and in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of itself and the Secured Parties.
“Multiemployer Plan” means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.
“Multiple Employer Plan” means a Plan which has two or more contributing sponsors (including the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate) at least two of whom are not under common control, as such a plan is described in Section 4064 of ERISA.
“New Construction” means construction by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries related to the opening of a Restaurant owned and operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries at a new location or the meaningful expansion of capacity at existing facilities of a Restaurant owned and operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries.
“New Operating Units” means Restaurants owned and operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries whose ownership or operation by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries started on a date after the Original Closing Date.
“Non-Extension Notice Date” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(b)(iii).
“Noodles Cayman” means Noodles & Company International Holdings, Ltd., a corporation organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, wholly owned by the Borrower.
“Noodles China JV” means Noodles & Company China Holdings, Ltd., a corporation organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands in which Noodles Cayman shall initially own at least a majority of the issued and outstanding capital stock.
“Noodles Hong Kong” means Noodles & Company Hong Kong, Limited, a corporation organized under the laws of Hong Kong, wholly owned by Noodles China JV.
“Note” means a Revolving Credit Note, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“Notice of Loan Prepayment” means a notice of prepayment with respect to a Loan, which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit G or such other form as may be approved by the Administrative Agent (including any form on an electronic platform or electronic transmission system as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent), appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower.
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“NPL” means the National Priorities List under CERCLA.
“Obligations” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan, Letter of Credit, Secured Cash Management Agreement or Secured Hedge Agreement (other than any Excluded Swap Obligations), in each case whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding.
“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury.
“Organization Documents” means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.
“Original Closing Date” means February 28, 2011.
“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 3.06).
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“Outstanding Amount” means (a) with respect to Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans on any date of determination, the Dollar Equivalent amount of the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans, as the case may be, occurring on such date; and (b) with respect to any L/C Obligations on any date of determination, the Dollar Equivalent amount of the aggregate outstanding amount of such L/C Obligations on such date after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension occurring on such date and any other changes in the aggregate amount of the L/C Obligations as of such date, including as a result of any reimbursements by the Borrower of Unreimbursed Amounts.
“Overnight Rate” means, for any day, (a) with respect to any amount denominated in Dollars, the greater of (i) the Federal Funds Rate and (ii) an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, or the Swing Line Lender, as the case may be, in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, and (b) with respect to any amount denominated in Canadian Dollars, an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
“Participant” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d).
“Participant Register” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d).
“Patent Security Agreements” means, collectively, any patent property security agreements in respect of any patent property that may be entered into after the Closing Date and that is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
“Pension Act” means the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
“Pension Funding Rules” means the rules of the Code and ERISA regarding minimum required contributions (including any installment payment thereof) to Pension Plans and set forth in, with respect to plan years ending prior to the effective date of the Pension Act, Section 412 of the Code and Section 302 of ERISA, each as in effect prior to the Pension Act and, thereafter, Section 412, 430, 431, 432 and 436 of the Code and Sections 302, 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA.
“Pension Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (including a Multiple Employer Plan or a Multiemployer Plan) that is maintained or is contributed to by the Borrower and any ERISA Affiliate and is either covered by Title IV of ERISA or is subject to the minimum funding standards under Section 412 of the Code.
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“Permitted Acquisition” means (A) any acquisition consented to in writing by the Required Lenders prior to the date of such acquisition or (B) the purchase or other acquisition in a single transaction or a series of related transactions of (i) all of the Equity Interests in any Person that, upon the consummation thereof, will be wholly-owned directly by the Borrower or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries (including as a result of a merger or consolidation), (ii) all or substantially all of the assets associated with the operation of one or more restaurants or (iii) all or substantially all of the assets of a Person, provided that, such assets are associated with the operation of one or more restaurants (in each case, such Equity Interests or assets acquired hereinafter referred to as the “Acquired Assets”), provided that, in each case, each of the following conditions are met:
(a) the assets of such newly-acquired Subsidiary or the property acquired by the Borrower shall only constitute one or more restaurant facilities consisting of real property (owned or leased), equipment and other property relating to the operations of such restaurant facilities and each of which shall, upon the consummation of such acquisition operate as a Noodles & Company or other similar restaurant concept or within twenty-four (24) months after such acquisition thereof (provided that restaurants representing, in the aggregate, less than 10% of the revenue of the Acquired Assets may be held for up to thirty-six (36) months after the acquisition thereof), be converted into a Noodles & Company or other similar restaurant concept or disposed of in accordance with Section 7.05(j), and the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent of the foregoing;
(b) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from such acquisition;
(c) the Borrower shall deliver evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that, on a Pro Forma Basis, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio for the Measurement Period most recently completed, shall in each case, be [0.25 ]less than the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio [required]or equal to 4.50:1.00 for such Measurement Period, such compliance to be determined on the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or 6.01(b) and all financial information in respect of the Acquired Assets in connection with such acquisition (which such financial information shall be in form, scope and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent);
(d) such purchase or other acquisition shall not include or result in any contingent liabilities which could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect;
(e) any and all consents and approvals of any Governmental Authority (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in respect of liquor licenses acquired to the extent necessary) or landlord that if not obtained would (i) adversely impact the Acquired Assets in any material respect or (ii)
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would result in a material impairment of the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent or any Lender relating to any Lien on the Acquired Assets constituting Collateral;
(f) except with respect to an acquisition for which the total consideration paid or payable is $5,000,000 or less, the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, at least five (5) Business Days prior to the date on which the purchase or acquisition (or such shorter period as may be agreed upon in writing by the Administrative Agent) of the Acquired Assets is to be consummated, a certificate of the Borrower signed by a Responsible Officer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, certifying that all of the requirements set forth herein have been satisfied or will be satisfied on or prior to the consummation of such purchase or other acquisition;
(g) except with respect to an acquisition for which the total consideration paid or payable is $5,000,000 or less, the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent and each Lender (i) at least five (5) Business Days prior to the consummation of such purchase or acquisition (or such shorter period as may be agreed upon in writing by the Administrative Agent), copies, certified by a Responsible Officer on behalf of the Borrower to be true and complete of the purchase and sale documents, together with a complete set of schedules, exhibits, side letters and other documents and instruments delivered in connection therewith and (ii) prior to the consummation of such purchase or acquisition, copies, certified by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower to be true and complete of all documents, instruments, side letters or other material agreements executed in connection with such purchase or acquisition;
(h) except with respect to an acquisition for which the total consideration paid or payable is $5,000,000 or less, the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that all liens and encumbrances with respect to the Acquired Assets, other than Permitted Liens, have been discharged in full or arrangements therefor satisfactory to the Administrative Agent have been made;
(i) after giving effect to such purchase or other acquisition, the Excess Revolving Availability shall not be less than $10,000,000; and
(j) any such newly-created or acquired Subsidiary shall comply with the requirements of Section 6.12, and/or, with respect to any newly-acquired assets, the Borrower shall comply with the requirements of Section 6.12.
“Permitted Liens” means, collectively, the Liens permitted under Section 7.01.
“Permitted Mortgage Financing” means the Indebtedness of any Loan Party incurred after the Closing Date in connection with the acquisition (in a single transaction or a series of related transactions), construction or improvement of up to five (5) Restaurants, provided that each of the
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following conditions are satisfied: (a) the aggregate principal amount of all such Indebtedness shall not exceed $[20,000,000,]5,000,000, (b) the mortgagee under such Permitted Mortgage Financing shall be entitled to a Lien only on such assets financed by such mortgage financing; (c) the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties, shall receive a first priority perfected Lien on such assets financed by such mortgage financing (subject only to (i) Liens securing the Permitted Mortgage Financing which shall be first in priority on such assets and (ii) Liens permitted under Section 7.01(c), (d) or (g)); (d) the final maturity date of any such Indebtedness shall be at least twelve calendar months subsequent to the Maturity Date; and (e) no Event of Default exists on the date of the incurrence thereof or would result therefrom.
“Permitted Seller Note” means an unsecured promissory note containing subordination and other provisions or subject to a subordination agreement, in each case, reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, representing Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Subsidiary incurred in connection with any Permitted Acquisition and payable to the seller in connection therewith; provided that under no circumstances shall any cash principal payments be due and owing or made with respect to such Permitted Seller Note prior to the date which is six calendar months following the Maturity Date or the payment in full of the Obligations, nor shall cash interest be payable other than in accordance with the subordination terms or subordination agreement applicable to such Permitted Seller Note.
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan” means any employee benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA (including a Pension Plan), maintained for employees of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or any such Plan to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is required to contribute on behalf of any of its employees.
“Platform” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
“Pledge Agreements” means, that certain Pledge Agreement dated as of the Original Closing Date among the Administrative Agent and the Borrower pursuant to which the Borrower pledges its interest in its Subsidiaries to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties, together with each pledge agreement supplement delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, in all cases, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“Pledged Collateral” has the meaning ascribed to such term in each of the Pledge Agreements.
“Pledged Debt” has the meaning specified in the Security Agreement.
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“Pro Forma Basis” means, with respect to any Permitted Acquisition, the calculation of Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio or Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio for the Measurement Period most recently completed prior to such Permitted Acquisition as if such Permitted Acquisition had occurred immediately prior to the first day of such Measurement Period and excluding any business, business divisions, restaurants or Person sold or otherwise disposed of in connection with a Disposition for the Measurement Period of determination. For purposes of making this pro forma calculation of Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio or Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio, adjustments described in clauses (a), (b), (c) and (d) below (all such adjustments to be reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent) shall be included:
(a) (i) all Indebtedness (whether under this Agreement or otherwise), other liabilities and any other balance sheet adjustments incurred, made or assumed in connection with a Permitted Acquisition shall be deemed to have been incurred, made or assumed as of the first day of the relevant Measurement Period, and all Indebtedness of the Person acquired or to be acquired in such Permitted Acquisition or which is attributable to the business, business division, restaurant or Person acquired or to be acquired which was or will have been repaid in connection with the consummation of the Permitted Acquisition shall be deemed to have been repaid as of the first day of the relevant Measurement Period and (ii) all Indebtedness which was repaid, released or satisfied in connection with a Disposition (to the extent permitted under Section 7.05) shall be deemed to have been repaid on the first day of the relevant Measurement Period; and
(b) all Indebtedness assumed to have been incurred pursuant to the preceding clause (a) shall be deemed to have borne interest at (i) the arithmetic mean of (A) the Eurodollar Rate for Eurodollar Rate Loans having an Interest Period of one month in effect on the first day of the Measurement Period and (B) the Eurodollar Rate for Eurodollar Rate Loans having an Interest Period for one month in effect on the last day of the Measurement Period plus (ii) the Applicable Rate with respect to Revolving Credit Loans which are Eurodollar Rate Loans then in effect (after giving effect to the Permitted Acquisition on a pro forma basis);
(c) other reasonable specified cost savings, expenses and other income statement or operating statement adjustments which are attributable to the change in ownership resulting from such acquisition as may be approved by the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, in writing shall be deemed to have been realized on the first day of the Measurement Period most recently ended; and
(d) for purposes of calculating Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated EBITDAR for the relevant Measurement Period, the financial results of the business, business division, restaurant or Person, as applicable, to be acquired shall be calculated and included by reference to the audited (if available) or management certified (if audited results are not available) historical financial results of such business, business division, restaurant or Person, as applicable, to be so acquired.
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“PSP Investor” means Argentia Private Investments, Inc., together with its Affiliates.
“Public Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
“Qualified ECP Guarantor” shall mean, at any time, each Loan Party with total assets exceeding $10,000,000 or that qualifies at such time as an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act and can cause another person to qualify as an “eligible contract participant” at such time under §1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
“Qualified Securities” means any Equity Interests other than Disqualified Securities.
“Rate Determination Date” means two (2) Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period (or such other day as is generally treated as the rate fixing day by market practice in such interbank market, as determined by the Administrative Agent; provided that to the extent such market practice is not administratively feasible for the Administrative Agent, then “Rate Determination Date” means such other day as otherwise reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent).
“Reaffirmation Agreement” means that certain Amendment and Reaffirmation of Collateral Documents, dated as of the date hereof among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Recipient” means the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender.
“Register” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(c).
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees, administrators, managers, advisors and representatives of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.
“Reportable Event” means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the 30 day notice period has been waived.
“Request for Credit Extension” means (a) with respect to a Borrowing, conversion or continuation of Revolving Credit Loans, a Committed Loan Notice, (b) with respect to an L/C Credit Extension, a Letter of Credit Application and (c) with respect to a Swing Line Loan, at any time an Autoborrow Agreement is not in effect, a Swing Line Loan Notice.
“Required Lenders” means, as of any date of determination, at least two Lenders holding more than 50% of the sum of the (a) Total Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each Revolving Credit Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans
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being deemed “held” by such Revolving Credit Lender for purposes of this definition) and (b) aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments; provided that the unused Revolving Credit Commitment of, and the portion of the Total Outstandings held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders.
“Required Quarterly RL Payment” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(iii).
“Responsible Officer” means the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer, assistant treasurer or controller of a Loan Party and, solely for purposes of notices given pursuant to Article II, any other officer of the applicable Loan Party so designated by any of the foregoing officers in a notice to the Administrative Agent or any other officer or employee of the applicable Loan Party designated in or pursuant to an agreement between the applicable Loan Party and the Administrative Agent. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party.
“Restaurant” means a particular restaurant at a particular location that is owned (regardless of whether the real property is owned or leased) and operated by a Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party.
“Restricted Payment” means (a) any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any capital stock or other Equity Interest of any Person or any of its Subsidiaries, or (b) any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, defeasance, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such capital stock or other Equity Interest, or on account of any return of capital to any Person’s stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent of any thereof), or (c) any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such dividend or other distribution or payment, or (d) any management fees, fees (consulting, management or other), allowances or similar arrangements directly or indirectly paid or payable by any Loan Party to any other Person under a management agreement.
“Revaluation Date” means with respect to any Loan, each of the following: (a) each date of a Borrowing of a Eurodollar Rate Loan denominated in Canadian Dollars, (b) each date of a continuation of a Eurodollar Rate Loan denominated in Canadian Dollars pursuant to Section 2.02, and (c) such additional dates as the Administrative Agent shall determine or the Required Lenders shall require.
“Revolving Credit Borrowing” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Revolving Credit Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Revolving Credit Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01(b).
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“Revolving Credit Commitment” means, as to each Revolving Credit Lender, its obligation to (a) make Revolving Credit Loans to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01(b), (b) purchase participations in L/C Obligations and (c) purchase participations in Swing Line Loans, in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01 under the caption “Revolving Credit Commitment” or opposite such caption in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement[, including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.16 hereof].
“Revolving Credit Facility” means, at any time, the aggregate amount of the Revolving Credit Lenders’ Revolving Credit Commitments at such time. As of the Second Amendment Effective Date, the amount of the Revolving Credit Facility is $100,000,000.
[“Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date]” has the meaning specified in Section [2.16(d).]
“Revolving Credit Lender” means, at any time, any Lender that has a Revolving Credit Commitment at such time.
“Revolving Credit Loan” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01(b).
“Revolving Credit Note” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Revolving Credit Lender evidencing Revolving Credit Loans or Swing Line Loans, as the case may be, made by such Revolving Credit Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit C-2.
“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and any successor thereto.
“Same Day Funds” means (a) with respect to disbursements and payments in Dollars, immediately available funds, and (b) with respect to disbursements and payments in Canadian Dollars, same day or other funds as may be determined by the Administrative Agent to be customary in Canada.
“Sanction(s)” means any international economic sanction administered or enforced by the United States Government (including, without limitation, OFAC), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the Canadian government or Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”).
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.
“Second Amendment Effective Date” means November 24, 2015.
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“Secured Cash Management Agreement” means any Cash Management Agreement that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Cash Management Bank.
“Secured Hedge Agreement” means any interest rate Swap Contract permitted under Article VII that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Hedge Bank.
“Secured Parties” means, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the L/C Issuer, the Swing Line Lender, the Hedge Banks, the Cash Management Banks, each co-agent or sub-agent appointed by the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.05, and the other Persons the Obligations owing to which are or are purported to be secured by the Collateral under the terms of the Collateral Documents.
“Security Agreement” means that certain Security Agreement dated as of the Original Closing Date by and among the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Guarantors, together with each security agreement supplement delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, in each case, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“Solvent” and “Solvency” mean, with respect to any Person on any date of determination, that on such date (a) the fair value of the property of such Person is greater than the total amount of liabilities, including contingent liabilities, of such Person, (b) the present fair saleable value of the assets of such Person is not less than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Person on its debts as they become absolute and matured, (c) such Person does not intend to, and does not believe that it will, incur debts or liabilities beyond such Person’s ability to pay such debts and liabilities as they mature, (d) such Person is not engaged in business or a transaction, and is not about to engage in business or a transaction, for which such Person’s property would constitute an unreasonably small capital, and (e) such Person is able to pay its debts and liabilities, contingent obligations and other commitments as they mature in the ordinary course of business. The amount of contingent liabilities at any time shall be computed as the amount that, in the light of all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.
“Specified Loan Party” means any Loan Party that is not an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act (determined prior to giving effect to Section 10.13).
“Sponsor Investors” means, collectively, the Catterton Investor and the PSP Investor.
“Spot Rate” for Canadian Dollars means the rate determined by the Administrative Agent to be the rate quoted by the Administrative Agent as the spot rate for the purchase by the Administrative Agent of Canadian Dollars with Dollars through its principal foreign exchange trading office at approximately 11:00 a.m. on the date two (2) Business Days prior to the date as of
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which the foreign exchange computation is made; provided that the Administrative Agent may obtain such spot rate from another financial institution designated by the Administrative Agent if the Administrative Agent does not have as of the date of determination a spot buying rate for Canadian Dollars.
“Subsidiary” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Borrower.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Agreement, except for the purposes of Sections 5.26 and 5.27, the term “Subsidiaries” will be deemed to exclude the Joint Venture Entities; provided that the net income of the Joint Venture Entities shall be included in Consolidated Net Income of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries to the extent of any cash dividends actually paid by such Joint Venture Entities to the Loan Parties during the applicable Measurement Period as a dividend or other distribution.
“Swap Contract” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “Master Agreement”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.
“Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Guarantor, any obligation to pay or perform under any Swap Contract or any other agreement, contract or transaction that constitutes a “swap” within the meaning of section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
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“Swap Termination Value” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Swap Contracts (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).
“Swing Line Borrowing” means a borrowing of a Swing Line Loan pursuant to Section 2.04.
“Swing Line Lender” means Bank of America, through itself or through one of its designated Affiliates or branch offices, in its capacity as provider of Swing Line Loans, or any successor swing line lender hereunder.
“Swing Line Loan” has the meaning specified in Section 2.04(a).
“Swing Line Loan Notice” means a notice of a Swing Line Borrowing pursuant to Section 2.04(b), which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit B or such other form as approved by the Administrative Agent (including any form on an electronic platform or electronic transmission system as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent pursuant), appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower.
“Swing Line Sublimit” means an amount equal to the lesser of (a) $10,000,000 and (b) the Revolving Credit Facility. The Swing Line Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.
“Synthetic Debt” means, with respect to any Person as of any date of determination thereof, all obligations of such Person in respect of transactions entered into by such Person that are intended to function primarily as a borrowing of funds (including any minority interest transactions that function primarily as a borrowing) but are not otherwise included in the definition of “Indebtedness” or as a liability on the consolidated balance sheet of such Person and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.
“Synthetic Lease Obligation” means the monetary obligation of a Person under (a) a so-called synthetic, off-balance sheet or tax retention lease, or (b) an agreement for the use or possession of property (including sale and leaseback transactions), in each case, creating obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet of such Person but which, upon the application of any Debtor Relief Laws to such Person, would be characterized as the indebtedness of such Person (without regard to accounting treatment).
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“Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Third Amendment Effective Date” means August 2, 2016.
“Threshold Amount” means $3,000,000.
“Total Outstandings” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans and all L/C Obligations.
“Trademark Security Agreements” means, collectively, (i) that certain Trademark Security Agreement, executed and delivered on the Original Closing Date, between the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent, and (ii) any other trademark property security agreements in respect of any trademark property that may be entered into after the Closing Date.
“Transaction” means, collectively, (a) the entering into by the Loan Parties and their applicable Subsidiaries of the Loan Documents and the funding of the Facilities, (b) refinancing of the Existing Credit Agreement and (c) the payment of the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the consummation of the foregoing.
“Type” means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan, Canadian Prime Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.
“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of New York; provided that, if perfection or the effect of perfection or non-perfection or the priority of any security interest in any Collateral is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, “UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions hereof relating to such perfection, effect of perfection or non-perfection or priority.
“Unit Locations” means, collectively, the property comprising any Restaurant locations.
“United States” and “U.S.” mean the United States of America.
“Unreimbursed Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(c)(i).
“U.S. Loan Party” means any Loan Party that is organized under the laws of one of the states of the United States of America and that is not a CFC.
“U.S. Person” means any Person that is a “United States Person” as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
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“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(B)(III).
1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions. With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:
(a) The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include,” “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.” The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall.” Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document (including any Organization Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document and shall include all exhibits, schedules, appendices, annexes and attachments thereto), (ii) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (iii) the words “hereto,” “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder,” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to Articles, Sections, Preliminary Statements, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Preliminary Statements, Exhibits and Schedules to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to any law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, and (vi) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
(b) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including;” the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding;” and the word “through” means “to and including.”
(c) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
1.03 Accounting Terms.
(a) Generally. All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity
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with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited Financial Statements, except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of determining compliance with any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) contained herein, Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be carried at 100% of the outstanding principal amount thereof, and the effects of FASB ACS 825 on financial liabilities shall be disregarded.
(b) Changes in GAAP. If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan Document, and either the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders); provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.
1.04 Rounding. Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).
1.05 Times of Day. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to Eastern time (daylight or standard, as applicable).
1.06 Letter of Credit Amounts. Unless otherwise specified herein, the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the stated amount of such Letter of Credit in effect at such time; provided, however, that with respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms or the terms of any Issuer Document related thereto, provides for one or more automatic increases in the stated amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be the maximum stated amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all such increases, whether or not such maximum stated amount is in effect at such time.
1.07 Exchange Rates; Currency Equivalents.
(a) The Administrative Agent shall determine the Spot Rates as of each Revaluation Date to be used for calculating Dollar Equivalent amounts of Credit Extensions and Outstanding Amounts denominated in Canadian Dollars. Such Spot Rates shall become effective as of such
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Revaluation Date and shall be the Spot Rates employed in converting any amounts between the applicable currencies until the next Revaluation Date to occur. Except for purposes of financial statements delivered by Loan Parties hereunder or calculating financial covenants hereunder or except as otherwise provided herein, the applicable amount of Canadian Dollars for purposes of the Loan Documents shall be such Dollar Equivalent amount as so determined by the Administrative Agent.
(b) The Administrative Agent does not warrant, nor accept responsibility, nor shall the Administrative Agent have any liability with respect to the administration, submission or any other matter related to the rates in the definition of “Eurodollar Rate” or with respect to any comparable or successor rate thereto.
ARTICLE II
THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
2.01 The Loans.
(a) [Intentionally Omitted].
(b) The Revolving Credit Borrowings. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Revolving Credit Lender severally agrees to make loans (each such loan, a “Revolving Credit Loan”) to the Borrower in Dollars or Canadian Dollars from time to time, on any Business Day during the Availability Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided, however, that after giving effect to any Revolving Credit Borrowing, (i) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (ii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Lender, plus such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Revolving Credit Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment and (iii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars shall not exceed the Canadian Dollar Sublimit. Within the limits of each Revolving Credit Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.01(b), prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.01(b). At the Borrower’s option, Revolving Credit Loans may be Base Rate Loans, Canadian Prime Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided herein.
2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans.
(a) Each Revolving Credit Borrowing, each conversion of Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made upon the Borrower’s irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent, which may be given by (A) telephone
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or (B) a Committed Loan Notice; provided that any telephonic notice must be confirmed immediately by delivery to the Administrative Agent of a Committed Loan Notice. Each such Committed Loan Notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 12:00 p.m. (i) three Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Dollars or of any conversion of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Dollars to Base Rate Loans, (ii) four (4) Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars, and (iii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans. Not later than 12:00 p.m., three (3) Business Days (or four (4) Business Days, in the case of Eurocurrency Rate Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars) before the requested date of such Borrowing, conversion or continuation, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower (which notice may be by telephone) whether or not the requested Interest Period has been consented to by all the Lenders. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of the Dollar Equivalent of $250,000 or a whole multiple of the Dollar Equivalent of $100,000 in excess thereof. Except as provided in Sections 2.03(c) and 2.04(c), each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of the Dollar Equivalent of $250,000 or a whole multiple of the Dollar Equivalent of $100,000 in excess thereof. Each Committed Loan Notice shall specify (i) whether the Borrower is requesting a Revolving Credit Borrowing, a conversion of Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Revolving Credit Loans are to be continued or converted, (v) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto, and (vi) the currency of the Loans to be borrowed. If the Borrower fails to specify a currency in a Committed Loan Notice requesting a Borrowing, then the Loans so requested shall be made in Dollars. If the Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Committed Loan Notice or if the Borrower fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Revolving Credit Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans; provided, however, that in the case of a failure to timely request a continuation of Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars, such Loans shall be continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans in Canadian Dollars with an Interest Period of one (1) month. Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurodollar Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any such Committed Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Swing Line Loan may not be converted to a Eurodollar Rate Loan. Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.02(c), no Loan may be converted into or continued as a Loan denominated in a different currency, but instead must be repaid in the original currency of such Loan and reborrowed in the other currency.
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(b) Following receipt of a Committed Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount (and currency) of its Applicable Percentage under the Facility of the applicable Revolving Credit Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans or continuation of Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars, in each case as described in Section 2.02(a). In the case of a Revolving Credit Borrowing, each Appropriate Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to the Administrative Agent in Same Day Funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office for the applicable currency not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in the applicable Committed Loan Notice. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Credit Extension, Section 4.01), the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of the Borrower on the books of Bank of America with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Borrower; provided, however, that if, on the date a Committed Loan Notice with respect to a Revolving Credit Borrowing denominated in Dollars is given by the Borrower, there are L/C Borrowings outstanding, then the proceeds of such Revolving Credit Borrowing, first, shall be applied to the payment in full of any such L/C Borrowings, and second, shall be made available to the Borrower as provided above.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in Section 3.05, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Eurodollar Rate Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders, and the Required Lenders may demand that any or all of the outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Dollars be converted immediately to Base Rate Loans and any or all of the then outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars be converted immediately to Canadian Prime Rate Loans.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate. At any time that Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans are outstanding, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of any change in Bank of America’s prime rate used in determining the Base Rate or the Canadian Prime Rate, as applicable, promptly following the public announcement of such change.
(e) After giving effect to all Borrowings, all conversions of Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than nine (9) Interest Periods in effect in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility on a combined basis.
(f) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Lender may exchange, continue or rollover all of the portion of its Loans in connection with any refinancing,
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extension, loan modification or similar transaction permitted by the terms of this Agreement, pursuant to a cashless settlement mechanism approved by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, and such Lender.
2.03 Letters of Credit.
(a) The Letter of Credit Commitment. (1) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (A) the L/C Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the Revolving Credit Lenders set forth in this Section 2.03, (1) from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Closing Date until the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries, and to amend or extend Letters of Credit previously issued by it, in accordance with Section 2.03(b), and (2) to honor drawings under the Letters of Credit; and (B) the Revolving Credit Lenders severally agree to participate in Letters of Credit issued for the account of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries and any drawings thereunder; provided that after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension with respect to any Letter of Credit, (x) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (y) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Revolving Credit Lender, plus such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and (z) the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations shall not exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit. Each request by the Borrower for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be a representation by the Borrower that the L/C Credit Extension so requested complies with the conditions set forth in the proviso to the preceding sentence. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower’s ability to obtain Letters of Credit shall be fully revolving, and accordingly the Borrower may, during the foregoing period, obtain Letters of Credit to replace Letters of Credit that have expired or that have been drawn upon and reimbursed. All Existing Letters of Credit shall be deemed to have been issued pursuant hereto, and from and after the Closing Date shall be subject to and governed by the terms and conditions hereof.
(i) The L/C Issuer shall not issue any Letter of Credit if:
(A) subject to Section 2.03(b)(iii), the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit would occur more than twelve months after the date of issuance or last extension, unless the Required Lenders have approved such expiry date; or
(B) the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit would occur after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, unless all the Revolving Credit Lenders have approved such expiry date.
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(ii) The L/C Issuer shall not be under any obligation to issue any Letter of Credit if:
(A) any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain the L/C Issuer from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Law applicable to the L/C Issuer or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over the L/C Issuer shall prohibit, or request that the L/C Issuer refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which the L/C Issuer is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not applicable on the Closing Date and which the L/C Issuer in good faith deems material to it;
(B) the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of the L/C Issuer applicable to letters of credit generally;
(C) except as otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer, such Letter of Credit is in an initial stated amount less than $100,000;
(D) such Letter of Credit is to be denominated in a currency other than Dollars;
(E) any Lender is at that time a Defaulting Lender, unless the L/C Issuer has entered into arrangements, including the delivery of Cash Collateral, satisfactory to the L/C Issuer (in its sole discretion) with the Borrower or such Lender to eliminate the L/C Issuer’s actual or potential Fronting Exposure (after giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv)) with respect to the Defaulting Lender arising from either the Letter of Credit then proposed to be issued or that Letter of Credit and all other L/C Obligations as to which the L/C Issuer has actual or potential Fronting Exposure, as it may elect in its sole discretion; or
(F) such Letter of Credit contains any provisions for automatic reinstatement of the stated amount after any drawing thereunder.
(iii) The L/C Issuer shall not amend any Letter of Credit if the L/C Issuer would not be permitted at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof.
(iv) The L/C Issuer shall be under no obligation to amend any Letter of Credit if (A) the L/C Issuer would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in
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its amended form under the terms hereof, or (B) the beneficiary of such Letter of Credit does not accept the proposed amendment to such Letter of Credit.
(v) The L/C Issuer shall act on behalf of the Revolving Credit Lenders with respect to any Letters of Credit issued by it and the documents associated therewith, and the L/C Issuer shall have all of the benefits and immunities (A) provided to the Administrative Agent in Article IX with respect to any acts taken or omissions suffered by the L/C Issuer in connection with Letters of Credit issued by it or proposed to be issued by it and Issuer Documents pertaining to such Letters of Credit as fully as if the term “Administrative Agent” as used in Article IX included the L/C Issuer with respect to such acts or omissions, and (B) as additionally provided herein with respect to the L/C Issuer.
(b) Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit; Auto-Extension Letters of Credit. (1) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may be, upon the request of the Borrower delivered to the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a Letter of Credit Application, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Such Letter of Credit Application may be sent by facsimile, by United States mail, by overnight courier, by electronic transmission using the system provided by the L/C Issuer, by personal delivery or by any other means acceptable to the L/C Issuer. Such Letter of Credit Application must be received by the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 2:00 p.m. at least two Business Days (or such later date and time as the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in their sole discretion) prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be. In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount thereof; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (G) the purpose and nature of the requested Letter of Credit; and (H) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may reasonably require. In the case of a request for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the L/C Issuer (1) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (2) the proposed date of amendment thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (3) the nature of the proposed amendment; and (4) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may reasonably require. Additionally, the Borrower shall furnish to the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent such other documents and information pertaining to such requested Letter of Credit issuance or amendment, including any Issuer Documents, as the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent may reasonably require.
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(i) Promptly after receipt of any Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such Letter of Credit Application from the Borrower and, if not, the L/C Issuer will provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof. Unless the L/C Issuer has received written notice from any Revolving Credit Lender, the Administrative Agent or any Loan Party, at least one Business Day prior to the requested date of issuance or amendment of the applicable Letter of Credit, that one or more applicable conditions contained in Article IV shall not then be satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the L/C Issuer shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the Borrower (or the applicable Subsidiary) or enter into the applicable amendment, as the case may be, in each case in accordance with the L/C Issuer’s usual and customary business practices. Immediately upon the issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Revolving Credit Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the L/C Issuer a risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the product of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage times the amount of such Letter of Credit.
(ii) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an “Auto-Extension Letter of Credit”); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit the L/C Issuer to prevent any such extension at least once in each twelve-month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “Non-Extension Notice Date”) in each such twelve-month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by the L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to the L/C Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, the Revolving Credit Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) the L/C Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Expiration Date; provided, however, that the L/C Issuer shall not permit any such extension if (A) the L/C Issuer has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of clause (ii) or (iii) of Section 2.03(a) or otherwise), or (B) it has received notice (which may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is five Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from the Administrative Agent that the Required Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from the Administrative Agent, any Revolving Credit Lender or the Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied, and in each such case directing the L/C Issuer not to permit such extension.
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(iii) Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or to the beneficiary thereof, the L/C Issuer will also deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such Letter of Credit or amendment.
(c) Drawings and Reimbursements; Funding of Participations. (1) Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of Credit of any notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent thereof. Not later than 12:00 p.m. on the date of any payment by the L/C Issuer under a Letter of Credit (each such date, an “Honor Date”), the Borrower shall reimburse the L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to the amount of such drawing. If the Borrower fails to so reimburse the L/C Issuer by such time, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Revolving Credit Lender of the Honor Date, the amount of the unreimbursed drawing (the “Unreimbursed Amount”), and the amount of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof. In such event, the Borrower shall be deemed to have requested a Revolving Credit Borrowing of Base Rate Loans to be disbursed on the Honor Date in an amount equal to the Unreimbursed Amount, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified in Section 2.02 for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the amount of the unutilized portion of the Revolving Credit Facility and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than the delivery of a Committed Loan Notice). Any notice given by the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 2.03(c)(i) may be given by telephone if immediately confirmed in writing; provided that the lack of such an immediate confirmation shall not affect the conclusiveness or binding effect of such notice.
(i) Each Revolving Credit Lender shall upon any notice pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) make funds available (and the Administrative Agent may apply Cash Collateral provided for this purpose) to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer at the Administrative Agent’s Office in an amount equal to its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Unreimbursed Amount not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in such notice by the Administrative Agent, whereupon, subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(c)(iii), each Revolving Credit Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the L/C Issuer.
(ii) With respect to any Unreimbursed Amount that is not fully refinanced by a Revolving Credit Borrowing of Base Rate Loans because the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 cannot be satisfied or for any other reason, the Borrower shall be deemed to have incurred from the L/C Issuer an L/C Borrowing in the amount of the Unreimbursed Amount that is not so refinanced, which L/C Borrowing shall be due and payable on demand (together with interest) and shall bear interest at the Default Rate. In such event, each Revolving Credit Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer
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pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(ii) shall be deemed payment in respect of its participation in such L/C Borrowing and shall constitute an L/C Advance from such Lender in satisfaction of its participation obligation under this Section 2.03.
(iii) Until each Revolving Credit Lender funds its Revolving Credit Loan or L/C Advance pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) to reimburse the L/C Issuer for any amount drawn under any Letter of Credit, interest in respect of such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of such amount shall be solely for the account of the L/C Issuer.
(iv) Each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans or L/C Advances to reimburse the L/C Issuer for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit, as contemplated by this Section 2.03(c), shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the L/C Issuer, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever; (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided, however, that each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than delivery by the Borrower of a Committed Loan Notice). No such making of an L/C Advance shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C Issuer for the amount of any payment made by the L/C Issuer under any Letter of Credit, together with interest as provided herein.
(v) If any Revolving Credit Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03(c) by the time specified in Section 2.03(c)(ii), then, without limiting the other provisions of this Agreement, the L/C Issuer shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the L/C Issuer at a rate per annum equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the L/C Issuer in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the L/C Issuer in connection with the foregoing. If such Lender pays such amount (with interest and fees as aforesaid), the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Revolving Credit Loan included in the relevant Revolving Credit Borrowing or L/C Advance in respect of the relevant L/C Borrowing, as the case may be. A certificate of the L/C Issuer submitted to any Revolving Credit Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this Section 2.03(c)(vi) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
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(d) Repayment of Participations. (1) At any time after the L/C Issuer has made a payment under any Letter of Credit and has received from any Revolving Credit Lender such Lender’s L/C Advance in respect of such payment in accordance with Section 2.03(c), if the Administrative Agent receives for the account of the L/C Issuer any payment in respect of the related Unreimbursed Amount or interest thereon (whether directly from the Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of Cash Collateral applied thereto by the Administrative Agent), the Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to such Lender its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof in the same funds as those received by the Administrative Agent.
(i) If any payment received by the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) is required to be returned under any of the circumstances described in Section 11.05 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the L/C Issuer in its discretion), each Revolving Credit Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned by such Lender, at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. The obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
(e) Obligations Absolute. The obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C Issuer for each drawing under each Letter of Credit and to repay each L/C Borrowing shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be paid strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under all circumstances, including the following:
(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit, this Agreement, or any other Loan Document;
(ii) the existence of any claim, counterclaim, setoff, defense or other right that the Borrower or any Subsidiary may have at any time against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting), the L/C Issuer or any other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated transaction;
(iii) any draft, demand, certificate or other document presented under such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit;
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(iv) any payment by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or certificate that does not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law; or
(v) any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, including any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries.
The Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with the Borrower’s instructions or other irregularity, the Borrower will promptly (but in any event within one (1) Business Day thereafter) notify the L/C Issuer. The Borrower shall be conclusively deemed to have waived any such claim against the L/C Issuer and its correspondents unless such notice is given as aforesaid.
(f) Role of L/C Issuer. Each Lender and the Borrower agree that, in paying any drawing under a Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall not have any responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of the L/C Issuer shall be liable to any Lender for (i) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request or with the approval of the Revolving Credit Lenders or the Required Lenders, as applicable; (ii) any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct; or (iii) the due execution, effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit or Issuer Document. The Borrower hereby assumes all risks of the acts or omissions of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of Credit; provided, however, that this assumption is not intended to, and shall not, preclude the Borrower’s pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have against the beneficiary or transferee at law or under any other agreement. None of the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of the L/C Issuer shall be liable or responsible for any of the matters described in clauses (i) through (v) of Section 2.03(e); provided, however, that anything in such clauses to the contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower may have a claim against the L/C Issuer, and the L/C Issuer may be liable to the Borrower, to the extent, but only to the extent, of any direct, as opposed to consequential or exemplary, damages suffered by the Borrower which the Borrower proves were caused by the L/C Issuer’s willful misconduct or
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gross negligence or the L/C Issuer’s willful failure to pay under any Letter of Credit after the presentation to it by the beneficiary of a sight draft and certificate(s) strictly complying with the terms and conditions of a Letter of Credit. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, the L/C Issuer may accept documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and the L/C Issuer shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason. The L/C Issuer may send a Letter of Credit or conduct any communication to or from the beneficiary via the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (“SWIFT”) message or overnight courier, or any other commercially reasonable means of communicating with a beneficiary.
(g) Applicability of ISP. Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the L/C Issuer and the Borrower when a Letter of Credit is issued (including any such agreement applicable to an Existing Letter of Credit), the rules of the ISP shall apply to each Letter of Credit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the L/C Issuer shall not be responsible to the Borrower for, and the L/C Issuer’s rights and remedies against the Borrower shall not be impaired by, any action or inaction of the L/C Issuer required or permitted under any law, order, or practice that is required or permitted to be applied to any Letter of Credit or this Agreement, including the Law or any order of a jurisdiction where the L/C Issuer or the beneficiary is located, the practice stated in the ISP, or in the decisions, opinions, practice statements, or official commentary of the ICC Banking Commission, the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade – International Financial Services Association (BAFT-IFSA), or the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice, whether or not any Letter of Credit chooses such law or practice.
(h) Letter of Credit Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Credit Lender in accordance with its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage a Letter of Credit fee (the “Letter of Credit Fee”) for each Letter of Credit equal to the Applicable Rate for Letter of Credit Fees times the daily amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit; provided, however, any Letter of Credit Fees otherwise payable for the account of a Defaulting Lender with respect to any Letter of Credit as to which such Defaulting Lender has not provided Cash Collateral satisfactory to the L/C Issuer pursuant to this Section 2.03 shall be payable, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law, to the other Revolving Credit Lenders in accordance with the upward adjustments in their respective Applicable Revolving Credit Percentages allocable to such Letter of Credit pursuant to Section 2.15(a)(iv), with the balance of such fee, if any, payable to the L/C Issuer for its own account. For purposes of computing the daily amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06. Letter of Credit Fees shall be (i) due and payable on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration
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Date and thereafter on demand and (ii) computed on a quarterly basis in arrears. If there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the daily amount available to be drawn under each Letter of Credit shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, upon any Event of Default under Section 8.01(a), Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g), all Letter of Credit Fees shall accrue at the Default Rate and, upon all other Events of Default, all Letter of Credit Fees shall accrue at the Default Rate at the request of the Required Lenders.
(i) Fronting Fee and Documentary and Processing Charges Payable to L/C Issuer. The Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer, for its own account, a fronting fee with respect to each Letter of Credit in an amount equal to 0.25% per annum times the face amount of each Letter of Credit. Such fronting fee shall be (i) due and payable on the tenth Business Day after the end of each March, June, September and December in respect of the most recently-ended quarterly period (or portion thereof, in the case of the first payment), commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand and (ii) computed on a quarterly basis in arrears. For purposes of computing the daily amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06. In addition, the Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account the customary issuance, presentation, amendment and other processing fees, and other standard costs and charges, of the L/C Issuer relating to letters of credit as from time to time in effect. Such customary fees and standard costs and charges are due and payable on demand and are nonrefundable.
(j) Conflict with Issuer Documents. In the event of any conflict between the terms hereof and the terms of any Issuer Document, the terms hereof shall control.
(k) Letters of Credit Issued for Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, the Borrower shall be obligated to reimburse the L/C Issuer hereunder for any and all drawings under such Letter of Credit. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of Letters of Credit for the account of Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the Borrower, and that the Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
2.04 Swing Line Loans.
(a) The Swing Line. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Swing Line Lender, in reliance upon the agreements of the other Lenders set forth in this Section 2.04, may in its sole discretion, subject to the terms of any Autoborrow Agreement, make loans (each such loan, a “Swing Line Loan”) to the Borrower, in Dollars, from time to time on any Business Day during the Availability Period in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding
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the amount of the Swing Line Sublimit, notwithstanding the fact that such Swing Line Loans, when aggregated with the Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans and L/C Obligations of the Lender acting as Swing Line Lender, may exceed the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided, however, that after giving effect to any Swing Line Loan, (i) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility at such time, and (ii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Revolving Credit Lender at such time, plus such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations at such time, plus such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans at such time shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and provided further that the Borrower shall not use the proceeds of any Swing Line Loan to refinance any outstanding Swing Line Loan. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.04, prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.04. Each Swing Line Loan shall bear interest only at a rate equal to the rate that would be applicable to a Base Rate Loan from time to time; provided, however, that if an Autoborrow Agreement is in effect, the Swing Line Lender may, at its discretion, provide for an alternate rate of interest on Swing Line Loans under the Autoborrow Agreement with respect to any Swing Line Loans for which the Swing Line Lender has not requested that the Revolving Credit Lenders fund Revolving Credit Loans to refinance, or to purchase and fund risk participations in, such Swing Line Loans pursuant to Section 2.04(c). Immediately upon the making of a Swing Line Loan, each Revolving Credit Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the Swing Line Lender a risk participation in such Swing Line Loan in an amount equal to the product of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage times the amount of such Swing Line Loan.
(b) Borrowing Procedures. (1) Subject to Section 2.04(a), and at any time an Autoborrow Agreement is not in effect, each Borrowing of Swing Line Loans shall be made upon the Borrower’s irrevocable notice to the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent, which may be given by: (A) telephone or (B) a Swing Line Loan Notice; provided that any telephonic notice must be confirmed immediately by delivery to the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent of a Swing Line Loan Notice. Each such Swing Line Loan Notice must be received by the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. on the requested borrowing date, and shall specify (i) the amount to be borrowed, which shall be a minimum of $100,000, and (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing (which shall be a Business Day). Promptly after receipt by the Swing Line Lender of any Swing Line Loan Notice, the Swing Line Lender will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has also received such Swing Line Loan Notice and, if not, the Swing Line Lender will notify the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) of the contents thereof. Unless the Swing Line Lender has received notice (by telephone or in writing) from the Administrative Agent (including at the request
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of any Revolving Credit Lender) prior to 2:00 p.m. on the date of the proposed Swing Line Borrowing (A) directing the Swing Line Lender not to make such Swing Line Loan as a result of the limitations set forth in the first proviso to the first sentence of Section 2.04(a), or (B) that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Article IV is not then satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Swing Line Lender will, not later than 3:00 p.m. on the borrowing date specified in such Swing Line Loan Notice, make the amount of its Swing Line Loan available to the Borrower at its office by crediting the account of the Borrower on the books of the Swing Line Lender in immediately available funds.
(i) In order to facilitate the borrowing of Swing Line Loans, the Borrower and the Swing Line Lender may mutually agree to, and are hereby authorized to, enter into an Autoborrow Agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Swing Line Lender (the “Autoborrow Agreement”) providing for the automatic advance by the Swing Line Lender of Swing Line Loans under the conditions set forth in such agreement, which shall be in addition to the conditions set forth herein. At any time an Autoborrow Agreement is in effect, the requirements for Swing Line Borrowings set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph shall not apply, and all Borrowings of Swing Line Loans shall be made in accordance with the Autoborrow Agreement; provided that any automatic advance made by Bank of America in reliance of the Autoborrow Agreement shall be deemed a Swing Line Loan as of the time such automatic advance is made notwithstanding any provision in the Autoborrow Agreement to the contrary. For purposes of determining the Outstanding Amount under the Aggregate Commitments at any time during which an Autoborrow Agreement is in effect, the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall be deemed to be the amount of the Swing Line Sublimit. For purposes of any Swing Line Borrowing pursuant to the Autoborrow Agreement, all references to Bank of America in the Autoborrow Agreement shall be deemed to be a reference to Bank of America, in its capacity as Swing Line Lender hereunder.
(c) Refinancing of Swing Line Loans. (1) The Swing Line Lender at any time in its sole and absolute discretion may request, on behalf of the Borrower (which hereby irrevocably authorizes the Swing Line Lender to so request on its behalf), that each Revolving Credit Lender make a Base Rate Loan in an amount equal to such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the amount of Swing Line Loans then outstanding. Such request shall be made in writing (which written request shall be deemed to be a Committed Loan Notice for purposes hereof) and in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.02, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified therein for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the unutilized portion of the Revolving Credit Facility and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02. The Swing Line Lender shall furnish the Borrower with a copy of the applicable Committed Loan Notice promptly after delivering such notice to the Administrative Agent. Each Revolving Credit Lender shall make an amount equal to its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the amount specified in such
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Committed Loan Notice available to the Administrative Agent in Same Day Funds (and the Administrative Agent may apply Cash Collateral available with respect to the applicable Swing Line Loan) for the account of the Swing Line Lender at the Administrative Agent’s Office for Dollar denominated payments not later than 1:00 p.m. on the day specified in such Committed Loan Notice, whereupon, subject to Section 2.04(c)(ii), each Revolving Credit Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the Swing Line Lender.
(i) If for any reason any Swing Line Loan cannot be refinanced by such a Revolving Credit Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.04(c)(i), the request for Base Rate Loans submitted by the Swing Line Lender as set forth herein shall be deemed to be a request by the Swing Line Lender that each of the Revolving Credit Lenders fund its risk participation in the relevant Swing Line Loan and each Revolving Credit Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swing Line Lender pursuant to Section 2.04(c)(i) shall be deemed payment in respect of such participation.
(ii) If any Revolving Credit Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swing Line Lender any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.04(c) by the time specified in Section 2.04(c)(i), the Swing Line Lender shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the Swing Line Lender at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Swing Line Lender in connection with the foregoing. If such Lender pays such amount (with interest and fees as aforesaid), the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Revolving Credit Loan included in the relevant Revolving Credit Borrowing or funded participation in the relevant Swing Line Loan, as the case may be. A certificate of the Swing Line Lender submitted to any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (iii) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(iii) Each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans or to purchase and fund risk participations in Swing Line Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the Swing Line Lender, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided, however, that each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to this
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Section 2.04(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02. No such funding of risk participations shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to repay Swing Line Loans, together with interest as provided herein.
(d) Repayment of Participations. (1) At any time after any Revolving Credit Lender has purchased and funded a risk participation in a Swing Line Loan, if the Swing Line Lender receives any payment on account of such Swing Line Loan, the Swing Line Lender will distribute to such Revolving Credit Lender its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof in the same funds as those received by the Swing Line Lender.
(i) If any payment received by the Swing Line Lender in respect of principal or interest on any Swing Line Loan is required to be returned by the Swing Line Lender under any of the circumstances described in Section 11.05 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Swing Line Lender in its discretion), each Revolving Credit Lender shall pay to the Swing Line Lender its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned, at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate. The Administrative Agent will make such demand upon the request of the Swing Line Lender. The obligations of the Revolving Credit Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
(e) Interest for Account of Swing Line Lender. The Swing Line Lender shall be responsible for invoicing the Borrower for interest on the Swing Line Loans. Until each Revolving Credit Lender funds its Base Rate Loan or risk participation pursuant to this Section 2.04 to refinance such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of any Swing Line Loan, interest in respect of such Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage shall be solely for the account of the Swing Line Lender.
(f) Payments Directly to Swing Line Lender. The Borrower shall make all payments of principal and interest in respect of the Swing Line Loans directly to the Swing Line Lender.
2.05 Prepayments.
(a) Optional. (1) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent pursuant to delivery to the Administrative Agent of a Notice of Loan Prepayment, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Revolving Credit Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (A) such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 2:00 p.m. (1) three Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Dollars, (2) four (4) Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars and (3) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans; (B) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Dollars shall be
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in a principal amount of $250,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof; (C) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars shall be in a minimum principal amount of $250,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof; and (D) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $250,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date, the currency and amount of such prepayment and the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid and, if Eurodollar Rate Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest Period(s) of such Loans. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein. Any prepayment of a Loan pursuant to this Section 2.05(a) shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05.
(i) At any time the Autoborrow Agreement is not in effect, the Borrower may, upon notice to the Swing Line Lender pursuant to delivery to the Swing Line Lender of a Notice of Loan Prepayment (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at any time or from time to time, voluntarily prepay Swing Line Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (A) such notice must be received by the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. on the date of the prepayment, and (B) any such prepayment shall be in a minimum principal amount of $100,000. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein.
(b) Mandatory.
(i) If for any reason the Total Outstandings at any time exceed the Revolving Credit Facility at such time, the Borrower shall immediately prepay Revolving Credit Loans, Swing Line Loans and L/C Borrowings and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (other than the L/C Borrowings), as applicable, in an aggregate amount equal to such excess.
(ii) Amounts to be applied as provided in this clause (b) to the prepayment of the Revolving Credit Loans shall be applied first to reduce outstanding Base Rate Loans and Canadian Prime Rate Loans. Any amounts remaining after each such application shall be applied to prepay Eurodollar Rate Loans, in accordance with Sections 8.02 and 8.03.
(i) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Borrowers shall repay the Revolving Credit Loans in an amount equal to $2,500,000 per quarter (the “Required Quarterly RL Payment”) (and if no Revolving Credit Loans
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are outstanding at the time of such Required Quarterly RL Payment, the Borrowers shall: first, repay the Swing Line Loans, second, repay the L/C Borrowings, and third, Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (other than the L/C Borrowings), if any, in each case, in an amount not to exceed the lesser of (x) the aggregate amount of such Swing Line Loans, L/C Borrowings or L/C Obligations outstanding at the time of such Required Quarterly RL Payment and (y) the Required Quarterly RL Payment on the last Business Day of each calendar quarter commencing on September 30, 2017, and, pursuant to Section 2.06(b)(i), the Revolving Credit Commitment shall be concurrently reduced each calendar quarter in an amount equal to the Required Quarterly RL Payment.
(c) Canadian Dollar Sublimit. If the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower at any time that the Outstanding Amount of all Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars at such time exceeds the Canadian Dollar Sublimit then in effect, the Borrower shall immediately prepay Loans in an aggregate amount sufficient to reduce such Outstanding Amount as of such date of payment to an amount not to exceed the Canadian Dollar Sublimit then in effect.
2.06 Termination or Reduction of Commitments. (1) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent, terminate the Revolving Credit Facility, the Letter of Credit Sublimit, or the Swing Line Sublimit or from time to time permanently reduce the Revolving Credit Facility, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit; provided that (i) any such notice shall be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. five Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount of $1,000,000 or any whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof, (iii) any prepayment of a Revolving Credit Loan or a Swing Line Loan or termination, cancellation or cash collateralization of any L/C Obligations necessary to effectuate a reduction under this Section 2.06 shall be accompanied by payment of (A) accrued interest (or fees) on the amount prepaid to the date of prepayment and (B) any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05 and (iv) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce (A) the Revolving Credit Facility if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Total Outstandings would exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (B) the Letter of Credit Sublimit if, after giving effect thereto, the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations not fully Cash Collateralized hereunder would exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit, (C) the Swing Line Sublimit if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Outstanding Amount of Swing Line Loans would exceed the Swing Line Sublimit or (D) the Canadian Dollar Sublimit if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Outstanding Amount of Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars would exceed the Canadian Dollar Sublimit. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any such notice of termination or reduction of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit. Any such reduction shall be applied to the Revolving Credit Commitment of each Appropriate Lender according to its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage. All fees
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accrued until the effective date of any termination of the Aggregate Commitments shall be paid on the effective date of such termination.
(a) Mandatory.
(i) The Revolving Credit Commitments shall be automatically and permanently reduced on each date on which the prepayment of Revolving Loans outstanding thereunder is required to be made pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(iii) by an amount equal to the applicable Required Quarterly RL Payment with a commensurate reduction to the Revolving Credit Facility. Any mandatory Revolving Credit Commitment reduction hereunder shall be subject to the terms and conditions of Sections 2.06(a)(iii)(A) and 2.06(a)(iii)(B). Any such reduction shall be applied to the Revolving Credit Commitments of each Appropriate Lender according to its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage.
(ii) If after giving effect to any reduction or termination of Revolving Credit Commitments under this Section 2.06, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit exceeds the Revolving Credit Facility at such time, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit, as the case may be, shall be automatically reduced by the amount of such excess.
(b) Application of Commitment Reductions; Payment of Fees. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any termination or reduction of the Canadian Dollar Sublimit, the Letter of Credit Sublimit, the Swing Line Sublimit or the Revolving Credit Commitment under this Section 2.06. The amount of any such reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall not be applied to the Canadian Dollar Sublimit unless otherwise specified by the Borrower. Upon any reduction of the Revolving Credit Commitments, the Revolving Credit Commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender shall be reduced by such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of such reduction amount. All fees in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility accrued until the effective date of any termination or reduction of the Revolving Credit Facility shall be paid by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent on the effective date of such termination or reduction.
2.07 Repayment of Loans.
(a) [Intentionally Omitted].
(b) Revolving Credit Loans. The Borrower shall repay to the Revolving Credit Lenders on the Maturity Date the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on such date.
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(c) Swing Line Loans. At any time the Autoborrow Agreement is in effect, the Swing Line Loans shall be repaid in accordance with the terms of the Autoborrow Agreement. At any time the Autoborrow Agreement is not in effect, the Borrower shall repay each Swing Line Loan on the earlier to occur of (i) the date five Business Days after such Loan is made and (ii) the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility
2.08 Interest.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.08(b), (i) each Eurodollar Rate Loan under the Facility shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate for Eurodollar Rate Loans under such Facility; (ii) each Base Rate Loan under the Facility shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate for Base Rate Loans under the Facility, (iii) each Canadian Prime Rate Loan under the Facility shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Canadian Prime Rate plus the Applicable Rate for Canadian Prime Rate Loans under the Facility; and (iv) each Swing Line Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate for Base Rate Loans under the Facility or, if an Autoborrow Agreement is in effect, at a rate per annum provided by the Swing Line Lender.
(b) If any Event of Default under Section 8.01(a), Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g) arises the Borrower shall pay interest on the amount of all outstanding Obligations hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws. If any other Event of Default occurs, upon the request of the Required Lenders, the Borrower shall pay interest on the amount of all outstanding Obligations hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the applicable Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(c) Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable on demand.
(d) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in cash in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.
2.09 Fees. In addition to certain fees described in Sections 2.03(h) and (i):
(a) Commitment Fee. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Credit Lender in accordance with its Applicable Revolving Credit
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Percentage, a commitment fee in Dollars equal to the Applicable Rate per annum for Commitment Fees times the actual daily amount by which the Revolving Credit Facility exceeds the sum of (i) the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans and (ii) the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.15.
The commitment fee shall accrue at all times during the Availability Period, including at any time during which one or more of the conditions in Article IV is not met, and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Closing Date, and on the last day of the Availability Period. The commitment fee shall be calculated quarterly in arrears. For purposes of clarification, Swing Line Loans shall not be considered outstanding for purposes of determining the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans.
(b) Other Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent, in Dollars, for its own respective accounts fees in the amounts and at the times specified in the Fee Letter. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.
2.10 Computation of Interest and Fees. (a) All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans (including Base Rate Loans determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate and Canadian Prime Rate Loans determined by reference to the Canadian Prime Rate) shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed. All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year), or, in the case of interest in respect of Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars as to which market practice differs from the foregoing, in accordance with such market practice. Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid, provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.13(a), bear interest for one day. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.
(a) If, as a result of any restatement of or other adjustment to the financial statements of the Borrower or for any other reason, the Borrower or the Lenders determine that (i) the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as calculated by the Borrower as of any applicable date was inaccurate and (ii) a proper calculation of the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio would have resulted in higher pricing for such period, the Borrower shall immediately and retroactively be obligated to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, promptly on demand by the Administrative Agent (or, after the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, automatically and without further action by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer), an amount equal
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to the excess of the amount of interest and fees that should have been paid for such period over the amount of interest and fees actually paid for such period. This paragraph shall not limit the rights of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, under Section 2.03(c)(iii), 2.03(i) or 2.08(b) or under Article VIII. The Borrower’s obligations under this paragraph shall survive the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment of all other Obligations hereunder.
2.11 Evidence of Debt.
(a) The Credit Extensions made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by the Administrative Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by the Administrative Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error of the amount of the Credit Extensions made by the Lenders to the Borrower and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through the Administrative Agent) a Note, which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender may attach schedules to its Note and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount, currency and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.
(b) In addition to the accounts and records referred to in Section 2.11(a), each Lender and the Administrative Agent shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice accounts or records evidencing the purchases and sales by such Lender of participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by the Administrative Agent and the accounts and records of any Lender in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error.
2.12 Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback.
(a) General. All payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein and except with respect to principal of and interest on Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars, all payments by the Borrower hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in Same Day Funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower hereunder with respect to principal and interest on Loans denominated in Canadian Dollars shall
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be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the applicable Administrative Agent’s Office in Canadian Dollars and in Same Day Funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the dates specified herein. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent may require that any payments due under this Agreement be made in the United States. If, for any reason, the Borrower is prohibited by any Law from making any required payment hereunder in Canadian Dollars, the Borrower shall make such payment in Dollars in the Dollar Equivalent of the payment amount. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Applicable Percentage in respect of the Facility (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after 2:00 p.m. shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue. If any payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected on computing interest or fees, as the case may be.
(b) (1) Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the case of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans, prior to 12:00 noon on the date of such Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02) and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in Same Day Funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the Overnight Rate, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Administrative Agent in connection with the foregoing, and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans. If the Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to the Borrower the amount of such interest paid by the Borrower for such period. If such Lender pays its share of the applicable Borrowing to the Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing. Any payment by the Borrower shall be without prejudice to any claim the
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Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.
(i) Payments by Borrower; Presumptions by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders or the L/C Issuer hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Appropriate Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Appropriate Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, in Same Day Funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the Overnight Rate.
A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.
(c) Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent. If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II, and such funds are not made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the applicable Credit Extension set forth in Article IV are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) promptly to such Lender, without interest.
(d) Obligations of Lenders Several. The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans, to fund participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans and to make payments pursuant to Section 11.04(c) are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan, to fund any such participation or to make any payment under Section 11.04(c) on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan, to purchase its participation or to make its payment under Section 11.04(c).
(e) Funding Source. Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.
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(f) Insufficient Funds. If at any time insufficient funds are received by and available to the Administrative Agent to pay fully all amounts of principal, L/C Borrowings, interest and fees then due hereunder, such funds shall be applied (i) first, toward payment of interest and fees then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of interest and fees then due to such parties, and (ii) second, toward payment of principal and L/C Borrowings then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of principal and L/C Borrowings then due to such parties.
2.13 Sharing of Payments by Lenders. If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of (a) Obligations in respect of any the Facilities due and payable to such Lender hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time in excess of its ratable share (according to the proportion of (i) the amount of such Obligations due and payable to such Lender at such time to (ii) the aggregate amount of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities due and payable to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time) of payments on account of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities due and payable to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time obtained by all the Lenders at such time or (b) Obligations in respect of any of the Facilities owing (but not due and payable) to such Lender hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time in excess of its ratable share (according to the proportion of (i) the amount of such Obligations owing (but not due and payable) to such Lender at such time to (ii) the aggregate amount of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities owing (but not due and payable) to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time) of payment on account of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities owing (but not due and payable) to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time obtained by all of the Lenders at such time then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall (A) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (B) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and subparticipations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans of the other Lenders, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of Obligations in respect of the Facilities then due and payable to the Lenders or owing (but not due and payable) to the Lenders, as the case may be, provided that:
(i) if any such participations or subparticipations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations or subparticipations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and
(ii) the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to (A) any payment made by or on behalf of the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement (including the application of funds arising from the existence of a Defaulting Lender), (B) the application of Cash Collateral provided for in Section 2.14
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or (C) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or subparticipations in L/C Obligations or Swing Line Loans to any assignee or participant, other than an assignment to the Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section shall apply).
Each Loan Party consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against such Loan Party rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of such Loan Party in the amount of such participation.
2.14 Cash Collateral.
(a) Certain Credit Support Events. Upon the request of the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer (i) if the L/C Issuer has honored any full or partial drawing request under any Letter of Credit and such drawing has resulted in an L/C Borrowing, or (ii) if, as of the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, any L/C Obligation for any reason remains outstanding, the Borrower shall, in each case, immediately Cash Collateralize the then Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations. At any time that there shall exist a Defaulting Lender, immediately upon the request of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent Cash Collateral in an amount sufficient to cover all Fronting Exposure (after giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv) and any Cash Collateral provided by the Defaulting Lender).
(b) Grant of Security Interest. All Cash Collateral (other than credit support not constituting funds subject to deposit) shall be maintained in blocked, non-interest bearing deposit accounts at Bank of America. The Borrower, and to the extent provided by any Lender, such Lender, hereby grants to (and subjects to the control of) the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders, and agrees to maintain, a first priority security interest in all such cash, deposit accounts and all balances therein, and all other property so provided as collateral pursuant hereto, and in all proceeds of the foregoing, all as security for the obligations to which such Cash Collateral may be applied pursuant to Section 2.14(c). If at any time the Administrative Agent determines that Cash Collateral is subject to any right or claim of any Person other than the Administrative Agent as herein provided, or that the total amount of such Cash Collateral is less than the applicable Fronting Exposure and other obligations secured thereby, the Borrower or the relevant Defaulting Lender will, promptly upon demand by the Administrative Agent, pay or provide to the Administrative Agent additional Cash Collateral in an amount sufficient to eliminate such deficiency.
(c) Application. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, Cash Collateral provided under any of this Section 2.14 or Sections 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.15 or 8.02 in respect of Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans shall be held and applied to the satisfaction of
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the specific L/C Obligations, Swing Line Loans obligations to fund participations therein (including, as to Cash Collateral provided by a Defaulting Lender, any interest accrued on such obligation) and other obligations for which the Cash Collateral was so provided, prior to any other application of such property as may be provided for herein.
(d) Release. Cash Collateral (or the appropriate portion thereof) provided to reduce Fronting Exposure or other obligations shall be released promptly following (i) the elimination of the applicable Fronting Exposure or other obligations giving rise thereto (including by the termination of Defaulting Lender status of the applicable Lender (or, as appropriate, its assignee following compliance with Section 11.06(b)(vi))) or (ii) the Administrative Agent’s good faith determination that there exists excess Cash Collateral; provided, however, (x) that Cash Collateral furnished by or on behalf of a Loan Party shall not be released during the continuance of a Default or Event of Default (and following application as provided in this Section 2.14 may be otherwise applied in accordance with Section 8.03), and (y) the Person providing Cash Collateral and the L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as applicable may agree that Cash Collateral shall not be released but instead held to support future anticipated Fronting Exposure or other obligations.
2.15 Defaulting Lenders.
(a) Adjustments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then, until such time as that Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable Law:
(i) Waivers and Amendments. That Defaulting Lender’s right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent with respect to this Agreement shall be restricted as set forth in Section 11.01.
(ii) Reallocation of Payments. Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of that Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Article VIII or otherwise, and including any amounts made available to the Administrative Agent by that Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 11.08), shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by that Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by that Defaulting Lender to the L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender hereunder; third, if so determined by the Administrative Agent or requested by the L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, to be held as Cash Collateral for future funding obligations of that Defaulting Lender of any participation in any Letter of Credit or Swing Line Loan; fourth, as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which that Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent;
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fifth, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a non-interest bearing deposit account and released in order to satisfy obligations of that Defaulting Lender to fund Loans under this Agreement; sixth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender against that Defaulting Lender as a result of that Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; seventh, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against that Defaulting Lender as a result of that Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and eighth, to that Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or L/C Borrowings in respect of which that Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share and (y) such Loans or L/C Borrowings were made at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and L/C Borrowings owed to, all non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or L/C Borrowings owed to, that Defaulting Lender. Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.15(a)(ii) shall be deemed paid to and redirected by that Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.
(iii) Certain Fees. A Defaulting Lender (x) shall not be entitled to receive any commitment fee pursuant to Section 2.09(a) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender (and the Borrower shall not be required to pay any such fee that otherwise would have been required to have been paid to that Defaulting Lender) and (y) shall be limited in its right to receive Letter of Credit Fees as provided in Section 2.03(h).
(iv) Reallocation of Applicable Percentages to Reduce Fronting Exposure. During any period in which there is a Defaulting Lender, for purposes of computing the amount of the obligation of each non-Defaulting Lender to acquire, refinance or fund participations in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans pursuant to Sections 2.03 and 2.04, the “Applicable Percentage” of each non-Defaulting Lender shall be computed without giving effect to the Commitment of that Defaulting Lender; provided, that, (i) each such reallocation shall be given effect only if, at the date the applicable Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, no Default or Event of Default exists; and (ii) the aggregate obligation of each non-Defaulting Lender to acquire, refinance or fund participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans shall not exceed the positive difference, if any, of (1) the Revolving Credit Commitment of that non-Defaulting Lender minus (2) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of that Lender.
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(b) Defaulting Lender Cure. If the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swing Line Lender and the L/C Issuer agree in writing in their sole discretion that a Defaulting Lender should no longer be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein (which may include arrangements with respect to any Cash Collateral), that Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase that portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders or take such other actions as the Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the Loans and funded and unfunded participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans to be held on a pro rata basis by the Lenders in accordance with their Applicable Percentages (without giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv)), whereupon that Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender; provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of the Borrower while that Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided, further, that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender.
2.16 [Increase in Revolving Credit Facility.][Reserved.]
[(a) Request for Increase. Provided there exists no Default, upon notice to the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify the Revolving Credit Lenders), the Borrower may on a one-time basis, request an increase in the Revolving Credit Facility by an amount not to exceed $15,000,000. At the time of sending such notice, the Borrower (in consultation with the Administrative Agent) shall specify the time period within which each Revolving Credit Lender is requested to respond (which shall in no event be less than ten (10) Business Days from the date of delivery of such notice to the Revolving Credit Lenders). ]
[(b) Lender Elections to Increase. Each Revolving Credit Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent within such time period whether or not it agrees to increase its Revolving Credit Commitment and, if so, whether by an amount equal to, greater than, or less than] its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage[ of such requested increase. Any Revolving Credit Lender not responding within such time period shall be deemed to have declined to increase its Revolving Credit Commitment. For the avoidance of doubt, no Revolving Credit Lender shall be obligated to participate in such increase and the decision to participate in such increase shall be in the sole discretion of the applicable Revolving Credit Lender.]
[(c) Notification by Administrative Agent; Additional Revolving Credit Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and each Revolving Credit Lender of the Revolving Credit Lenders’ responses to each request made hereunder. To achieve the full amount of the requested increase, and subject to the approval of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender (which approvals shall not be unreasonably withheld), the Borrower may also
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invite additional Eligible Assignees to become Revolving Credit Lenders pursuant to a joinder agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.]
[(d) Effective Date and Allocations. If the Revolving Credit Facility is increased in accordance with this Section 2.16, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall determine the effective date (the “Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date”) and the final allocation of such increase. The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Revolving Credit Lenders of the final allocation of such increase and the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date.]
[(e) Conditions to Effectiveness of Increase. As a condition precedent to such increase, (i) the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of each Loan Party dated as of the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date (in sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by a Responsible Officer of such Loan Party (A) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such increase, and (B) in the case of the Borrower, certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (y) the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents are true and correct on and as of the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 2.16, the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01 and (z) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred or be continuing or would result therefrom, (ii) commitments from applicable Lenders or Eligible Assignees shall have been received in an amount no less than the amount of such requested increase and (iii) the Borrower shall pay all reasonable and documented out of pocket expenses (including the reasonable and documented fees and costs of counsel to the Administrative Agent and Arranger) incurred in connection with this Section 2.16. So long as the Borrower shall have complied with all other conditions contained in this Section 2.16, the Lenders hereby consent, without the need for further or subsequent consent but subject to Section 2.16(b), to an amendment to this agreement to the extent necessary to evidence and document an increase in the Revolving Credit Facility so long as any terms applicable to any such increase are on the same terms as the existing Revolving Credit Facility. Any such amendment shall only require the consent of the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent and the Lenders or lenders participating in such increase. Each Loan Party shall acknowledge and agree that the Obligations of such Loan Party extend to and include the Obligations after giving effect to such increase. The Administrative Agent shall have received such other assurances, certificates, documents or opinions as the Administrative Agent reasonably may require, including such assurances, certificates, documents or opinions as may be required to evidence such increase, the validity and enforceability of the Obligations and the validity, perfection and first priority Lien securing the Obligations after giving effect to such increase. The Borrower shall prepay any Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date (and pay any additional amounts required pursuant to
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Section 3.05) to the extent necessary to keep the outstanding Revolving Credit Loans ratable with any revised Applicable Revolving Credit Percentages arising from any nonratable increase in the Revolving Credit Commitments under this Section 2.16.]
[(f) Conflicting Provisions. This Section 2.16 shall supersede any provisions in Sections 2.13 or 11.01 to the contrary.]
ARTICLE III
TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY
TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY
3.01 Taxes.
(a) Payments Free of Taxes; Obligation to Withhold; Payments on Account of Taxes.
(i) Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party hereunder or under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable Laws. If any applicable Laws (as determined in the good faith discretion of the Administrative Agent) require the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by the Administrative Agent or a Loan Party, then the Administrative Agent or such Loan Party shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding, upon the basis of the information and documentation to be delivered pursuant to subsection (e) below.
(ii) If any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by the Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes, including both United States Federal backup withholding and withholding taxes, from any payment, then (A) the Administrative Agent shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by the Administrative Agent to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) the Administrative Agent shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with the Code, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction has been made.
(iii) If any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by any applicable Laws other than the Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes from any payment, then (A) such Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, as required by such Laws, shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by it to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) such
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Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, to the extent required by such Laws, shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with such Laws, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.
(b) Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower. Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) above, the Borrower shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for the payment of, any Other Taxes.
(c) Tax Indemnifications. (1) Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, and shall make payment in respect thereof within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 3.01) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient, and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender or the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, and shall make payment in respect thereof within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for any amount which a Lender or the L/C Issuer for any reason fails to pay indefeasibly to the Administrative Agent as required pursuant to Section 3.01(c)(ii)(x) or Section 3.01(c)(ii)(y) below.
(i) Each Lender and the L/C Issuer shall, and does hereby, severally indemnify, and shall make payment in respect thereof within ten (10) days after demand therefor, (x) the Administrative Agent against any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender or the L/C Issuer (but only to the extent that, any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so), (y) the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, as applicable, against any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 11.06(d) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, as applicable, against any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, in each case, that are payable or paid by the
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Administrative Agent or a Loan Party in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, under this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any amount due to the Administrative Agent or such Loan Party, as applicable, under this clause (ii).
(d) Evidence of Payments. Upon request by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, after any payment of Taxes by any Loan Party or by the Administrative Agent to a Governmental Authority as provided in this Section 3.01, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent or the Administrative Agent shall deliver to the Borrower, as the case may be, the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of any return required by Laws to report such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be.
(e) Status of Lenders; Tax Documentation.
(i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person,
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(A) any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(B) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(I) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN-E establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN-E establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(II) executed originals of IRS Form W-8ECI,
(III) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN-E; or
(IV) to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, executed originals of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-2 or Exhibit F-3, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct
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or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner.
(C) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D) if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
(iii) Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered pursuant to this Section 3.01 expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(f) Treatment of Certain Refunds. Unless required by applicable Laws, at no time shall the Administrative Agent have any obligation to file for or otherwise pursue on behalf of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, or have any obligation to pay to any Lender or the L/C Issuer, any refund of Taxes withheld or deducted from funds paid for the account of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be. If any Recipient, in its sole discretion, determines in good faith that it has received a refund
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of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by any Loan Party or with respect to which any Loan Party has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 3.01, it shall pay to such Loan Party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by such Loan Party under this Section 3.01 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) incurred such Recipient, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund), provided that each Loan Party, upon the request of the Recipient, agrees to repay the amount paid over to such Loan Party (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Recipient in the event the Recipient is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection, in no event will the applicable Recipient be required to pay any amount to any Loan Party pursuant to this subsection the payment of which would place the Recipient in a less favorable net after-Tax position than such Recipient would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts with respect to such Tax had never been paid. This subsection shall not be construed to require any Recipient to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its taxes that it deems confidential) to any Loan Party or any other Person.
(g) Survival. Each party’s obligations under this Section 3.01 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender or the L/C Issuer, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all other Obligations.
3.02 Illegality. If any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its Lending Office to perform any of its obligations hereunder or make, maintain or fund or charge interest with respect to any Eurodollar Rate Loans, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate (whether denominated in Dollars or Canadian Dollars), or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, Dollars or Canadian Dollars in the applicable interbank market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, (i) any obligation of such Lender to issue, make, maintain, fund or change interest with respect to or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended, and (ii) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender making or maintaining Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans the interest rate on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate or the CDOR Rate component of the Canadian Prime Rate (as applicable), the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans (as applicable) of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate or
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the CDOR Rate component of the Canadian Prime Rate (as applicable), in each case until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, (x) the Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, if applicable, convert all Eurodollar Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans, as applicable (the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans or Canadian Prime Rate Loans, as applicable, of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate or the CDOR Rate component of the Canadian Prime Rate (as applicable)), either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans and (y) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender determining or charging interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, the Administrative Agent shall during the period of such suspension compute the Base Rate or Canadian Base Rate (as applicable) applicable to such Lender without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate or CDOR Rate component of the Canadian Prime Rate (as applicable) until the Administrative Agent is advised in writing by such Lender that it is no longer illegal for such Lender to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted.
3.03 Inability to Determine Rates. If in connection with any request for a Eurodollar Rate Loan or a conversion to or continuation thereof, (a) the Administrative Agent determines that (i) deposits (whether in Dollars or Canadian Dollars) are not being offered to banks in the applicable interbank eurodollar market for such currency the applicable amount and Interest Period of such Eurodollar Rate Loan, or (ii) adequate and reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan (whether denominated in Dollars or Canadian Dollars) or in connection with an existing or proposed Base Rate Loan (in each case with respect to clause (a)(i) above, “Impacted Loans”), or (iii) a fundamental change has occurred in the foreign exchange or interbank markets with respect to Canadian Dollars (including, without limitation, changes in national or international financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls), or (b) the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders determine that for any reason the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding such Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Administrative Agent will promptly so notify the Borrower and each Lender. Thereafter, (x) the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans in the affected currency shall be suspended (to the extent of the affected Eurodollar Rate Loans or Interest Periods), and (y) in the event of a determination described in the preceding sentence with respect to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate or the CDOR Rate component of the Canadian Prime Rate, the utilization
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of the Eurodollar Rate component in determining the Base Rate or the CDOR Rate component of the Canadian Prime Rate shall be suspended, in each case until the Administrative Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in the affected currency (to the extent of the affected Eurodollar Rate Loans or Interest Periods) or, failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Base Rate Loan in Dollars or a Canadian Prime Rate Loan in Canadian Dollars (as applicable) in the amount specified therein.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Administrative Agent has made the determination in clause (a)(i) of this Section, the Administrative Agent, in consultation with the Borrower and the affected Lenders, may establish an alternative interest rate for the Impacted Loans, in which case, such alternative rate of interest shall apply with respect to the Impacted Loans until (A) the Administrative Agent revokes the notice delivered with respect to the Impacted Loans under clause (a) of the first sentence of this Section, (B) the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that such alternative interest rate does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding the Impacted Loans, or (C) any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for such Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Loans whose interest is determined by reference to such alternative rate of interest or to determine or charge interest rates based upon such rate or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to do any of the foregoing and provides the Administrative Agent and the Borrower written notice thereof.
3.04 Increased Costs; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans.
(a) Increased Costs Generally. If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement reflected in the Eurodollar Rate or the L/C Issuer;
(ii) subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto; or
(iii) impose on any Lender or the L/C Issuer or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense affecting this Agreement or Eurodollar Rate Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein;
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and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making, converting to, continuing or maintaining any Loan the interest on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate or the CDOR Rate (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan), or to increase the cost to such Lender or the L/C Issuer of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit (or of maintaining its obligation to participate in or to issue any Letter of Credit), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) Capital Requirements. If any Lender or the L/C Issuer determines that any Change in Law affecting such Lender or the L/C Issuer or any Lending Office of such Lender or such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s holding company, if any, regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments of such Lender or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by the L/C Issuer, to a level below that which such Lender or the L/C Issuer or such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer or such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) Certificates for Reimbursement. A certificate of a Lender or the L/C Issuer setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in subsection (a) or (b) of this Section and delivered to the Borrower shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 Business Days after receipt thereof.
(d) Delay in Requests. Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the L/C Issuer to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s or the L/C Issuer’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than nine months prior to the date that such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or the
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L/C Issuer’s intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the nine-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).
(e) Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans. The Borrower shall pay to each Lender, as long as such Lender shall be required to maintain reserves with respect to liabilities or assets consisting of or including Eurocurrency funds or deposits (currently known as “Eurocurrency liabilities”), additional interest on the unpaid principal amount of each Eurodollar Rate Loan equal to the actual costs of such reserves allocated to such Loan by such Lender (as determined by such Lender in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive), which shall be due and payable on each date on which interest is payable on such Loan, provided the Borrower shall have received at least 10 days’ prior notice (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of such additional interest from such Lender. If a Lender fails to give notice 10 days prior to the relevant Interest Payment Date, such additional interest shall be due and payable 10 days from receipt of such notice.
3.05 Compensation for Losses. Within ten (10) Business Days of a demand of any Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:
(a) any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan or a Canadian Prime Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise);
(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the Borrower; or
(c) any assignment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 11.13; or
(d) any failure by the Borrower to make payment of any Loan (or interest due thereon) denominated in Canadian Dollars on its scheduled due date or any payment thereof in a different currency;
including any loss of anticipated profits, any foreign exchange losses and any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained or from the performance of any foreign exchange contract. The Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.
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For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrower to the Lenders under this Section 3.05, each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it at the Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the offshore interbank eurodollar market for such currency for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was in fact so funded.
3.06 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a) Designation of a Different Lending Office. Each Lender may make any Credit Extension to the Borrower through any Lending Office, provided that the exercise of this option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Credit Extension in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender, the L/C Issuer, or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 3.01, or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to Section 3.02, then such Lender or the L/C Issuer shall, as applicable, use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04, as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant to Section 3.02, as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender or the L/C Issuer in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b) Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 and, in each case, such Lender has declined or is unable to designate a different lending office in accordance with Section 3.06(a), the Borrower may replace such Lender in accordance with Section 11.13.
3.07 Survival. All of the Borrower’s obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitments, repayment of all other Obligations hereunder, and resignation or removal of the Administrative Agent.
ARTICLE IV
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO EFFECTIVENESS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO EFFECTIVENESS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
4.01 Conditions to Effectiveness on the Closing Date. The amendment and restatement of the Existing Credit Agreement pursuant hereto shall become effective on and as of the date on
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which each of the following conditions precedent shall have been satisfied or duly waived by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion:
(a) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals, facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders:
(i) duly executed counterparts of this Agreement, sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Borrower;
(ii) a Note executed by the Borrower in favor of each Lender requesting a Note;
(iii) duly executed counterparts of the Fee Letter and the Reaffirmation Agreement, in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower;
(iv) certificates executed by a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party attaching resolutions or other action authorizing the actions under this Agreement, the Fee Letter and the Reaffirmation Agreement, incumbency certificates, certified copies of the Organization Documents of such Loan Party, in each case, certified to be true, accurate and complete and in effect on the Closing Date and such other documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, and that each Loan Party is validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in business in each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(v) a favorable opinion of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to the matters concerning the Loan Parties and the Loan Documents as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, in form, scope and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(vi) [intentionally omitted];
(vii) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party either (A) attaching copies of all material consents, licenses and approvals required in connection with the consummation by such Loan Party of the Transaction and/or deemed necessary by the Administrative Agent, and the execution, delivery and performance by such Loan Party and the validity against such Loan Party of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and such consents, licenses and approvals shall be in full force and effect, or (B) stating that no such consents, licenses or approvals are so required;
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(viii) a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying (A) that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied, and (B) that there has been no event or circumstance since December 31, 2012 that has had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect;
(ix) certificates attesting to the Solvency of the Loan Parties on a consolidated basis before and after giving effect to the Transaction, from the chief financial officer of the Borrower;
(x) [intentionally omitted];
(xi) [intentionally omitted];
(xii) evidence that the Collateral Documents shall be effective to maintain in favor of the Administrative Agent a legal, valid and enforceable first priority (subject to Liens permitted under Section 7.01 and entitled to priority pursuant to applicable Law) security interest in and Lien upon the Collateral, and evidence that all filings, recordings, deliveries of instruments and other actions necessary in the opinion of the Administrative Agent to protect and preserve such security interests shall have been duly effected;
(xiii) all accounting reports, financial reports and such other reports, audits, certificates and due diligence material provided to the Borrower by third parties in connection with the Transactions on or prior to the Closing Date, in all cases, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; and
(xiv) such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender reasonably may require.
(b) All fees required to be paid to the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and Lenders on or before the Closing Date shall have been paid.
(c) All filing and recording fees and all taxes shall have been paid.
(d) The Borrower shall have paid all reasonable and documented fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and Lenders (directly to such counsel if requested by the Administrative Agent) to the extent documented prior to or on the Closing Date (for the avoidance of doubt, a summary statement of such fees, charges and disbursements shall be sufficient documentation for the obligations set forth in this Section 4.01(d) provided that supporting documentation for such summary statement is provided promptly thereafter), plus such additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements as shall constitute its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and disbursements incurred or to be incurred by it through the closing
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proceedings (provided that such estimate shall not thereafter preclude a final settling of accounts between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and counsel to the Administrative Agent).
Without limiting the generality of the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 9.03, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.
4.02 Conditions to all Credit Extensions. The obligation of each Lender to honor any Request for Credit Extension (other than a Committed Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) is subject to the following conditions precedent:
(a) The representations and warranties of the Borrower and each other Loan Party contained in Article V or any other Loan Document, or which are contained in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or therewith, shall be true and correct on and as of the date of such Credit Extension, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 4.02, the representations and warranties contained in Sections 5.05(a) and 5.05(b) shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to Sections 6.01(a) and 6.01(b), respectively.
(b) No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit Extension or from the application of the proceeds thereof.
(c) The Administrative Agent and, if applicable, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender shall have received a Request for Credit Extension in accordance with the requirements hereof.
(d) The Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility at such time, after giving effect to such Credit Extension.
(e) In the case of a Credit Extension to be denominated in Canadian Dollars, such currency is readily available, freely transferable and convertible into Dollars in the international banking market available to the Lenders.
(f) There shall be no impediment, restriction, limitation or prohibition imposed under Law or by any Governmental Authority, as to the proposed financing under this Agreement or the repayment thereof or as to rights created under any Loan Document or as to application of the proceeds of the realization of any such rights.
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(a) In the case of a Revolving Credit Borrowing for the purpose of financing Consolidated Growth Capital Expenditures, Excess Revolver Availability shall not be less than (i) $3,000,000 at any time through the first Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 and (ii) $5,000,000 at any time thereafter, in each case after giving effect to such Revolving Credit Borrowing.
Each Request for Credit Extension (other than a Committed Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) submitted by the Borrower shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Credit Extension.
ARTICLE V
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
Each Loan Party represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that:
5.01 Existence, Qualification and Power. Each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries (a) is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents and consummate the Transaction, and (c) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license; except in each case referred to in clause (b)(i) or (c), to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.02 Authorization; No Contravention. The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is or is to be a party and the consummation of the Transactions have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of any of such Person’s Organization Documents, (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any material Contractual Obligation (other than the creation of Liens under the Loan Documents) to which such Person is a party or affecting such Person or the properties of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (c) violate any Law, except to the extent that any such violation, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.03 Governmental Authorization; Other Consents. No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any
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other Person that has not been obtained is necessary or required in connection with (a) the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, any Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or for the consummation of the Transaction, (b) the grant by any Loan Party of the Liens granted by it pursuant to the Collateral Documents, (c) the perfection or maintenance of the Liens created under the Collateral Documents (including the first priority nature thereof) except for filings completed on or prior to the Closing Date as contemplated hereby and by the Collateral Documents or (d) the exercise by the Administrative Agent or any Lender of its rights under the Loan Documents or the remedies in respect of the Collateral pursuant to the Collateral Documents, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally. All applicable waiting periods in connection with the Transaction have expired without any action having been taken by any Governmental Authority restraining, preventing or imposing materially adverse conditions upon the Transaction or the rights of the Loan Parties or their Subsidiaries freely to transfer or otherwise dispose of, or to create any Lien on, any properties now owned or hereafter acquired by any of them.
5.04 Binding Effect. This Agreement has been, and each other Loan Document, when delivered hereunder, will have been, duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement constitutes, and each other Loan Document when so delivered will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against each Loan Party that is party thereto in accordance with its terms except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles, whether enforcement is sought by a proceeding in equity or at law.
5.05 Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect.
(a) The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; (ii) fairly present in all material respects the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; and (iii) show all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof that are required by GAAP to be included in such Audited Financial Statements.
(b) The unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries delivered in connection with Section 6.01(b), and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the Fiscal Quarter ended on the date thereof (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein, and (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the
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Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby, subject, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end audit adjustments.
(c) [Intentionally Omitted].
(d) Since the date of the Audited Financial Statements, there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) The consolidated forecasted balance sheet, statements of income and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries delivered pursuant to Section 4.01 and Section 6.01(d) were prepared in good faith on the basis of the assumptions stated therein, which assumptions were fair in light of the conditions existing at the time of delivery of such forecasts, and represented, at the time of delivery, the Borrower’s best estimate of its future financial condition and performance.
5.06 Litigation. There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower threatened or contemplated, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of their properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement, any other Loan Document or the consummation of the Transaction, or (b) except as specifically disclosed in Schedule 5.06 (the “Disclosed Litigation”), either individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and there has been no material adverse change in the status, or financial effect on any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, of the matters described in Schedule 5.06.
5.07 No Default. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is in default under or with respect to, or a party to, any Contractual Obligation that could, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
5.08 Ownership of Property.
(a) Each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries has good record and marketable title in fee simple to, or valid leasehold interests in, all real and personal property necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, including all leases relating to real property on which a Restaurant is situated, except for such defects in title as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) The property of each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries is subject to no Liens, other than Permitted Liens.
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(c) As of the date hereof, Schedule 5.08(b) (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time pursuant to Section 6.02) sets forth a complete and accurate list of all real property owned and leased by each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries, except for such real property (whether owned or leased) acquired after the date on which such Schedule was most recently updated pursuant to Section 6.02 and for which the Borrower has delivered written notice of any Loan Party’s acquisition thereof to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Section 6.12. Such Schedule shows as of the date on which it was most recently updated the street address, county or other relevant jurisdiction, state, and record owner or lessee with respect to all real property owned or leased and set forth thereon. Each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries has good and marketable fee simple title to the real property owned by such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens created or permitted by the Loan Documents. Each real property lease in respect of which a Loan Party is lessee is the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, and to the knowledge of the Loan Parties, the lessor thereof, enforceable in accordance with its terms.
5.09 Environmental Compliance. The Loan Parties and their respective Subsidiaries have conducted in connection with the Transaction a review of the effect of existing Environmental Laws and claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of any Environmental Law on their respective businesses, operations and properties, and as a result thereof the Borrower has reasonably concluded that such Environmental Laws and claims could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(a) Except as listed on Schedule 5.09, none of the properties currently or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is listed or proposed for listing on the NPL or on the CERCLIS or any analogous state or local list or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, is adjacent to any such property; to the knowledge of any Loan Party, there are no and never have been any underground or above-ground storage tanks or any surface impoundments, septic tanks, pits, sumps or lagoons in which Hazardous Materials are being or have been treated, stored or disposed on any property currently owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries; to the knowledge of any Loan Party, there is no asbestos or asbestos-containing material on any property currently owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries except as is otherwise in compliance with applicable Environmental Law; and Hazardous Materials have not been released, discharged or disposed of by any Loan Party or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, by any other Person on any property currently or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, except as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Neither any Loan Party nor any of its Subsidiaries is undertaking, and has not completed, either individually or together with other potentially responsible parties, any investigation or assessment or remedial or response action relating to any actual or threatened
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release, discharge or disposal of Hazardous Materials at any site, location or operation, either voluntarily or pursuant to the order of any Governmental Authority or the requirements of any Environmental Law; and all Hazardous Materials generated, used, treated, handled or stored at, or transported to or from, any property currently or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries have been disposed of in a manner not reasonably expected to result in material liability to any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries.
5.10 Insurance. The properties of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are insured with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Borrower, in such amounts, with such deductibles and covering such risks as are customarily carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning similar properties in localities where the Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary operates.
5.11 Taxes. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries (i) have filed all Federal and state income, workers’ compensation and payroll taxes and all other material Federal, state and other tax returns and reports required to be filed, and (ii) have paid all Federal and state income, workers’ compensation and payroll taxes and all other material Federal, state and other taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges levied or imposed upon them or their properties, income or assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided as required by GAAP; provided, however, with respect to Federal and state workers’ compensation and payroll taxes described in clause (ii) herein and arising from income constituting tips (i.e., non-wage income), such taxes have been paid to the extent that the Borrower and its Subsidiaries have received the corresponding information from the employees of such Person for computation and payment of such taxes. There is no proposed tax assessment against the Borrower or any Subsidiary that could, if made, have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is party to any tax sharing agreement.
5.12 ERISA Compliance.
(a) Each Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Federal or state laws. Each Pension Plan that is intended to be a qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service to the effect that the form of such Plan is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code and the trust related thereto has been determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) of the Code, or an application for such a letter is currently being processed by the Internal Revenue Service. To the best knowledge of the Borrower, nothing has occurred that would prevent or cause the loss of such tax-qualified status. The Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate have made all required contributions to each Plan subject to Section 412 of the Code, and no application for a funding waiver or an extension of any amortization period pursuant to Section 412 of the Code has been made with respect to any Plan.
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(b) There are no pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority, with respect to any Plan that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) (i) No ERISA Event has occurred, and neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate is aware of any fact, event or circumstance that could reasonably be expected to constitute or result in an ERISA Event with respect to any Pension Plan; (ii) the Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate has met all applicable requirements under the Pension Funding Rules in respect of each Pension Plan, and no waiver of the minimum funding standards under the Pension Funding Rules has been applied for or obtained; (iii) as of the most recent valuation date for any Pension Plan, the funding target attainment percentage (as defined in Section 430(d)(2) of the Code) is 60% or higher and neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate knows of any facts or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause the funding target attainment percentage for any such plan to drop below 60% as of the most recent valuation date; (iv) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability to the PBGC other than for the payment of premiums, and there are no premium payments which have become due that are unpaid; (v) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Section 4069 or Section 4212(c) of ERISA; and (vi) no Pension Plan has been terminated by the plan administrator thereof nor by the PBGC, and no event or circumstance has occurred or exists that could reasonably be expected to cause the PBGC to institute proceedings under Title IV of ERISA to terminate any Pension Plan.
(d) Neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate maintains or contributes to, or has any unsatisfied obligation to contribute to, or liability under, any active or terminated Pension Plan other than (A) on the Closing Date, those listed on Schedule 5.12(d) hereto and (B) thereafter, Pension Plans not otherwise prohibited by this Agreement.
5.13 Subsidiaries; Equity Interests; Loan Parties. No Loan Party has any Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time pursuant to Section 6.02 or as disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Section 6.12 from time to time), and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by a Loan Party in the amounts specified on Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time pursuant to Section 6.02 or as disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Section 6.12 from time to time) free and clear of all Liens except those created under the Collateral Documents. No Loan Party has any equity investments in any other corporation or entity other than those specifically disclosed in Part (b) of Schedule 5.13 (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time pursuant to Section 6.02 or as disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Section 6.12 from time to time). All of the
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outstanding Equity Interests in the Borrower have been validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable. Set forth on Part (d) of Schedule 5.13 (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time pursuant to Section 6.02 or as disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Section 6.12 from time to time) is a complete and accurate list of all Loan Parties, showing as of the Closing Date (as to each Loan Party) the jurisdiction of its incorporation, the address of its principal place of business and its U.S. taxpayer identification number or, in the case of any non-U.S. Loan Party that does not have a U.S. taxpayer identification number, its unique identification number issued to it by the jurisdiction of its incorporation. The copy of the charter of each Loan Party and each amendment thereto provided pursuant to Section 4.01(a)(v) and a true and correct copy of the organizational documents of each Subsidiary formed or acquired after the Closing Date has been delivered to the Administrative Agent, each of which is valid and in full force and effect.
5.14 Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act.
(a) No Loan Party is engaged or will engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock.
(b) Neither a Loan Party, any Person Controlling a Loan Party, nor any Subsidiary of a Loan Party is or is required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
5.15 Disclosure. No report, financial statement, certificate or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by or on behalf of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in each case as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact (known to such Loan Party, in the case of any document not furnished by it) necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Borrower represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
5.16 Compliance with Laws. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof is in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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5.17 Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc. Each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries owns, or possesses the right to use, all of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patents, patent rights, franchises, licenses and other intellectual property rights (collectively, “IP Rights”) that are necessary for the operation of their respective businesses, without conflict with the rights of any other Person except, in each case or in the aggregate, as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and Schedule 5.17 sets forth a complete and accurate list of all such IP Rights owned or used by each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date. To the best knowledge of the Borrower, no slogan or other advertising device, product, process, method, substance, part or other material now employed, or now contemplated to be employed, by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries infringes upon any rights held by any other Person, except, whether individually or in the aggregate, as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No claim or litigation regarding any of the foregoing is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, threatened, which, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.18 Status of Liquor License Approvals and Filings. As of the Closing Date, any and all approvals and/or filings by any federal, state or local food or liquor authority necessary for the continued operation of any Restaurant operated by any Loan Party on the Closing Date with full food and liquor service have been received and/or filed, as applicable, and are in full force and effect. As of any date after the Closing Date, any and all approvals and/or filings by any federal, state or local food or liquor authority necessary for the continued operation of any Restaurant operated by any Loan Party with full food and liquor service have been received and/or filed, as applicable, and are in full force and effect, except where the failure to have been received and/or filed, as applicable, or be in full force and effect, could not, whether individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.19 Material Contracts. No default by any Loan Party or to the knowledge of any Loan Party, by any other party exists under any Material Contract, other than such defaults that could not, whether individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.20 Leases. There is a Lease in force for each Unit Location which is ground leased or space leased by any Loan Party; a correct and complete copy of each Lease has been delivered to the Administrative Agent and each Lease is in full force and effect without amendment or modification from the form or copy delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders except for amendments that, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No default by any party exists under any such Lease that could reasonably be expected to result in termination of such Lease, nor has any event occurred which, with the passage of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute such a default, except in each case, to the extent any such default, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably
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be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Schedule 5.20 is a complete and correct listing of all Leases as of the Closing Date.
5.21 Unit Locations; Franchised Unit Locations.
Part (a) of Schedule 5.21 sets forth a complete and accurate list of all Unit Locations held by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party as of the Closing Date. Part (b) of Schedule 5.21 sets forth a complete and accurate list of all Franchised Unit Locations franchised by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party as Franchisor to any Franchisee as of the Closing Date.
5.22 Franchise Agreements.
(a) Schedule 5.22 sets forth a complete and accurate list of all Franchise Agreements as of the Closing Date.
(b) Each Franchise Agreement is in full force and effect except to the extent the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate with all other failures to comply with any Franchise Agreement, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, without any amendment or modification from the form or copy delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders except for amendments permitted hereunder and which do not materially and adversely affect the rights of the Lenders.
5.23 Solvency. Each Loan Party is, individually and together with its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, Solvent.
5.24 Labor Matters. There are no collective bargaining agreements or Multiemployer Plans covering the employees of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date and neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary has suffered any strikes, walkouts, work stoppages or other material labor difficulty within the last five years.
5.25 Collateral Documents. The provisions of the Collateral Documents are effective to create in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a legal, valid and enforceable first priority Lien (subject to Permitted Liens that are senior in priority under applicable Law) on all right, title and interest of the respective Loan Parties in the Collateral described therein. Except for filings completed on or prior to the Closing Date and as contemplated hereby and by the Collateral Documents, no filing or other action will be necessary to perfect or protect such Liens.
5.26 Compliance with OFAC Rules and Regulations. No Loan Party, nor its Subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of any Loan Party and its Subsidiaries, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or representative thereof, is an individual or entity that is, or is owned or controlled by any individual or entity that is, (a) currently the subject of any Sanctions, (b) included on OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals, HMT’s Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets and
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the Investment Ban List, or any similar list enforced by any other relevant Sanctions authority or (c) located, organized or resident in a Designated Jurisdiction. No Loan, nor the proceeds from any Loan, has been used, directly or indirectly by any Loan Party, any Affiliate of a Loan Party or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, any other Person, to lend, contribute, provide or has otherwise made available to fund any activity or business in any Designated Jurisdiction or to fund any activity or business of any Person located, organized or residing in any Designated Jurisdiction or who is the subject of any Sanctions, or in any other manner that will result in any violation by any Person (including any Lender, any Arranger, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender) of Sanctions.
5.27 Anti-Corruption Laws. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries have conducted their businesses in compliance with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010, and other similar anti-corruption legislation in any other relevant jurisdictions where the Borrower or its Subsidiaries conducts material operations and have instituted and maintained policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws.
5.28 Use of Proceeds. The proceeds of the Loans shall be used in accordance with Section 6.11.
ARTICLE VI
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or other Obligation (other than inchoate indemnification liabilities arising under the Loan Documents for which a claim has not then been asserted) shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding (other than any Letter of Credit that is Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof), the Borrower shall, and shall (except in the case of the covenants set forth in Sections 6.01, 6.02, 6.03 and 6.11) cause each Subsidiary to:
6.01 Financial Statements. Deliver to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders:
(a) as soon as available, but in any event within 120 days (or such earlier date as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission) after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, (i) a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such Fiscal Year, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for such Fiscal Year, such consolidated statements to be audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of an independent certified public accounting firm of nationally recognized standing reasonably acceptable to the Required Lenders, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit and
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(ii) a statement detailing unit-level sales and operating income, as of the end of and for such Fiscal Year then ended; in each case, setting forth in comparative form the corresponding information for the previous Fiscal Year and setting forth the corresponding information for the corresponding period set forth in the applicable Budget, in each case, in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP;
(b) as soon as available, but in any event within (i) 45 days (or such earlier date as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission) after the end of each of the first three Fiscal Quarters of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower and (ii) 60 days (or such earlier date as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission) after the end of the fourth Fiscal Quarter of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such Fiscal Quarter, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such Fiscal Quarter and for the portion of the Borrower’s Fiscal Year then ended, setting forth in comparative form the corresponding information for the corresponding Fiscal Quarter of the previous Fiscal Year and the corresponding portion of the previous Fiscal Year, and setting forth in comparative form the corresponding information for the corresponding Fiscal Quarter set forth in the applicable Budget, in each case, in reasonable detail, such consolidated statements to be certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower as fairly presenting the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
(c) [intentionally omitted]; and
(d) as soon as available, but in any event within 45 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, an annual business plan and budget (the “Budget”) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, including (i) forecasts prepared by management of the Borrower setting forth such forecasts on a yearly and quarterly basis and (ii) assumptions made in the formulation of such budget, in form satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, of consolidated balance sheets and statements of income or operations and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the immediately following Fiscal Year (the “Budget”).
As to any information contained in materials furnished pursuant to Section 6.02(c), the Borrower shall not be separately required to furnish such information under Section 6.01(a) or 6.01(b) above, but the foregoing shall not be in derogation of the obligation of the Borrower to furnish the information and materials described in Sections 6.01(a) or 6.01(b) above at the times specified therein.
6.02 Compliance Certificates and Certain Reports Sent to Other Parties. Deliver to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
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(a) concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 6.01(a) and 6.01(b), (i) a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower, and (ii) a copy of management’s discussion and analysis with respect to such financial statements delivered in connection with Section 6.01(b) in the form prepared by management consistent with past practices and to the extent such a discussion and analysis is prepared for the Borrower or the board of directors or equivalent governing body;
(b) promptly after any request by the Administrative Agent, copies of any detailed audit reports, management letters or recommendations submitted to the board of directors (or the audit committee of the board of directors) of any Loan Party by independent accountants in connection with the accounts or books of any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, or any audit of any of them;
(c) promptly after the same are available, copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which the Borrower may file or be required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or with any national securities exchange, and in any case not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant hereto;
(d) to the extent applicable, promptly after the furnishing thereof, copies of any statement or report furnished to any holder of debt securities of any Loan Party or of any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of any indenture, loan or credit or similar agreement and not otherwise required to be furnished to the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01 or any other clause of this Section 6.02;
(e) promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial, legal or corporate affairs of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request;
(f) as soon as available, but in any event within 120 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, a report summarizing the insurance coverage (specifying type, amount and carrier) in effect for each Loan Party and its Subsidiaries and containing such additional information as the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, may reasonably specify;
(g) promptly, and in any event within five Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of each notice or other correspondence received from the SEC (or comparable agency in any applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction) concerning any investigation or possible investigation or other inquiry by such agency regarding financial or other operational results of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof;
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(h) not later than five Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of all notices, requests and other documents (including amendments, waivers and other modifications) so received under or pursuant to any instrument, indenture, loan or credit or similar agreement and, from time to time upon request by the Administrative Agent, such information and reports regarding such instruments, indentures and loan and credit and similar agreements as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request;
(i) promptly after the assertion or occurrence thereof, notice of any action or proceeding against or of any noncompliance by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries with any Environmental Law or Environmental Permit that could (i) reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) cause any property described in the Mortgages to be subject to any material restrictions on ownership, occupancy, use or transferability under any Environmental Law; and
(j) as soon as available, but in any event within 120 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, a report supplementing Schedules 5.08(b) and 5.13, including an identification of all owned real property disposed of by the Borrower or any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof during such Fiscal Year, a list and description (including the street address, county or other relevant jurisdiction, state, record owner, book value thereof) of all real property acquired during such Fiscal Year and a description of such other changes in the information included in such Schedules as may be necessary for such Schedules to be accurate and complete as of the date such supplements are delivered, each such report to be signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower and to be in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a), 6.01(b) or Section 6.02(c) (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Borrower’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 11.02; or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Borrower’s behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent); provided that: (i) the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or any Lender upon its request to the Borrower to deliver such paper copies until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and (ii) the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by facsimile or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request by a Lender for delivery,
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and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its copies of such documents.
The Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or the Arranger will make available to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries hereunder (collectively, “Borrower Materials”) by posting the Borrower Materials on Debt Domain, IntraLinks, SYNDTRAK or another similar electronic system (the “Platform”) and (b) certain of the Lenders may be “public-side” Lenders (i.e., Lenders that do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities) (each, a “Public Lender”). The Borrower hereby agrees that so long as the Borrower is the issuer of any outstanding debt or equity securities that are registered or issued pursuant to a private offering or is actively contemplating issuing any such securities it will use commercially reasonable efforts to identify that portion of the Borrower Materials that may be distributed to the Public Lenders and that (w) all such Borrower Materials shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” the Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arranger, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material non-public information (although it may be sensitive and proprietary) with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws (provided, however, that to the extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set forth in Section 11.07); (y) all Borrower Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Investor;” and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arranger shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated “Public Investor.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrower shall be under no Obligation to mark any Borrower Materials “PUBLIC.”
6.03 Notices. Promptly notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a) of the occurrence of any Default;
(b) of any matter that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, including (i) breach or non-performance of, or any default under, a Contractual Obligation of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof; (ii) any dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or suspension between any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof and any Governmental Authority; or (iii) the commencement of, or any material development in, any litigation or proceeding affecting any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws;
(c) of the occurrence of any ERISA Event;
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(d) of any material change in accounting policies or financial reporting practices by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof;
(e) [intentionally omitted].
(f) the termination or material amendment to any approval by any Federal, state or local food or liquor authority in respect of any liquor licenses held and maintained by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries unless the termination or material amendment of such approval or license, whether individually or in the aggregate with any other terminations or material amendments of any approval or license, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and
(g) (x) any dispute, opposition, notice of opposition, litigation, investigation or proceeding in respect of any IP Rights or registration relating to the “Noodles & Company” mark, (y) any dispute, opposition, notice of opposition, litigation, investigation or proceeding in respect of any material IP Rights or registration relating to any material trademark or suspension of any other material IP Rights and (z) any institution of, or any final adverse determination in, any proceeding in the United States Patent and Trademark Office or any similar office or agency of the United States or any foreign country, or any court, regarding the validity of any IP Rights, and of any event that does or could reasonably be expected to materially adversely affect the value of any of the IP Rights, the ability of any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent to dispose of any of the IP Rights or the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent in relation thereto (including but not limited to the levy of any legal process against any IP Rights).
Each notice pursuant to this Section 6.03 (other than Section 6.03(e)) shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto. Each notice pursuant to Section 6.03(a) shall describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any other Loan Document that have been breached.
6.04 Payment of Obligations. Pay and discharge as the same shall become due and payable, all of its obligations and liabilities, including (a) all tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves as required by GAAP are being maintained by the Borrower or such Subsidiary; (b) all lawful claims which, if unpaid, would by law become a Lien upon its property, other than Liens permitted under Section 7.01(d) or (r); and (c) all Indebtedness in excess of the Threshold Amount, as and when due and payable, but subject to any subordination provisions contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness.
6.05 Preservation of Existence, Permits, License, Etc.
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(a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its legal existence and good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 or 7.05; provided, however, that the Borrower and its Subsidiaries may consummate any merger or consolidation permitted under Section 7.04, (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (c) preserve or renew all of its registered patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade names and service marks, the non-preservation of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.06 Maintenance of Properties and Liquor Licenses.
(a) (i) Maintain, preserve and protect all of its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted; (ii) make all necessary repairs thereto and renewals and replacements thereof except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) use the standard of care typical in the industry in the operation and maintenance of its facilities.
(b) Maintain, preserve and protect any and all approvals by any Federal, state or local food or liquor authority necessary for the continued operation of any Restaurant operated by any Loan Party with full food and liquor service except where failure could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.07 Maintenance of Insurance. Maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Borrower, insurance with respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business, of such types and in such amounts as are customarily carried under similar circumstances by such other Persons and providing for not less than 30 days’ prior notice to the Administrative Agent of termination, lapse or cancellation of such insurance.
6.08 Compliance with Laws. Comply in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted; or (b) the failure to comply therewith could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.09 Books and Records. Maintain proper books of record and account, in which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be; and (b) maintain such books of record and account in material conformity with
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all applicable requirements of any Governmental Authority having regulatory jurisdiction over the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.
6.10 Inspection Rights. Permit representatives and independent contractors of the Administrative Agent to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its organizational, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants (provided that so long as an Event of Default is not then continuing, a representative of the Borrower may be present during any discussions with such independent public accountants), all at the expense of the Borrower and at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired, upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower; provided, however, that such visits shall be limited to two times per year unless an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Borrower at any time during normal business hours and without advance notice.
6.11 Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of the Credit Extensions (a) to refinance the Indebtedness of the Borrower owing under the Existing Credit Agreement on the Closing Date, (b) to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Facility on the Closing Date and (c) for working capital and general corporate purposes (including acquisitions and Capital Expenditures permitted by this Agreement), in all cases, not in contravention of any Law or of any Loan Document.
6.12 Additional Subsidiaries and Collateral Generally.
(a) At any time that any Loan Party or any newly formed or acquired Subsidiary that is to become a Loan Party pursuant to clause (b) below acquires any real or personal property not subject to a perfected, first priority Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Collateral Documents, within five (5) Business Days after the acquisition of such real or personal property by such Loan Party (other than any leasehold interests in real property) or the formation or acquisition of such Subsidiary, the Borrower shall furnish to the Administrative Agent, in detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, a written description of such real and personal property.
(b) Within forty-five (45) days of the formation or acquisition of a Subsidiary (other than (x) a CFC, (y) a Subsidiary that has no material assets other than Equity Interests of one or more CFCs, or (z) a Subsidiary that is treated as disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that owns more than 66% of the voting stock of a Subsidiary described in clause (x) or (y)) which is addressed in clause (c) below or otherwise expressly provided in Section 7.03(k)) by any Loan Party, the Borrower shall, or cause such Loan Party and/or such Subsidiary to, at the Borrower’s expense, (i) duly execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent a joinder to the Guaranty, the Security Agreement and the Pledge Agreements, and all other applicable Collateral Documents
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specified by and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; (ii) deliver appropriate UCC-1 financing statements or such other financing statements as may be necessary in the Administrative Agent’s reasonable determination to obtain a first priority Lien (subject to Permitted Liens); (iii) deliver to the Administrative Agent any Pledged Collateral, Pledged Debt or other instruments specified in the Collateral Documents (including delivery of all pledged Equity Interests in and of such Subsidiary (for the avoidance of doubt, such pledged Equity Interests shall not include any Minority Interests), and other instruments of the type specified in Section 4.01(a)(iii)(A)); (iv) deliver to the Administrative Agent, evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that all taxes, filing fees and recording fees and other related transaction costs have been paid; (v) deliver to the Administrative Agent a copy of each Lease with respect to each Unit Location leased by such Loan Party or such Subsidiary; and (vi) provide to Administrative Agent all other documentation, including one or more legal opinions of counsel reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent with respect to the execution and delivery of the applicable documentation referred to herein; in each case, all in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent.
(c) Within forty-five (45) days of the formation or acquisition of any new direct Subsidiary that (x) is a CFC, (y) has no material assets other than Equity Interests of one or more CFCs, or (z) is treated as disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes and owns more than 66% of the voting stock of a Subsidiary described in clause (x) or (y)) by any Loan Party that is a Domestic Subsidiary or the Borrower, the Borrower shall, at the Borrower’s expense, (i) cause such Loan Party and such Subsidiary to enter into a Pledge Agreement to pledge 66% of the voting Equity Interests held by such Loan Party in such Subsidiary and 100% of any non-voting Equity Interests held by such Loan Party and to cause such Subsidiary to execute and/or deliver such documents, instruments or agreements as may be necessary in the Administrative Agent’s reasonable determination to obtain a first priority Lien (subject to Permitted Liens) in such Equity Interests of such Subsidiary and held by such Loan Party; (ii) deliver to the Administrative Agent any Pledged Collateral, Pledged Debt or other instruments specified in the Collateral Documents to which such Loan Party and such Subsidiary is a party; and (iii) provide to Administrative Agent all other documentation, including one or more legal opinions of counsel reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent with respect to the execution and delivery of the applicable documentation referred to herein; in each case, all in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Noodles Cayman and its direct and indirect Foreign Subsidiaries shall not be required to enter into a Pledge Agreement, and the Borrower shall not be required to pledge 66% of the voting Equity Interests of Noodles Cayman or 100% of any non-voting Equity Interests of Noodles Cayman. For the avoidance of doubt, Equity Interests in Noodles China JV and Noodles Hong Kong shall not be required to be pledged.
(d) [Intentionally Omitted].
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(e) Within forty-five (45) days of the acquisition of any personal property not subject to a first priority, perfected Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent by a Loan Party, the Borrower shall, or shall cause the applicable Loan Party or such Subsidiary to, at the Borrower’s expense, (i) deliver to the Administrative Agent any Pledged Collateral, Pledged Debt or other instruments specified in the Collateral Documents and (ii) take all such other action as the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable in obtaining the full benefits of, or (as applicable) in perfecting and preserving the Liens of, the Collateral Documents; provided, however, that the Loan Parties shall not be obligated to grant leasehold mortgages in real property to the Administrative Agent.
(f) At any time upon request of the Administrative Agent, promptly execute and deliver any and all further instruments and documents and take all such other action as the Administrative Agent may reasonably deem necessary or desirable in obtaining the full benefits of, or (as applicable) in perfecting and preserving the Liens of, such guaranties, deeds of trust, trust deeds, and the other Collateral Documents.
(g) Any document, agreement, or instrument executed or issued pursuant to this Section 6.12 shall be a Loan Document.
6.13 Compliance with Environmental Laws. Comply, and cause all lessees and other Persons operating or occupying its properties to comply, in all material respects, with all applicable Environmental Laws and Environmental Permits; obtain and renew all Environmental Permits necessary for its operations and properties; and conduct any investigation, study, sampling and testing, and undertake any cleanup, removal, remedial or other action necessary to remove and clean up all Hazardous Materials from any of its properties, in accordance with the requirements of all Environmental Laws; provided, however, that neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall be required to undertake any such cleanup, removal, remedial or other action to the extent that its obligation to do so is being contested in good faith and by proper proceedings and appropriate reserves are being maintained with respect to such circumstances in accordance with GAAP.
6.14 Further Assurances. Promptly upon the request by the Administrative Agent, (a) correct any material defect or error that may be discovered in any Loan Document or in the execution, acknowledgment, filing or recordation thereof, and (b) do, execute, acknowledge, deliver, record, re-record, file, re-file, register and re-register any and all such further acts, deeds, certificates, assurances and other instruments as the Administrative Agent, may reasonably require from time to time in order to (i) carry out the purposes of the Loan Documents, (ii) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, subject any Loan Party’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ properties, assets, rights or interests to the Liens now or hereafter intended to be covered by any of the Collateral Documents, (iii) perfect and maintain the validity, effectiveness and priority of any of the Collateral Documents and any of the Liens intended to be created thereunder and (iv) convey, grant, assign, transfer, preserve, protect and confirm unto the Secured Parties the rights granted or now or hereafter intended to be granted to the Secured Parties under any Loan Document or under any other instrument
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executed in connection with any Loan Document to which any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is or is to be a party, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so.
6.15 Compliance with Terms of Leaseholds. Make all payments and otherwise perform all material obligations in respect of all Leases and other leases of real property to which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, keep such leases in full force and effect and not allow such leases to lapse or be terminated or any rights to renew such leases to be forfeited or cancelled, notify the Administrative Agent of any default by any party with respect to such leases and cooperate with the Administrative Agent in all respects to cure any such default, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so, except, in any case, where the failure to do so, either individually or in the aggregate, could not be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.16 Anti-Corruption Laws. Conduct its businesses in compliance with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010, and other similar anti-corruption legislation in any other relevant jurisdictions where the Borrower or its Subsidiaries conducts material operations, and maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws.
6.17 Material Contracts. Perform and observe all material terms and provisions of each Material Contract to be performed or observed by it, maintain each such Material Contract in full force and effect, enforce each such Material Contract in accordance with its terms and take all such action to such end as may be from time to time requested by the Administrative Agent, except, in each case, where the failure to do so, whether individually or in the aggregate, could not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.18 Compliance with Terms of Franchise Agreements. Make all payments and otherwise perform all obligations in respect of Franchise Agreements to which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, keep such Franchise Agreements in full force and effect and not allow such Franchise Agreements to lapse or be terminated or any rights to renew such Franchise Agreements to be forfeited or cancelled, notify the Administrative Agent of any default by any party with respect to such Franchise Agreements and cooperate with the Administrative Agent in all respects to cure any such default, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so, other than, in any case, where the failure to do so, either individually or in the aggregate, would be reasonably expected not to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.19 Cash Collateral Accounts. Maintain, and cause each of the other Loan Parties to maintain, all Cash Collateral Accounts with Bank of America or another commercial bank located in the United States, which has accepted the assignment of such accounts to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties pursuant to the terms of the Security Agreement.
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6.20 Cash Management Arrangements. Maintain, and cause each of the other Loan Parties to maintain all deposit accounts and securities accounts with Bank of America or any Affiliate of Bank of America, any Lender or any Affiliate of such Lender, or another commercial bank located in the United States and acceptable to the Administrative Agent.
ARTICLE VII
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or other Obligation (other than inchoate indemnification liabilities arising under the Loan Documents for which a claim has not then been asserted) hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding (other than any Letter of Credit Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof), no Loan Party shall directly or indirectly:
7.01 Liens. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or sign or file or suffer to exist under the Uniform Commercial Code of any jurisdiction a financing statement that names such Loan Party as debtor, or assign any accounts or other right to receive income, other than the following:
(a) Liens securing the Obligations pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b) Liens existing on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.01(b) and any renewals or extensions thereof, provided that (i) the property covered thereby is not changed, (ii) the amount secured or benefited thereby is not increased except as contemplated by Section 7.02(d), (iii) the direct or any contingent obligor with respect thereto is not changed, and (iv) any renewal or extension of the obligations secured or benefited thereby is permitted by Section 7.02(d);
(c) Liens for taxes, assessments or government charges or levies not yet due or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person as required by GAAP;
(d) statutory landlord’s, carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business which are not overdue for a period of more than 30 days or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person;
(e) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;
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(f) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases and subleases (in each case, other than Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(g) easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which do not in any case materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the applicable Person;
(h) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h);
(i) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.02(e); provided that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness and (ii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost or fair market value, whichever is lower, of the property being acquired on the date of acquisition;
(j) Liens on property of a Person existing at the time such Person is merged into or consolidated with the Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Borrower or becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower; provided that such Liens were not created in contemplation of such merger, consolidation or Investment, do not extend to any assets other than those of the Person merged into or consolidated with the Borrower or such Subsidiary or acquired by the Borrower or such Subsidiary and are not for Consolidated Funded Indebtedness;
(k) Liens arising under any equipment lease agreement entered into by any Loan Party in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, provided that such Liens do not extend to any assets other than those subject to the equipment lease;
(l) Liens arising in the ordinary course of business in favor of one or more financial institutions in which any Loan Party maintains one or more deposit accounts in the ordinary course of business securing usual and customary fees and expenses (but not attorneys fees and expenses) directly relating to such deposit accounts, provided that such Liens secure amounts outstanding for not more than thirty days from the date of incurrence;
(m) precautionary Liens arising from filing UCC financing statements in respect of operating leases, provided that such Liens do not extend to any assets other than those subject of such operating lease;
(n) Liens arising under licenses entered into by any Loan Party in the ordinary course of business; provided that such Liens (i) do not extend to any assets other than those subject to the license, (ii) do not interfere in any material respect with the business of the Loan Parties as conducted prior to giving effect to such license and (iii) are reasonably expected to be additive to Consolidated
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EBITDA for the Measurement Period ending immediately prior to the date on which any such license is entered into;
(o) Liens constituting leases or subleases of real property granted to others in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(p) Liens granted in connection with any Permitted Mortgage Financings; provided that such Liens do not extend to any assets other than those subject to the Permitted Mortgage Financings and do not secure an amount in excess of the Permitted Mortgage Financing; and
(q) other Liens with respect to obligations that do not exceed $1,500,000 at any one time outstanding; and
(r) in addition to Liens permitted under Section 7.01(d), statutory landlord’s Liens securing unpaid rental obligations, without duplication, (i) arising from the actual closure of 16 Restaurant locations, the closure of which was announced prior to the Second Amendment Effective Date, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $7,000,000 at any time outstanding and (ii) arising from the actual closure of additional Restaurant locations, the closure of which are announced after the Second Amendment Effective Date, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,000,000 at any time outstanding; provided that, in each case of clause (i) or (ii) above, each such Lien shall have been terminated, released or otherwise extinguished within six (6) months of the occurrence of the lease default giving rise thereto.
7.02 Indebtedness. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a) obligations (contingent or otherwise) existing or arising under any Swap Contract, provided that (i) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly mitigating risks associated with fluctuations in interest rates or foreign exchange rates and not for purposes of speculation or taking a “market view;” and (ii) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party;
(b) Indebtedness of a Guarantor owed to the Borrower or a Guarantor, which Indebtedness shall (i) constitute pledged debt under the Pledge Agreements, (ii) be on terms (including subordination terms) acceptable to the Administrative Agent and (iii) be otherwise permitted under the provisions of Section 7.03;
(c) Indebtedness constituting the Obligations;
(d) Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.02 and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses
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reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder and the direct or any contingent obligor with respect thereto is not changed, as a result of or in connection with such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension; and provided, still further, that the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, collateral (if any) and subordination (if any), and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties or the Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, refunded, renewed or extended and the interest rate applicable to any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate;
(e) Indebtedness in respect of Capitalized Leases and purchase money obligations arising in connection with the acquisition of equipment within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(i); provided, however, that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed $[20,000,000]10,000,000;
(f) Guarantees of the Borrower or any Guarantor in respect of Indebtedness otherwise permitted hereunder of the Borrower or any Guarantor;
(g) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Loan Party arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or similar instrument inadvertently drawn by the Borrower or such Loan Party in the ordinary course of business against insufficient funds, so long as such Indebtedness is repaid within five (5) Business Days;
(h) Indebtedness in the form of (i) performance based earn-outs and purchase price adjustments and other similar contingent payment obligations in respect of any Permitted Acquisition and (ii) (A) payments to the former stockholders of the Borrower pursuant to the Merger Agreement so long as such payments are made from funds allotted for such purpose and held in their own account, segregated from all other assets of the Borrower and (B) indemnification claims under the Merger Agreement;
(i) Indebtedness incurred by the Borrower or any other Loan Party (other than the Borrower) in respect of indemnification claims relating to adjustments of purchase price or similar obligations in any case incurred in connection with any Disposition permitted under Section 7.05;
(j) Indebtedness of any Loan Party in respect of workers’ compensation claims, performance, bid and surety bonds and completion guaranties, in each case, in the ordinary course of business, which, in each case, is consistent with past practices;
(k) all obligations of the type described in clause (g) of the definition of “Indebtedness” relating to Qualified Securities;
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(l) Permitted Mortgage Financings; and
(m) other Indebtedness; provided, however, that the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness permitted under this Section 7.02(m) shall not exceed $10,000,000 at any time outstanding.
7.03 Investments. Make or hold any Investments, except:
(a) Investments held by the Loan Parties in the form of Cash Equivalents, provided that such Cash Equivalents are maintained in an account with the Administrative Agent, or an account permitted to exist pursuant to Section 6.20;
(b) advances to officers, directors and employees of the Borrower and Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100,000 at any time outstanding, for travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes;
(c) (i) Investments by the Borrower and its Domestic Subsidiaries in their respective Domestic Subsidiaries outstanding on the date hereof, (ii) additional Investments by a Loan Party in another Loan Party that is a wholly owned Domestic Subsidiary and (iii) Investments not to exceed $15,000 to repurchase any Minority Interests; provided that Investments permitted by this clause (iii) shall not exceed $250,000 in the aggregate over the term of this Agreement;
(d) Investments consisting of accounts receivable from credit card companies in the ordinary course of business;
(e) Guarantees permitted by Section 7.02;
(f) Investments existing on the date hereof (other than those referred to in Section 7.03(c)(i)) and set forth on Schedule 7.03(f);
(g) Investments by any Loan Party in Swap Contracts permitted under Section 7.02(a);
(h) Investments made in the ordinary course of business in connection with security deposits and prepayments of rents under Leases or prepayments of suppliers in the ordinary course of business, provided that in any case not more than one month’s security deposit, rent or amounts paid to such suppliers in the ordinary course of business shall be so paid;
(i) Investments of any Person in existence at the time such Person becomes a Loan Party; provided such Investment was not made in connection with or anticipation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary of the Borrower;
(j) Subsidiaries may be established or created, if the Borrower and such Subsidiary complies with the provisions of Section 6.12 and, provided, that to the extent such new Subsidiary is created solely for the purpose of consummating a merger transaction pursuant to a Permitted
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Acquisition, and such new Subsidiary at no time holds any assets or liabilities other than any merger consideration contributed to it contemporaneously with the closing of such merger transactions, such new Subsidiary shall not be required to take the actions set forth in Section 6.12 until the respective acquisition is consummated (at which time the surviving entity of the respective merger transaction shall be required to so comply within ten Business Days);
(k) Investments that constitute a Permitted Acquisition;
(l) Investments that constitute Permitted Seller Notes;
(m) Investments that constitute loans to employees of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries, the proceeds of which are used to purchase Equity Interests in the Borrower; provided that the amount of such loans at any time outstanding shall not exceed $1,000,000;
(n) other Investments; provided, however, that the aggregate amount of Investments permitted under this Section 7.03(n) does not exceed $5,000,000 at any time outstanding; and
(o) Investments in non-Guarantor Subsidiaries and Joint Venture Entities, provided, that (1) such Investments shall not exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate and (1) no Default or Event of Default shall be continuing under this Agreement at the time of such Investment or would result from such Investment.
7.04 Fundamental Changes. Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or into another Person, or Dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any Person, except that, so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of any action described below or would result therefrom:
(a) any Guarantor may merge with (i) the Borrower, provided that the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, or (ii) any one or more other Guarantors;
(b) any Guarantor may Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or to another Loan Party;
(c) any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may dispose of all or substantially all its assets (including any Disposition that is in the nature of a liquidation) to (i) another Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party or (ii) to a Loan Party;
(d) [intentionally omitted];
(e) in connection with any Permitted Acquisition, any Subsidiary of the Borrower may merge into or consolidate with any other Person or permit any other Person (other than the Borrower)
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to merge into or consolidate with it; provided that the Person surviving such merger shall be a Loan Party;
(f) Dispositions expressly permitted by Section 7.05 may be consummated; and
(g) any Restricted Payment expressly permitted by Section 7.06 may be consummated.
7.05 Dispositions. Make any Disposition or enter into any agreement to make any Disposition, except:
(a) Dispositions of obsolete or worn out property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business;
(b) Dispositions of inventory in the ordinary course of business;
(c) Dispositions of equipment or real property in arms-length transactions in the ordinary course of business;
(d) Dispositions of property to the Borrower or to a Guarantor;
(e) Dispositions expressly permitted by Section 7.04;
(f) (i) non-exclusive licenses of IP Rights in the ordinary course of business in connection with Franchise Agreements and substantially consistent with past practice, (ii) transfer of trademarks to the Joint Venture Entities and Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties so long as such trademarks relate exclusively to the operation of Restaurants by such Person outside the United States and (iii) licenses of trademarks, trade secrets or copyrights to the Joint Venture Entities and Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties which are necessary for the operation of Restaurants by such Person outside the United States;
(g) other Dispositions of assets in arms-length transactions so long as (1) at the time of such Disposition, no Default or Event of Default shall exist or be continuing or shall result from such Disposition, (1) the consideration received in connection therewith consists of not less than 75% of cash and Cash Equivalents, and (1) the aggregate proceeds from assets Disposed of pursuant to this clause (g) during any Fiscal Year shall not exceed $5,000,000;
(h) the sale or issuance of (i) any Subsidiary’s Equity Interests to the Borrower or any Guarantor or (ii) any Minority Interest;
(i) the leasing or sub-leasing of real property or entering into occupancy agreements with respect thereto, in each case, that would not materially interfere with the required use of such real property by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries and is in the ordinary course of business at arm’s length and on market terms;
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(j) Dispositions of restaurants or other assets acquired pursuant to Permitted Acquisitions that have not been rebranded as “Noodles & Company” restaurant; and
(k) any transfer of assets of any Loan Party to any Person other than a Loan Party in exchange for assets of such Person as part or all of the purchase price in a Permitted Acquisition; provided, that (i) such exchange is consummated on an arm’s length basis for fair consideration, and (ii) the provisions relating to a Permitted Acquisition shall otherwise have been complied with, including with respect to Section 6.12 hereof;
provided, however, that any Disposition pursuant to Section 7.05(a) through Section 7.05(k) shall be for fair market value.
7.06 Restricted Payments. Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except that, so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing other than in respect of Restricted Payments made under paragraphs (a) and (b), which shall not be subject to the requirement that no Default be then continuing) at the time of any action described below or would result therefrom:
(a) each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower or any Guarantors;
(b) the Borrower and each Guarantor may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable solely in the common stock or other common Equity Interests of such Person so long as no Change of Control would result therefrom;
(c) the Borrower and each Guarantor may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire Equity Interests issued by it with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new Equity Interests so long as no Change of Control would result therefrom;
(d) Borrower may redeem Equity Interests acquired pursuant to the exercise of options by employees issued pursuant to an option plan approved by the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the Borrower in the ordinary course of business; provided that no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing before or after giving effect to any such redemption and the Restricted Payments made pursuant to this Section 7.06(d) shall not exceed $1,000,000 in the aggregate over the term of this Agreement;
(e) the Borrower may purchase, redeem or otherwise retire Equity Interests; provided that, before or after giving effect to any such purchase, redemption or acquisition of Equity Interests, (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and (ii) after giving pro forma effect to any such purchase or redemption, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio is less than 4.00 to 1.00; and
(f) the Borrower may purchase fractional shares of the Borrower’s common stock arising out of stock dividends, splits or combinations or business combinations.
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7.07 Change in Nature of Business. Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof or any business substantially related or incidental thereto. Own, operate or franchise any restaurant concept other than a noodles or similar restaurant concept, except, in each case, for the temporary ownership, operation or franchise of other restaurant concepts in connection with a Permitted Acquisition prior to re-branding or disposing of such Acquired Assets in accordance with the terms of the Permitted Acquisition definition.
7.08 Transactions with Affiliates. Enter into any transaction of any kind with any Affiliate of the Borrower, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, other than on terms which are fair and reasonable and comparable to the terms which would be obtainable by the Borrower or such Subsidiary at the time in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate and other than Restricted Payments permitted by Section 7.06.
7.09 Burdensome Agreements. Enter into or permit to exist any Contractual Obligation (other than this Agreement or any other Loan Document) that (a) limits the ability (i) of any Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments to the Borrower or any Guarantor or to otherwise transfer property to or invest in the Borrower or any Guarantor, except for any agreement in effect (A) on the date hereof and set forth on Schedule 7.09 or (B) at the time any Subsidiary becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower, so long as such agreement was not entered into solely in contemplation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary of the Borrower, (ii) of any Subsidiary to Guarantee the Indebtedness of the Borrower or (iii) of the Borrower or any Subsidiary to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Person; provided, however, that this clause (iii) shall not prohibit any negative pledge incurred or provided in favor of any holder of Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.02(e) or any licenses of software and other Intellectual Property in connection with which the Borrower is the licensee solely, in each case, to the extent any such negative pledge relates to the property financed by or the subject of such Indebtedness; or (b) requires the grant of a Lien to secure an obligation of such Person if a Lien is granted to secure another obligation of such Person.
7.10 Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of any Credit Extension, whether directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the FRB) or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.
7.11 Financial Covenants.
(a) Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio. Permit the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period to be greater than or equal to [5.25]5.50:1.00; provided, however, that (i) commencing with the end of the second Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be greater than or equal to [5.00:1.00 and]5.25:1.00,
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(ii) commencing with the end of the fourth Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be greater than or equal to 5.00:1.00, and (iii) commencing with the end of the second Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2018 and for each Fiscal Quarter thereafter, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be greater than or equal to 4.75:1.00.
(b) Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio. Permit the Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of the end of any Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower to be less than [1.50:1.00.]1.15:1.00; provided, however, that commencing with the end of the third Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 and for each Fiscal Quarter thereafter, the Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be less than 1.25:1.00.
7.12 [[Intentionally Omitted.]]Consolidated Growth Capital Expenditures. Make or become legally obligated to make any Consolidated Growth Capital Expenditures in an amount exceeding (i) $4,000,000 in the fourth Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2016 and (ii) $10,000,000 in each Fiscal Year thereafter.
7.13 Amendments of Organization Documents. (a) Amend any of its Organization Documents, except to the extent any such amendment could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or, notwithstanding the foregoing to the contrary, without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, the Organization Documents of any Loan Party shall not be amended (i) to create any class of Equity Interests that (x) is required to be repurchased, redeemed, retired, defeased or otherwise similarly acquired or discharged or (y) the holders of which are entitled to receive mandatory dividend, distributions or other similar payments in respect of such Equity Interests or (z) permits the acceleration of any such rights acquired (whether automatically or upon demand of the holder thereof); in each case, at any time prior to the date that is one calendar year following the Maturity Date unless all Obligations (other than inchoate indemnification liabilities arising under the Loan Documents for which a claim has not been asserted) have been paid in full in cash, the Commitments hereunder have been terminated and the Loan Documents have been terminated or (ii) to change the name of any Loan Party or its type of organization or (b) in addition to the provisions of clause (a) above, amend, modify or change in any manner any term or condition of the Organization Documents of the Borrower in a manner that provides any voting or consent rights or negative covenants to any shareholders.
7.14 Accounting Changes. Make any change in (a) accounting policies or reporting practices, except as required by GAAP, or (b) Fiscal Year.
7.15 Prepayments, Etc. of Indebtedness. Prepay, redeem, purchase, defease or otherwise satisfy prior to the scheduled maturity thereof in any manner, or make any payment in violation of
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any subordination terms of, any Indebtedness, except (a) the prepayment of the Credit Extensions in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and (b) regularly scheduled or required repayments or redemptions of Indebtedness set forth in Schedule 7.02 and refinancings and refundings of such Indebtedness in compliance with Section 7.02(d).
7.16 Sanctions. Directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of any Credit Extension, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, or, knowingly to any joint venture partner or other Person, to fund any activities of or business with any individual or entity, or in any Designated Jurisdiction, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions, or in any other manner that will result in a violation by an individual or entity (including any individual or entity participating in the transaction, whether as Lender, Arranger, Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer, Swing Line Lender, or otherwise) of Sanctions.
7.17 Anti-Corruption Laws. Directly or indirectly use the proceeds of any Credit Extension for any purpose which would breach the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010, and other similar anti-corruption legislation in any other relevant jurisdictions where the Borrower or its Subsidiaries conducts material operations.
7.01 New Operating Unit Lease Incurrences. From and after the Fourth Amendment Effective Date, enter into any Lease with respect to any New Operating Unit unless (a) the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio is less than or equal to 5.00:1.00 for the most recently completed Measurement Period prior to the consummation of such Lease or (b) Minimum Liquidity is not less than $10,000,000 at the time of consummation of such Lease.
ARTICLE VIII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
8.01 Events of Default. Any of the following shall constitute an Event of Default:
(a) Non-Payment. The Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to (i) pay when and as required to be paid herein and in the currency required hereunder, any amount of principal of any Loan or any L/C Obligation or deposit any funds as Cash Collateral in respect of L/C Obligations, or (ii) pay within three days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan or on any L/C Obligation, or any fee due hereunder, or (iii) pay within five days after the same becomes due, any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or
(b) Specific Covenants. (i) The Borrower fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in any of Section 6.01, 6.02(a), (b), (c) and (j), 6.03, 6.05, 6.07, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 6.19, 6.20, or Article VII, (ii) any of the Guarantors fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in the Guaranty or (iii) any of the Loan Parties fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained any Collateral Document to which it is a party; or
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(c) Other Defaults. Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in Section 8.01(a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for 30 days; or
(d) Representations and Warranties. Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party herein or in any other Loan Document that is not qualified by materiality shall be materially incorrect or misleading when made or deemed made; or any other representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party herein or in any other Loan Document shall be incorrect or misleading when made or deemed made; or
(e) Cross-Default. (i) Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof (A) fails to make any payment when due (after the expiration of any applicable grace or cure periods set forth therein) (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness or Guarantee (other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated credit arrangement) of more than the Threshold Amount, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded; or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of default under such Swap Contract as to which a Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as defined in such Swap Contract) under such Swap Contract as to which a Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof is an Affected Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by such Loan Party or such Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than the Threshold Amount; or
(f) [Intentionally Omitted].
(g) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part
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of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or
(h) Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment. (i) Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within 45 days after its issue or levy; or
(i) Judgments. There is entered against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof (i) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (as to all such judgments and orders) exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer is rated at least “A” by A.M. Best Company, has been notified of the potential claim and does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either case, (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order, or (B) there is a period of 10 consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or
(j) ERISA. (i) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan which has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Borrower or an ERISA Affiliate under Title IV of ERISA to the Pension Plan, Multiemployer Plan or the PBGC in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount, or (ii) the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount; or
(k) Invalidity of Loan Documents. Any provision of any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party or any Equity Investor contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any provision of any Loan Document; or any other Person contests in writing in any judicial proceeding in any manner the validity or enforceability of any provision of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party or any Equity Investor denies that it has any or further liability or obligation under any provision of any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any provision of any Loan Document; or
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(l) Change of Control. There occurs any Change of Control; or
(m) Collateral Documents. Any Collateral Document after delivery thereof pursuant to Section 4.01 or 6.12 shall for any reason (other than pursuant to the terms thereof) cease to create a valid and perfected first priority Lien (subject to Permitted Liens that are senior in priority under applicable Law) on the Collateral purported to be covered thereby; or
(n) Subordination. (i) The subordination provisions of the documents evidencing or governing any subordinated Indebtedness (the “Subordination Provisions”) shall, in whole or in part, terminate (other than explicitly pursuant to the terms of such Subordination Provisions), cease to be effective or cease to be legally valid, binding and enforceable against any holder of the applicable subordinated Indebtedness; or (ii) the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall, directly or indirectly, disavow or contest in any manner (A) the effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any of the Subordination Provisions, (B) that the Subordination Provisions exist for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer or (C) that all payments of principal of or premium and interest on the applicable subordinated Indebtedness, or realized from the liquidation of any property of any Loan Party, shall be subject to any of the Subordination Provisions.
8.02 Remedies Upon Event of Default. If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:
(a) declare the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions to be terminated, whereupon such commitments and obligation shall be terminated;
(b) declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower;
(c) require that the Borrower Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (in an amount equal to the then Outstanding Amount thereof); and
(d) exercise on behalf of itself, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer all rights and remedies available to it, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer under the Loan Documents and under applicable Law;
provided, however, that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, the obligation of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions shall automatically terminate, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and
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other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrower to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations as aforesaid shall automatically become effective, in each case without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.
8.03 Application of Funds. After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall, subject to the provisions of Sections 2.13, 2.14 and 2.15, be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:
First, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under Article III) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;
Second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal, interest and Letter of Credit Fees) payable to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and the L/C Issuer) arising under the Loan Documents and amounts payable under Article III, ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;
Third, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid Letter of Credit Fees and interest on the Loans, L/C Borrowings and other Obligations arising under the Loan Documents, ratably among the Lenders and the L/C Issuer in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;
Fourth, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans, L/C Borrowings and Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements, ratably among the Lenders, the L/C Issuer, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them;
Fifth, to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer, to Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit;
Sixth, to all other Obligations; and
Last, the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.
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Subject to Sections 2.03(c) and 2.14, amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fifth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Obligations arising under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements shall be excluded from the application described above if the Administrative Agent has not received written notice thereof, together with such supporting documentation as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, from the applicable Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank, as the case may be. Each Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank not a party to the Credit Agreement that has given the notice contemplated by the preceding sentence shall, by such notice, be deemed to have acknowledged and accepted the appointment of the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Article IX hereof for itself and its Affiliates as if a “Lender” party hereto.
ARTICLE IX
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
9.01 Appointment and Authority.
(a) Each of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer hereby irrevocably appoints Bank of America to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, and neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall also act as the “collateral agent” under the Loan Documents, and each of the Lenders (including in its capacities as a potential Hedge Bank and a potential Cash Management Bank) and the L/C Issuer hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Administrative Agent to act as the agent of such Lender and the L/C Issuer for purposes of acquiring, holding and enforcing any and all Liens on Collateral granted by any of the Loan Parties to secure any of the Obligations, together with such powers and discretion as are reasonably incidental thereto. In this connection, the Administrative Agent, as “collateral agent” and any co-agents, sub-agents and attorneys-in-fact appointed by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 9.05 for purposes of holding or enforcing any Lien on the Collateral (or any portion thereof) granted under the Collateral Documents, or for exercising any rights and remedies thereunder at the direction of the Administrative Agent), shall be entitled to the benefits of all provisions of this Article IX and Article XI (including Section 11.04(c), as though such co-agents, sub-agents and attorneys-in-fact
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were the “collateral agent” under the Loan Documents) as if set forth in full herein with respect thereto.
9.02 Rights as a Lender. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.
9.03 Exculpatory Provisions. The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent:
(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;
(b) shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable Law;
(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity;
(d) shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 11.01 and 8.02) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender or the L/C Issuer; and
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(e) shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, or the creation, perfection or priority of any Lien purported to be created by the Collateral Documents, (v) the value or the sufficiency of any Collateral, or (vi) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.
9.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or the L/C Issuer unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or the L/C Issuer prior to the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts reasonably selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.
9.05 Delegation of Duties. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more co-agents, sub-agents and attorneys in fact appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such co-agent, sub-agent and attorney in fact may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such co-agent, sub-agent and attorney in fact and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such co-agent, sub-agent, and attorney in fact and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent.
9.06 Resignation of Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Borrower. Upon receipt of any
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such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may on behalf of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above; provided that if the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such appointment, then such resignation shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice and (a) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (except that in the case of any collateral security held by the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders or the L/C Issuer under any of the Loan Documents, the retiring Administrative Agent shall continue to hold such collateral security until such time as a successor Administrative Agent is appointed) and (b) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender and the L/C Issuer directly, until such time as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above in this Section. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 11.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them (i) while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent and (ii) after such resignation for as long as any of them continues to act in any capacity hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, including (A) acting as collateral agent or otherwise holding any collateral security on behalf of any of the Lenders and (B) in respect of any actions taken in connection with transferring the agency to any successor Administrative Agent.
Any resignation by Bank of America as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also constitute its resignation as L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, (i) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender, (ii) the retiring L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender shall be discharged from all of its respective duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, and (iii) the
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successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the retiring L/C Issuer to effectively assume the obligations of the retiring L/C Issuer with respect to such Letters of Credit.
9.07 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
9.08 No Other Duties, Etc. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, none of the book managers, arrangers or syndication agents listed on the cover page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent, a Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder.
9.09 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim; Credit Bidding. In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or L/C Obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise
(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, L/C Obligations and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.03(h) and (i), 2.10 and 11.04) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
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and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender and the L/C Issuer to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.10 and 11.04.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or the L/C Issuer any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or the L/C Issuer to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or the L/C Issuer or in any such proceeding.
The Secured Parties hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at the direction of the Required Lenders, to credit bid all or any portion of the Obligations (including accepting some or all of the Collateral in satisfaction of some or all of the Obligations pursuant to a deed in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise) and in such manner purchase (either directly or through one or more acquisition vehicles) all or any portion of the Collateral (a) at any sale thereof conducted under the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, including under Sections 363, 1123 or 1129 of the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, or any similar Laws in any other jurisdictions to which a Loan Party is subject, (b) at any other sale or foreclosure or acceptance of collateral in lieu of debt conducted by (or with the consent or at the direction of) the Administrative Agent (whether by judicial action or otherwise) in accordance with any applicable Law. In connection with any such credit bid and purchase, the Obligations owed to the Secured Parties shall be entitled to be, and shall be, credit bid on a ratable basis (with Obligations with respect to contingent or unliquidated claims receiving contingent interests in the acquired assets on a ratable basis that would vest upon the liquidation of such claims in an amount proportional to the liquidated portion of the contingent claim amount used in allocating the contingent interests) in the asset or assets so purchased (or in the Equity Interests or debt instruments of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles that are used to consummate such purchase). In connection with any such bid (i) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to form one or more acquisition vehicles to make a bid, (ii) to adopt documents providing for the governance of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles (provided that any actions by the Administrative Agent with respect to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, including any disposition of the assets or Equity Interests thereof shall be governed, directly or indirectly, by the vote of the Required Lenders, irrespective of the termination of this Agreement and without giving effect to the limitations on actions by the Required Lenders contained in clauses (a) through (i) of Section 11.01 of this Agreement), (iii) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to assign the relevant Obligations to any such acquisition vehicle pro rata by the Lenders, as a result of which each of the Lenders shall be deemed to have received a pro rata portion of any Equity Interests and/
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or debt instruments issued by such an acquisition vehicle on account of the assignment of the Obligations to be credit bid, all without the need for any Secured Party or acquisition vehicle to take any further action, and (iv) to the extent that Obligations that are assigned to an acquisition vehicle are not used to acquire Collateral for any reason (as a result of another bid being higher or better, because the amount of Obligations assigned to the acquisition vehicle exceeds the amount of debt credit bid by the acquisition vehicle or otherwise), such Obligations shall automatically be reassigned to the Lenders pro rata and the Equity Interests and/or debt instruments issued by any acquisition vehicle on account of the Obligations that had been assigned to the acquisition vehicle shall automatically be cancelled, without the need for any Secured Party or any acquisition vehicle to take any further action.
9.10 Collateral and Guaranty Matters. Each of the Lenders (including in its capacities as a potential Cash Management Bank and a potential Hedge Bank) and the L/C Issuer irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion,
(a) to release any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document (i) upon termination of the Aggregate Commitments and payment in full of all Obligations (other than (A) contingent indemnification obligations for which no claim has then been asserted and (B) obligations and liabilities under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements as to which arrangements satisfactory to the applicable Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank shall have been made) and the expiration or termination of all Letters of Credit (other than Letters of Credit as to which other arrangements satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer shall have been made), (ii) that is sold or otherwise disposed of or to be sold or otherwise disposed as part of or in connection with any sale or other disposition permitted hereunder or under any other Loan Document, or (iii) if approved, authorized or ratified in writing in accordance with Section 11.01;
(b) to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person ceases to be a Subsidiary as a result of a transaction permitted hereunder; and
(c) to subordinate any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 7.01(i).
Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing the Administrative Agent’s authority to release or subordinate its interest in particular types or items of property, or to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.10. In each case as specified in this Section 9.10, the Administrative Agent will, at the Borrower’s expense, execute and deliver to the applicable Loan Party such documents as such Loan Party may reasonably request to evidence the release of such item of Collateral from the assignment and security interest granted under the Collateral Documents or to
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subordinate its interest in such item, or to release such Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty, in each case in accordance with the terms of the Loan Documents and this Section 9.10.
The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have a duty to ascertain or inquire into any representation or warranty regarding the existence, value or collectability of the Collateral, the existence, priority or perfection of the Administrative Agent’s Lien thereon, or any certificate prepared by any Loan Party in connection therewith, nor shall the Administrative Agent be responsible or liable to the Lenders for any failure to monitor or maintain any portion of the Collateral.
9.11 Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements. No Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank that obtains the benefits of Section 8.03, the Guaranty or any Collateral by virtue of the provisions hereof or of the Guaranty or any Collateral Document shall have any right to notice of any action or to consent to, direct or object to any action hereunder or under any other Loan Document or otherwise in respect of the Collateral (including the release or impairment of any Collateral) other than in its capacity as a Lender and, in such case, only to the extent expressly provided in the Loan Documents or with respect to rights expressly afforded to a Hedge Bank that is not a Lender under the second to last paragraph of Section 11.01. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article IX to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not be required to verify the payment of, or that other satisfactory arrangements have been made with respect to, Obligations arising under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements unless the Administrative Agent has received written notice of such Obligations, together with such supporting documentation as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, from the applicable Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank, as the case may be.
ARTICLE X
CONTINUING GUARANTY
CONTINUING GUARANTY
10.01 Guaranty. Each Guarantor hereby absolutely and unconditionally guarantees, as a guaranty of payment and performance and not merely as a guaranty of collection, jointly and severally with the other Guarantors, prompt payment when due, whether at stated maturity, by required prepayment, upon acceleration, demand or otherwise, and at all times thereafter, of any and all of the Obligations, whether for principal, interest, premiums, fees, indemnities, damages, costs, expenses or otherwise, of the Borrower to the Secured Parties, arising hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, any Secured Cash Management Agreement or any Secured Hedge Agreement (including all renewals, extensions, amendments, refinancings and other modifications thereof and all costs, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Secured Parties in connection with the collection or enforcement thereof). The Administrative Agent’s books and records showing the amount of the Obligations shall be admissible in evidence in any action or proceeding, and shall be binding upon each Guarantor, and conclusive absent manifest error for the purpose of establishing
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the amount of the Obligations. This Guaranty shall not be affected by the genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of the Obligations or any instrument or agreement evidencing any Obligations, or by the existence, validity, enforceability, perfection, non-perfection or extent of any collateral therefor, or by any fact or circumstance relating to the Obligations which might otherwise constitute a defense to the obligations of any Guarantor under this Guaranty, and each Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives any defenses it may now have or hereafter acquire in any way relating to any or all of the foregoing.
10.02 Rights of Lenders. Each Guarantor consents and agrees that the Secured Parties may, at any time and from time to time, without notice or demand, and without affecting the enforceability or continuing effectiveness hereof: (a) amend, extend, renew, compromise, discharge, accelerate or otherwise change the time for payment or the terms of the Obligations or any part thereof; (b) take, hold, exchange, enforce, waive, release, fail to perfect, sell, or otherwise dispose of any security for the payment of this Guaranty or any Obligations; (c) apply such security and direct the order or manner of sale thereof as the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders in their sole discretion may determine; and (d) release or substitute one or more of any endorsers or other guarantors of any of the Obligations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Guarantor consents to the taking of, or failure to take, any action which might in any manner or to any extent vary the risks of such Guarantor under this Guaranty or which, but for this provision, might operate as a discharge of such Guarantor.
10.03 Certain Waivers. Each Guarantor waives (a) any defense arising by reason of any disability or other defense of the Borrower or any other guarantor, or the cessation from any cause whatsoever (including any act or omission of any Secured Party) of the liability of the Borrower; (b) any defense based on any claim that such Guarantor’s obligations exceed or are more burdensome than those of the Borrower; (c) the benefit of any statute of limitations affecting such Guarantor’s liability hereunder; (d) any right to proceed against the Borrower, proceed against or exhaust any security for the Obligations, or pursue any other remedy in the power of any Secured Party whatsoever; (e) any benefit of and any right to participate in any security now or hereafter held by any Secured Party; and (f) to the fullest extent permitted by law, any and all other defenses or benefits that may be derived from or afforded by applicable law limiting the liability of or exonerating guarantors or sureties. Each Guarantor expressly waives all setoffs and counterclaims and all presentments, demands for payment or performance, notices of nonpayment or nonperformance, protests, notices of protest, notices of dishonor and all other notices or demands of any kind or nature whatsoever with respect to the Obligations, and all notices of acceptance of this Guaranty or of the existence, creation or incurrence of new or additional Obligations. Each Guarantor waives any rights and defenses that are or may become available to such Guarantor by reason of §§ 2787 to 2855, inclusive, and §§ 2899 and 3433 of the California Civil Code. As provided below, this Guaranty shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. The foregoing waivers and the provisions hereinafter set forth in this Guaranty which pertain
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to California law are included solely out of an abundance of caution, and shall not be construed to mean that any of the above-referenced provisions of California law are in any way applicable to this Guaranty or the Obligations.
10.04 Obligations Independent. The obligations of each Guarantor hereunder are those of primary obligor, and not merely as surety, and are independent of the Obligations and the obligations of any other guarantor, and a separate action may be brought against such Guarantor to enforce this Guaranty whether or not the Borrower or any other person or entity is joined as a party.
10.05 Subrogation. No Guarantor shall exercise any right of subrogation, contribution, indemnity, reimbursement or similar rights with respect to any payments it makes under this Guaranty until all of the Obligations and any amounts payable under this Guaranty have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full and the Commitments and the Facilities are terminated. If any amounts are paid to any Guarantor in violation of the foregoing limitation, then such amounts shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Secured Parties and shall forthwith be paid to the Secured Parties to reduce the amount of the Obligations, whether matured or unmatured.
10.06 Termination; Reinstatement. This Guaranty is a continuing and irrevocable guaranty of all Obligations now or hereafter existing and shall remain in full force and effect until all Obligations and any other amounts payable under this Guaranty are indefeasibly paid in full in cash and the Commitments and the Facilities with respect to the Obligations are terminated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Guaranty shall continue in full force and effect or be revived, as the case may be, if any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower or any Guarantor is made, or any of the Secured Parties exercises its right of setoff, in respect of the Obligations and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by any of the Secured Parties in their discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws or otherwise, all as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred and whether or not the Secured Parties are in possession of or have released this Guaranty and regardless of any prior revocation, rescission, termination or reduction. The obligations of each Guarantor under the preceding sentence shall survive termination of this Guaranty.
10.07 Subordination. Each Guarantor hereby subordinates the payment of all obligations and indebtedness of the Borrower owing to such Guarantor, whether now existing or hereafter arising, including but not limited to any obligation of the Borrower to such Guarantor as subrogee of the Secured Parties or resulting from such Guarantor’s performance under this Guaranty, to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Obligations. If the Secured Parties so request, any such obligation or indebtedness of the Borrower to any Guarantor shall be enforced and performance received by any Guarantor as trustee for the Secured Parties and the proceeds thereof shall be paid
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over to the Secured Parties on account of the Obligations, but without reducing or affecting in any manner the liability of the Guarantors under this Guaranty.
10.08 Stay of Acceleration. If acceleration of the time for payment of any of the Obligations is stayed, in connection with any case commenced by or against any Guarantor or the Borrower under any Debtor Relief Laws, or otherwise, all such amounts shall nonetheless be payable by such Guarantor immediately upon demand by the Secured Parties.
10.09 Condition of Borrower. Each Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that it has the sole responsibility for, and has adequate means of, obtaining from the Borrower and any other guarantor such information concerning the financial condition, business and operations of the Borrower and any such other guarantor as such Guarantor requires, and that none of the Secured Parties has any duty, and such Guarantor is not relying on the Secured Parties at any time, to disclose to such Guarantor any information relating to the business, operations or financial condition of the Borrower or any other Guarantor (such Guarantor waiving any duty on the part of the Secured Parties to disclose such information and any defense relating to the failure to provide the same).
10.10 Contribution. To the extent any Guarantor makes a payment hereunder in excess of the aggregate amount of the benefit received by such Guarantor in respect of the extensions of credit under the Credit Agreement (the “Benefit Amount”), then such Guarantor, after the payment in full, in cash, of all of the Obligations, shall be entitled to recover from each other Guarantor of the Obligations such excess payment, pro rata, in accordance with the ratio of the Benefit Amount received by each such other Guarantor to the total Benefit Amount received by all Guarantors, and the right to such recovery shall be deemed to be an asset and property of such Guarantor so funding; provided, that all such rights to recovery shall be subordinated and junior in right of payment, without any limitation as to the increases in the Obligations arising hereunder or thereunder, to the prior final and indefeasible payment in full in cash of all of the Obligations and, in the event of the application of any Debtor Relief Laws relating to any Guarantor, its debts or assets, whether voluntary or involuntary, all such Obligations shall be paid in full in cash before any payment or distribution of any character, whether in cash, securities or other property, shall be made to any other Guarantor therefor.
10.11 Concerning Joint and Several Liability of the Guarantors. In addition to and not in limitation of the provisions set forth herein, each of the Guarantors hereby agrees to the following:
(a) The obligations of each Guarantor under the provisions of this Guaranty constitute full recourse obligations of each Guarantor enforceable against each such Guarantor to the full extent of its properties and assets, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Loan Documents or any other agreement or document relating to the Obligations or any other circumstance whatsoever.
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(b) Until all Obligations shall have been indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all of the lending and other credit commitments under this Agreement and Loan Documents have been terminated, the Guarantors will not, and will not cause or permit any of their Subsidiaries to, commence or join with any other creditor or creditors of any of their Subsidiaries in commencing the application of any Debtor Relief Laws against any of their Subsidiaries.
10.12 Guarantors’ Agreement to Pay Enforcement Costs, etc. Each Guarantor further jointly and severally agrees, as a principal obligor and not as a guarantor only, to pay to the Administrative Agent, on demand, all costs and expenses set forth in Section 11.04. The obligations of each Guarantor under this paragraph shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and termination of this Guaranty.
10.13 Keepwell. Each Loan Party that is a Qualified ECP Guarantor at the time the Guaranty or the grant of the security interest hereunder, in each case, by any Specified Loan Party, becomes effective with respect to any Swap Obligation, hereby jointly and severally, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes to provide such funds or other support to each Specified Loan Party with respect to such Swap Obligation as may be needed by such Specified Loan Party from time to time to honor all of its obligations under this Guaranty and the other Loan Documents in respect of such Swap Obligation (but, in each case, only up to the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering such Qualified ECP Guarantor’s obligations and undertakings under this Section 10.13 voidable under applicable law relating to fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer, and not for any greater amount). The obligations and undertakings of each Qualified ECP Guarantor under this Section 10.13 shall remain in full force and effect until the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor intends this Section 10.13 to constitute, and this Section 10.13 shall be deemed to constitute, a guarantee of the obligations of, and a “keepwell, support, or other agreement” for the benefit of, each Specified Loan Party for all purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act.
ARTICLE XI
MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS
11.01 Amendments, Etc. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by the Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders and the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided, however, that no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:
(a) waive any condition set forth in Section 4.02 as to any Credit Extension under the Facility without the written consent of the Required Lenders;
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(b) extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender (or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 8.02) without the written consent of such Lender;
(c) postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment (excluding mandatory prepayments) of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders (or any of them) hereunder or under such other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender entitled to such payment;
(d) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or L/C Borrowing, or (subject to clause (iv) of the second proviso to this Section 11.01) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender entitled to such amount; provided, however, that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary (i) to amend the definition of “Default Rate” or to waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest or Letter of Credit Fees at the Default Rate or (ii) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the rate of interest on any Loan or L/C Borrowing or to reduce any fee payable hereunder.
(e) change (i) Section 2.13 or Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender or (ii) the order of application of any reduction in the Commitments or any prepayment of Loans among the Facilities from the application thereof set forth in the applicable provisions of Sections 2.05(a) and 2.05(b) in any manner that materially and adversely affects the Lenders without the written consent of the Required Lenders;
(f) change any provision of this Section 11.01 or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender;
(g) release all or substantially all of the Collateral in any transaction or series of related transactions, without the written consent of each Lender;
(h) release all or substantially all of the value of the Guaranty, without the written consent of each Lender, except to the extent the release of any Subsidiary from the Guaranty is permitted pursuant to Section 9.10 (in which case such release may be made by the Administrative Agent acting alone); or
(i) impose any greater restriction on the ability of any Lender to assign any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the written consent of the Required Lenders;
and provided, further, that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the L/C Issuer in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the L/C
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Issuer under this Agreement or any Issuer Document relating to any Letter of Credit issued or to be issued by it, (ii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Swing Line Lender in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights and duties of the Swing Line Lender under the Agreement, (iii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (iv) the Autoborrow Agreement and any fee letters executed in connection therewith may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a writing executed only by the parties thereto, and (v) the Fee Letter may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a writing executed only by the parties thereto. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder (and any amendment, waiver or consent which by its terms requires the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender may be effected with the consent of the applicable Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders), except that (x) the Commitment of any Defaulting Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender and (y) any waiver, amendment or modification requiring the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender that by its terms affects any Defaulting Lender more adversely than other affected Lenders shall require the consent of such Defaulting Lender.
Subject to compliance with the last paragraph of Section 8.03, no amendment, waiver or consent with respect to this Agreement, Secured Cash Management Agreements or any other Loan Document shall (i) alter the ratable treatment of the Obligations owing under Secured Hedge Agreements in right of payment to principal on the Loans or (ii) result in the Obligations owing under Secured Cash Management Agreements or Secured Hedge Agreements becoming unsecured (other than releases of Liens applicable to all Lenders and otherwise permitted in accordance with the terms hereof), in each case, in a manner adverse to the applicable Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank unless such amendment waiver or consent has been consented to in writing by such Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank (or in the case of a Secured Cash Management Agreements or Secured Hedge Agreement provided or arranged by a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, such Lender or Affiliate).
If any Lender does not consent to a proposed amendment, waiver, consent or release with respect to any Loan Document that requires the consent of such Lender and that has been approved by the Required Lenders, the Borrower may replace such non-consenting Lender in accordance with Section 11.13; provided that such amendment, waiver, consent or release can be effected as a result of the assignment contemplated by such Section (together with all other such assignments required by the Borrower to be made pursuant to this paragraph).
11.02 Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communications.
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(a) Notices Generally. Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopier or electronic mail as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:
(i) if to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 11.02; and
(ii) if to any other Lender, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire (including, as appropriate, notices delivered solely to the Person designated by a Lender on its Administrative Questionnaire then in effect for the delivery of notices that may contain material non-public information relating to the Borrower).
Notices and other communications sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices and other communications sent by telecopier shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient). Notices and other communications delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in subsection (b) below shall be effective as provided in such subsection (b).
(b) Electronic Communications. Notices and other communications to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail, FpML messaging, and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to Article II if such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.
Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at
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its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses (i) and (ii), if such notice, email or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice, email or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient.
(c) The Platform. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” THE AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE BORROWER MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties (collectively, the “Agent Parties”) have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of the Borrower’s or the Administrative Agent’s transmission of Borrower Materials or notices through the Platform, any other electronic messaging service, or through the Internet, except to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent Party; provided, however, that in no event shall any Agent Party have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other Person for indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages).
(d) Change of Address, Etc. Each of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender. In addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name, telephone number, telecopier number and electronic mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire instructions for such Lender. Furthermore, each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the “Private Side Information” or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable Law, including United States Federal
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and state securities Laws, to make reference to Borrower Materials that are not made available through the “Public Side Information” portion of the Platform and that may contain material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal or state securities Laws.
(e) Reliance by Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Lenders. The Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic or electronic Committed Loan Notices, Letter of Credit Applications, Notices of Loan Prepayment and Swing Line Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower. All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.
11.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement. No failure by any Lender, the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided, and provided under each other Loan Document, are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Loan Document, the authority to enforce rights and remedies hereunder and under the other Loan Documents against the Loan Parties or any of them shall be vested exclusively in, and all actions and proceedings at law in connection with such enforcement shall be instituted and maintained exclusively by, the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 8.02 for the benefit of all the Lenders and the L/C Issuer; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit (a) the Administrative Agent from exercising on its own behalf the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as Administrative Agent) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (b) the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender from exercising the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as the case may be) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (c) any Lender from exercising setoff rights in accordance with Section 11.08 (subject to the terms of Section 2.12), or (d) any Lender from filing proofs of claim or appearing and filing pleadings on its own behalf during the pendency of a proceeding relative to any Loan Party under any Debtor Relief Law; and provided, further, that if at any time there is no Person acting as Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, then (i) the Required
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Lenders shall have the rights otherwise ascribed to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 8.02 and (ii) in addition to the matters set forth in clauses (b), (c) and (d) of the preceding proviso and subject to Section 2.12, any Lender may, with the consent of the Required Lenders, enforce any rights and remedies available to it and as authorized by the Required Lenders.
11.04 Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.
(a) Costs and Expenses. The Borrower shall pay (i) the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates (including the reasonable and documented fees, charges and disbursements and other charges of counsel for the Administrative Agent (including all costs and expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its counsel in connection with the perfection and priority of the security interests and Liens granted to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Loan Documents, including, without limitation, complete UCC and other lien searches and requests for information listing the financing statements referenced in Section 4.01(a)(iii)(B) and post filing confirmatory searches and any amendments or modifications thereto), in each case, in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications, waivers or other supplements of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), the due diligence undertaken in connection therewith and any other aspect of the Transaction, (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the L/C Issuer in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer), and shall pay all fees and time charges for attorneys who may be employees of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights (A) in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section 11.04, or (B) in connection with Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of Credit.
(b) Indemnification by the Borrower. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof), the Arranger, each Lender and the L/C Issuer, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses arising out of or relating to the Transaction (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee and any settlement costs), and shall indemnify and hold harmless each Indemnitee from all fees and time charges and disbursements for attorneys who may be employees of any Indemnitee, incurred by any Indemnitee or asserted
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against any Indemnitee by any third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or, in the case of the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only, the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including in respect of any matters addressed in Section 3.01), (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by the L/C Issuer to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party or any of the Borrower’s or such Loan Party’s directors, shareholders or creditors, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto, IN ALL CASES, WHETHER OR NOT CAUSED BY OR ARISING, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OUT OF THE COMPARATIVE, CONTRIBUTORY OR SOLE NEGLIGENCE OF THE INDEMNITEE; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) result from a claim brought by the Borrower or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for a material breach in bad faith of such Indemnitee’s obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if the Borrower or such Loan Party has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. This Section 11.04(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims, damages, etc. arising from any non-Tax claim.
(c) Reimbursement by Lenders. To the extent that the Borrower for any reason fails to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b) of this Section to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent (or any sub-agent thereof), the L/C Issuer or any Related Party of any of the foregoing, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), the L/C Issuer or such Related Party, as the case may be, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount; provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent) or the L/C Issuer in its capacity as such, or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing acting for the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent) or L/C Issuer
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in connection with such capacity. The obligations of the Lenders under this subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(d).
(d) Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, the Borrower shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(e) Payments. All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten Business Days after demand therefor.
(f) Survival. The agreements in this Section shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations.
11.05 Payments Set Aside. To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower is made to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender, or the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender and the L/C Issuer severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect, in the applicable currency of such recovery or payment. The obligations of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
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11.06 Successors and Assigns.
(a) Successors and Assigns Generally. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder (other than, in the case of a Loan Party, pursuant to a transaction expressly permitted under Section 7.04(a), (b), (e), or 7.05(h) without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of Section 11.06(b), (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of Section 11.06(d), or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of Section 11.06(f) (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) Assignments by Lenders. Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment(s) and the Loans (including for purposes of this Section 11.06(b), participations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans) at the time owing to it); provided that any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:
(i) Minimum Amounts.
(A) in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment under the Facility and the Loans at the time owing to it under the Facility or in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund, no minimum amount need be assigned; and
(B) in any case not described in subsection (b)(i)(A) of this Section, the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if “Trade Date” is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $1,000,000, unless each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower otherwise consents (each
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such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided, however, that concurrent assignments to members of an Assignee Group and concurrent assignments from members of an Assignee Group to a single Eligible Assignee (or to an Eligible Assignee and members of its Assignee Group) will be treated as a single assignment for purposes of determining whether such minimum amount has been met;
(ii) Proportionate Amounts. Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned, except that this clause (ii) shall not (A) apply to the Swing Line Lender’s rights and obligations in respect of Swing Line Loans or (B) prohibit any Lender from assigning all or a portion of its rights and obligations among separate Facilities on a non-pro rata basis;
(iii) Required Consents. No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by subsection (b)(i)(B) of this Section and, in addition:
(A) the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund; provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within fifteen (15) Business Days after having received notice thereof;
(B) the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for assignments in respect of any Revolving Credit Commitment if such assignment is to a Person that is not a Lender with a Commitment in respect of the Facility, an Affiliate of such Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Lender; and
(C) the consent of the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for any assignment under the Revolving Credit Facility.
(iv) Assignment and Assumption. The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it is not a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.
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(v) No Assignment to Certain Persons. No such assignment shall be made (A) to the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries, or (B) to any Defaulting Lender or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Person who, upon becoming a Lender hereunder, would constitute any of the foregoing Persons described in this clause (B), or (C) to a natural person.
(vi) Certain Additional Payments. In connection with any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder, no such assignment shall be effective unless and until, in addition to the other conditions thereto set forth herein, the parties to the assignment shall make such additional payments to the Administrative Agent in an aggregate amount sufficient, upon distribution thereof as appropriate (which may be outright payment, purchases by the assignee of participations or subparticipations, or other compensating actions, including funding, with the consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, the applicable pro rata share of Loans previously requested but not funded by the Defaulting Lender, to each of which the applicable assignee and assignor hereby irrevocably consent), to (x) pay and satisfy in full all payment liabilities then owed by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder (and interest accrued thereon) and (y) acquire (and fund as appropriate) its full pro rata share of all Loans and participations in Letters of Credit in accordance with its Applicable Percentage. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder shall become effective under applicable Law without compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, then the assignee of such interest shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender for all purposes of this Agreement until such compliance occurs.
Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto) but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04, 3.05 and 11.04 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment. Upon request, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with Section 11.06(d).
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(c) Register. The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower (such agency being solely for tax purposes), shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it (or the equivalent thereof in electronic form) and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Loans and L/C Obligations owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. In addition, the Administrative Agent shall maintain on the Register information regarding the designation, and revocation of designation, of any Lender as a Defaulting Lender. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(d) Participations. Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural person, a Defaulting Lender or the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans (including such Lender’s participations in L/C Obligations and/or Swing Line Loans) owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the first proviso to Section 11.01 that affects such Participant. Subject to subsection (e) of this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to Section 11.06(b). To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 11.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register
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(including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant's interest in any commitments, loans, letters of credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such commitment, loan, letter of credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
(e) Limitations upon Participant Rights. A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 3.01 or 3.04 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent. A Participant that would be a Foreign Lender if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 3.01(e) as though it were a Lender.
(f) Certain Pledges. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
(g) Resignation as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender after Assignment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if at any time Bank of America assigns all of its Revolving Credit Commitment and Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to Section 11.06(b), Bank of America may, (i) upon 30 days’ notice to the Borrower and the Lenders, resign as L/C Issuer and/or (ii) upon 30 days’ notice to the Borrower, resign as Swing Line Lender. In the event of any such resignation as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, the Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the Lenders a successor L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender hereunder; provided, however, that no failure by the Borrower to appoint any such successor shall affect the resignation of Bank of America as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as the case may be. If Bank of America resigns as L/C Issuer, it shall retain all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto (including the right to require the Lenders to make Revolving Credit Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c)). If Bank of America resigns as Swing Line Lender, it shall retain all the rights of the Swing Line Lender provided for hereunder with respect to Swing Line Loans made by it and outstanding as of the
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effective date of such resignation, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in outstanding Swing Line Loans pursuant to Section 2.04(c). Upon the appointment of a successor L/C Issuer and or Swing Line Lender, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as the case may be, and (b) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to Bank of America to effectively assume the obligations of Bank of America with respect to such Letters of Credit.
11.07 Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its and its Affiliates’ respective partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees, advisors and representatives (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority purporting to have jurisdiction over it (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or[ any Eligible Assignee invited to be a Lender pursuant to Sections 2.16(c)] (ii) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Borrower and its obligations, (g) with the consent of the Borrower or (h) to the extent such Information (i) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section by such Lender, (ii) was or becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower or (iii) was independently developed by the Administrative Agent, such Lender or L/C Issuer.
For purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower or any Subsidiary relating to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or any Subsidiary, provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower or any Subsidiary after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care
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to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public information concerning the Borrower or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws.
11.08 Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender, the L/C Issuer and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency) at any time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such Lender, the L/C Issuer or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower or any other Loan Party against any and all of the obligations of the Borrower or such other Loan Party now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, irrespective of whether or not such Lender or the L/C Issuer shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of the Borrower or such other Loan Party may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch or office of such Lender or the L/C Issuer different from the branch or office holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided, that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.15 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender, the L/C Issuer and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, the L/C Issuer or their respective Affiliates may have. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.
11.09 Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “Maximum Rate”). If the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted
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for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.
11.10 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, and the other Loan Documents constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy or other electronic imaging means shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
11.11 Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Credit Extension, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding.
11.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 11.12, if and to the extent that the enforceability of any provisions in this Agreement relating to Defaulting Lenders shall be limited by Debtor Relief Laws, as determined in good faith by the Administrative Agent
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and the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender, as applicable, then such provisions shall be deemed to be in effect only to the extent not so limited.
11.13 Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, if any Lender is a Defaulting Lender or if any other circumstance exists hereunder that gives the Borrower the right to replace a Lender as a party hereto, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents required by, Section 11.06), all of its interests, rights and obligations under this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment), provided that:
(a) the Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment fee specified in Section 11.06(b);
(b) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to 100% of the outstanding principal of its Loans and L/C Advances, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including any amounts under Section 3.05) from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts);
(c) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.01, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter; and
(d) such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws.
A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply.
11.14 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.
(a) GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES THEREOF (OTHER THAN SECTIONS 5-1401 AND 5-1402 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).
(b) SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION. THE BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT
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COMMENCE ANY ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING OF ANY KIND OR DESCRIPTION, WHETHER IN LAW OR EQUITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT OR OTHERWISE, AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER, THE L/C ISSUER, OR ANY RELATED PARTY OF THE FOREGOING IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATING HERETO OR THERETO, IN ANY FORUM OTHER THAN THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS AND AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH NEW YORK STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR THE L/C ISSUER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST THE BORROWER OR ANY OTHER LOAN PARTY OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.
(c) WAIVER OF VENUE. THE BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.
(d) SERVICE OF PROCESS. EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 11.02. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
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11.15 Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
11.16 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Affiliates’ understanding, that: (i) (A) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Administrative Agent and the Arranger and the Lenders are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Borrower and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent and the Arranger and the Lenders, on the other hand, (B) the Borrower has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate, and (C) the Borrower is capable of evaluating, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; (ii) (A) the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and the Lenders each is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary for the Borrower or any of its Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) neither the Administrative Agent nor the Arranger nor any Lender has any obligation to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii) the Administrative Agent, the Arranger, the Lenders and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Borrower and its Affiliates, and neither the Administrative Agent nor the Arranger nor any Lender has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Borrower hereby waives and releases any claims that it may have against the Administrative Agent, the Arranger or the Lenders with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.
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11.17 Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents. The words “delivery,” “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Loan Document or any other document executed in connection herewith or in any amendment or other modification thereof (including waivers and consents) shall be deemed to include electronic signatures, the electronic matching of assignment terms and contract formations on electronic platforms approved by the Administrative Agent, or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable Law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act; provided that notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary neither the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer nor any Lender is under any obligation to agree to accept electronic signatures in any form or in any format unless expressly agreed to by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or such Lender pursuant to procedures approved by it and provided further without limiting the foregoing, upon the request of any party, any electronic signature shall be promptly followed by such manually executed counterpart.
11.18 USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the Act (as hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of each Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify each Loan Party in accordance with the Act. The Borrower shall, promptly following a request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, provide all documentation and other information that the Administrative Agent or such Lender requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable “know your customer” an anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Act.
11.19 ENTIRE AGREEMENT. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS REPRESENT THE FINAL AGREEMENT AMONG THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS, OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES. THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS AMONG THE PARTIES.
11.20 Amendment and Restatement. On the Closing Date, this Agreement shall amend, restate and supersede the Existing Credit Agreement in its entirety, except as provided in this Section 11.20. On the Closing Date, the rights and obligations of the parties evidenced by the Existing Credit Agreement shall be evidenced by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and the
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grant of security interest in the Collateral by the relevant Loan Parties under the Existing Credit Agreement and the other “Loan Documents” (as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement) shall continue under but as amended by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and shall not in any event be terminated, extinguished or annulled but shall hereafter be governed by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. All references to the Existing Credit Agreement in any Loan Document or other document or instrument delivered in connection therewith shall be deemed to refer to this Agreement and the provisions hereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and to the extent necessary, the existing lenders, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent reserve all of their rights under the Existing Credit Agreement and the other “Loan Documents” (as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement) which by their express terms survive the termination of the Existing Credit Agreement and each of the Guarantors hereby obligates itself again in respect of all such present and future “Obligations” (as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement). Nothing contained herein shall be construed as a novation of the “Obligations” outstanding under and as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect, except as modified hereby.
11.21 Appointment of Borrower. Each of the Loan Parties hereby appoints the Borrower to act as its agent for all purposes of this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and all other documents and electronic platforms entered into in connection herewith and agrees that (a) the Borrower may execute such documents and provide such authorizations on behalf of such Loan Parties as the Borrower deems appropriate in its sole discretion and each Loan Party shall be obligated by all of the terms of any such document and/or authorization executed on its behalf, (b) any notice or communication delivered by the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or a Lender to the Borrower shall be deemed delivered to each Loan Party and (c) the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or the Lenders may accept, and be permitted to rely on, any document, authorization, instrument or agreement executed by the Borrower on behalf of each of the Loan Parties.
11.22 Judgment Currency. If, for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court, it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder or any other Loan Document in one currency into another currency, the rate of exchange used shall be that at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Administrative Agent could purchase the first currency with such other currency on the Business Day preceding that on which final judgment is given. The obligation of each Loan Party in respect of any such sum due from it to the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder or under the other Loan Documents shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than that in which such sum is denominated in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement (the “Agreement Currency”), be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency, the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase the Agreement Currency with the Judgment Currency. If the amount of the Agreement
156
Currency so purchased is less than the sum originally due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender from any Loan Party in the Agreement Currency, such Loan Party agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, against such loss. If the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is greater than the sum originally due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in such currency, the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, agrees to return the amount of any excess to such Loan Party (or to any other Person who may be entitled thereto under applicable law).
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank.]
157
EXHIBIT D
FORM OF COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
Financial Statement Date: _________,____
To: Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of November 22, 2013 (as may be further amended, restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing from time to time, the “Agreement”; the terms defined therein being used herein as therein defined), among, inter alia, Noodles & Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Borrower”), the Lenders from time to time party thereto, and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the Agreement.
The undersigned Responsible Officer1 hereby certifies as of the date hereof that he/she is the ___________________________________ of the Borrower, and that, as such, he/she is authorized to execute and deliver this Certificate to the Administrative Agent on the behalf of the Borrower, and that:
[Use following paragraph 1 for fiscal year-end financial statements]
1. [Attached hereto as Schedule 1 are the year-end financial statements required by Section 6.01(a) of the Agreement for the Fiscal Year of Borrower ended as of the above date, including (i) the consolidated balance sheet of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such Fiscal Year and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such Fiscal Year, in each case, audited and accompanied by the report and opinion of an independent certified public accounting firm of nationally recognized standing required by such section, and (ii) a statement detailing unit-level sales and operating income, as of the end of and for such Fiscal Year, setting forth in comparative form the corresponding information for the previous Fiscal Year and the Budget as required by such section.]
1 This certificate should be from the chief executive officer, chief financial officer or treasurer or controller of the Borrower.
D - 1
Form of Compliance
[Use following paragraph 1 for fiscal quarter-end financial statements]
1. [Attached hereto as Schedule 1 are the unaudited financial statements required by Section 6.01(b) of the Agreement for the Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower ended as of the above date, including a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of such Fiscal Quarter, and related consolidated statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such Fiscal Quarter and for and for the portion of the Borrower’s Fiscal Year ended as of the above date, setting forth in comparative form the corresponding information for the corresponding Fiscal Quarter of the previous Fiscal Year and the corresponding portion of the previous Fiscal Year and setting forth in comparative form the corresponding information for the corresponding Fiscal Quarter set forth in the applicable Budget, in each case, in reasonable detail, fairly presenting the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes.]
2. The undersigned has reviewed and is familiar with the terms of the Agreement and has made, or has caused to be made under his/her supervision, a detailed review of the transactions and condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower during the accounting period covered by such financial statements.
3. A review of the activities of the Borrower during such fiscal period has been made under the supervision of the undersigned with a view to determining whether during such fiscal period the Borrower performed and observed all its Obligations under the Loan Documents, and
[select one:]
[to the best knowledge of the undersigned, during such fiscal period the Borrower performed and observed each covenant and condition of the Loan Documents applicable to it, and no Default has occurred and is continuing.]
--or--
[to the best knowledge of the undersigned, the following covenants or conditions have not been performed or observed and the following is a list of each such Default and its nature and status:]
4. The financial covenant analyses and information set forth on Schedules 1 and 2 attached hereto are true and accurate on and as of the date of this Certificate.
D - 2
Form of Compliance
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Certificate as
of , .
NOODLES & COMPANY
By:
Name:
Title:
3
For the Quarter/Year ended ___________________, ____ (“Statement Date”)
SCHEDULE 1
to the Compliance Certificate
($ in 000’s)
to the Compliance Certificate
($ in 000’s)
I. | Section 7.11(a) – Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio | |||
A. | Consolidated Funded Indebtedness at Statement Date: | $______ | ||
B. | Consolidated Adjusted Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period: | |||
1. | Consolidated Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period: | $______ | ||
2. | Consolidated Adjusted Cash Rental Expense (Line I.B.1 multiplied by eight (8)): | $______ | ||
C. | L/C Obligations as at Statement Date (to the extent not included in Consolidated Funded Indebtedness): | $______ | ||
D. | Consolidated EBITDAR for such Measurement Period (without duplication): | |||
1. | Consolidated EBITDA (as calculated on Schedule 2 attached hereto) for such Measurement Period: | $______ | ||
2. | Consolidated Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period (Line I.B.1): | $______ | ||
3. | Consolidated EBITDAR (Line I.D.1 + Line I.D.2): | $______ | ||
E. | Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio ([Line I.A + Line I.B.2 + Line I.C] ÷ Line I.D.3): | ____ to 1 | ||
F. | Permitted Maximum Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio: | 5.50:1.002 | ||
Compliance: [YES][NO]
2 Commencing with the end of the second Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be greater than
4
or equal to 5.25:1.00, (ii) commencing with the end of the fourth Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be greater than or equal to 5.00:1.00, and (iii) commencing with the end of the second Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2018 and for each Fiscal Quarter thereafter, the Consolidated Total Lease Adjusted Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be greater than or equal to 4.75:1.00.
5
II. | Section 7.11(b) - Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio | |||
A. | Consolidated EBITDAR for such Measurement Period (Line I.D.3): | $______ | ||
B. | Consolidated Maintenance Capital Expenditures (aggregate amount paid in cash during the Measurement Period): | $______ | ||
C. | Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes (aggregate amount paid in cash during the Measurement Period): | $______ | ||
D. | Consolidated Interest Charges (paid in cash for the Measurement Period): | $______ | ||
E. | Regularly scheduled principal payments or redemptions or similar acquisitions for value of outstanding debt for borrowed money, excluding any such payments to the extent refinanced through the incurrence of additional Indebtedness otherwise expressly permitted under Section 7.02 (aggregate amount paid during the Measurement Period): | $______ | ||
F. | Consolidated Cash Rental Expense for such Measurement Period (Line I.B.1) : | $______ | ||
G. | Reductions to the Revolving Credit Commitment pursuant to Section 2.6(b)(i) in the aggregate principal amount of $10,000,000, calculated on a pro forma basis whether or not such scheduled reduction has in fact occurred | $______ | ||
H. | Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio ([Line II.A – Line II.B – Line II.C] ÷ [Line II.D + Line II.E + Line II.F]): | _____ to 1 | ||
I | Permitted Minimum Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio: | 1.15 to 1:003 | ||
Compliance: [YES][NO]
3 Commencing with the end of the third Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 and for each Fiscal Quarter thereafter, the Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of the end of any Measurement Period shall not be permitted to be less than 1.25:1.00.
6
For the Quarter/Year ended ___________________(“Statement Date”)
SCHEDULE 2
to the Compliance Certificate
($ in 000’s)
to the Compliance Certificate
($ in 000’s)
Consolidated EBITDA
(in accordance with the definition of Consolidated EBITDA
as set forth in the Agreement)
(in accordance with the definition of Consolidated EBITDA
as set forth in the Agreement)
Consolidated EBITDA | Quarter Ended __________ | Quarter Ended __________ | Quarter Ended __________ | Quarter Ended __________ | Measurement Period __________ |
Consolidated Net Income | |||||
+ Consolidated Interest Charges | |||||
+ income taxes | |||||
+ depreciation expense | |||||
+ amortization expense | |||||
+ Consolidated Restaurant Pre-Opening Costs4 | |||||
+ non-cash rent expense | |||||
+ non-cash compensation expense | |||||
+ non-recurring non-cash expenses or charges (or minus non-recurring income items) | |||||
4 Not to exceed an average of $85,000 per Restaurant for all Restaurants incurred during Measurement Period.
+ non-recurring cash expenses (including severance payments) or charges5 | |||||
+ management fees6 | |||||
+ one time fees and out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with Permitted Acquisitions consummated after the Closing Date7 | |||||
+ fees and expenses arising from the Transaction, initial public offering or any follow-on offering (but only for the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2013) | |||||
+one-time costs associated with the termination of Leases8 | |||||
+pro forma general and administrative cash cost savings resulting from the headcount reduction completed prior to the end of the third Fiscal Quarter of Fiscal Year 20169 | |||||
- income tax credits | |||||
5 In an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 in Measurement Period.
6 Including the Class C Common Stock Dividend to the extent deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income.
7 Not to exceed $250,000 in Measurement Period and $1,000,000 over the term of the Agreement.
8 In an amount not to exceed $1,500,000 in the aggregate.
9 Not to exceed $2,700,000 in the aggregate.
= Consolidated EBITDA | |||||
Exhibit 10.7
July 25, 2016
Robert M. Hartnett
2445 West 67th Street
Mission Hills, KS 66208
2445 West 67th Street
Mission Hills, KS 66208
Dear Bob:
We are pleased that you have agreed to serve as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Noodles & Company (the “Company”). This letter sets forth the key terms and conditions for your service as Non-Executive Chairman.
1. Position. You will serve as Non-Executive Chairman until either you or the Board of Directors (the “Board”) provides written notice of your termination from such position or if you leave the Board for any reason (the “Term”).
2. Cash Retainer. In accordance with the Noodles & Company Amended and Restated Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors, as amended (the “Plan”), during the Term, you will be paid a cash retainer at the rate of $100,000 per annum, payable no less frequently than quarterly.
3. RSUs. In accordance with the Plan, you will receive an initial restricted stock unit (“RSU”) grant with a Fair Market Value of $100,000, effective as of the date hereof with subsequent annual grants with a Fair Market Value of $100,000 on the date of the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders during the Term. The RSUs shall be fully vested when made. The terms “Fair Market Value” and “Stock” have the meanings set forth in the Company’s stock incentive plan that is in effect from time-to-time.
4. Service with Other Entities. You agree that, during the Term, you shall not provide services directly or indirectly to any company engaged in the business of operating or franchising fast-casual restaurants. In addition, you agree that during the Term, you shall not serve on more than one (1) other board of directors without the written consent of the Board, excluding boards of directors of charitable organizations.
5. Non-Employee. During the Term, you shall not be an employee or officer of the Company. You shall not be eligible to participate in any employee benefit plan of the Company, and no amounts payable hereunder shall be subject to tax withholdings.
6. Commitment. During the Term, you will devote such reasonable time, attention, skill and efforts to the business and affairs of the Company as is necessary to discharge the duties and responsibilities assigned to you hereunder, and you shall serve the Company faithfully and to the best of your ability.
7. Confidential Information. You agree that you shall not, at any time during the Term or thereafter, disclose to another, or use for any purpose other than performing your duties and responsibilities under this letter, any Confidential Information. For purposes of this letter, Confidential Information includes all trade secrets and confidential information of the Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries including, but not limited to, the Company’s unique business methods, processes, operating techniques and “know-
how” (all of which have been developed by the Company or its affiliates and subsidiaries through substantial effort and investment), profit and loss results, market and supplier strategies, customer identity and needs, information pertaining to employee effectiveness and compensation, inventory strategy, product costs, gross margins, and other information relating to the affairs of the Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries that you shall have acquired during your employment with the Company.
8. Entire Agreement/Governing Law. This letter supersedes and replaces any prior agreements, representations or understandings (whether written, oral, implied or otherwise) between you and the Company, and constitutes the complete agreement between you and the Company regarding your position as Non-Executive Chairman. This letter may not be amended or modified, except by an express written agreement of the parties. This letter shall be construed, interpreted and governed by the law of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles regarding conflict of laws.
9. Counterparts. This letter may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
10. Headings. Headings in this letter are for reference only and shall not be deemed to have any substantive effect.
We are very excited to have you in a leadership role during this exciting time for the Company. Please confirm your agreement to the terms specified in this letter by signing below.
Sincerely,
/s/ SCOTT DAHNKE
For the Board of Directors
For the Board of Directors
AGREED AND ACKNOWLEDGED:
/s/ ROBERT HARTNETT
Robert M. Hartnett
Robert M. Hartnett
2
Exhibit 10.8
July 3, 2016
Victor Heutz
15 Labrador Drive Kendall Park, NJ 08824
Dear Victor,
We are pleased to offer you the position of Chief Operations Officer with Noodles & Company. This offer is contingent upon your successful completion of a background check. Below are the details of your new position:
• | Your start date is August 1st, 2016. |
• | Your title is Chief Operations Officer. |
• | You will report to Kevin Reddy, CEO and Chairman of the Board. |
• | Your base pay will be $325,000 on an annual basis, paid bi-weekly less payroll deductions and all required withholdings. |
• | You will also receive an initial grant of 35,000 nonqualified stock options and 9,000 RSUs, under the Company’s Stock Option Plan, based on the approval of the compensation committee of Noodles & Company Board of Directors. The grant shall have a 4-year level vesting period. |
• | Noodles & Company has agreed to provide you with a sign-on bonus of $50,000.00. Please review and sign the terms and conditions contained in Noodles & Company’s Cash Advance Agreement, which includes an 18-month payback clause. |
• | You will be reimbursed for actual COBRA premium payments prior to enrolling in the Noodles and Company benefits plan, which will go into effect September 1st, 2016, based on your start date. |
• | You will be eligible to be considered for an annual merit review for fiscal year 2016 so long as you remain employed with Noodles & Company. The review might lead to an increase in your compensation, and is tied to your annual performance review and performance criteria. |
• | You will be eligible to participate in the 2016 Company Bonus Program depending on both the company’s and your performance. Your bonus target is 50% of your annual salary. You must be actively employed by Noodles & Company at the time the bonus is paid out. The terms and conditions of the bonus plan may vary from year to year. |
• | Noodles & Company offers a variety of benefits for you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your family. Please refer to the 2016-2017 Employee Benefits Summary included with this letter for additional information. You will be able to enroll for your benefits online 48 hours after your start date. If you choose to enroll, your benefits will be effective on the 1st of the month following 30 days from your start date. Employee health premiums are deducted from each bi-weekly paycheck on a pre-tax basis. Please note the deadline for benefits enrollment is 30 days from your benefits effective date. |
• | You will be eligible for a monthly car allowance of $600/month along with normal expense reimbursement for your travel. |
• | You will accrue 25 days of PTO annually. |
• | In regards to relocation, our primary focus is your ability to have impact and get results. If you are able to do this and do it well, while not living in Denver, then there would be no need to move in your current role. If there was a promotional opportunity, a relocation to the Denver area would be expected. At that time, we would offer an appropriate relocation package based on market conditions and level of position being promoted to within the organization. |
Noodles & Company maintains that all employment offers are contingent upon the successful results of the background check. You understand that the terms of this letter do not imply employment for a specific period. Your employment is at will; either you or the Company can terminate it at any time, with or without cause. The Company reserves the right to amend the bonus and benefits plans as necessary.
We look forward to having you join us in what we expect will be a mutually rewarding relationship and great career move for you. If you have questions, please contact me at 303.710.5955.
Sincerely,
/s/ SUE PETERSEN
Sue Petersen
Vice President, HR Talent
Please sign below to accept this offer and return a scanned copy to me. Please keep a copy for your personal files.
Signature /s/ VICTOR HEUTZ Date 7/5/2016
2
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
I, Dave Boennighausen, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Noodles and Company;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; | |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, 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; | |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and | |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and | |
5. I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and | |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting. | |
Date: November 4, 2016
/s/ DAVE BOENNIGHAUSEN | ||
Dave Boennighausen | ||
Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer) | ||
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
I, Dave Boennighausen, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Quarterly Report of Noodles & Company on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 27, 2016 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of Noodles & Company.
Date: November 4, 2016
By: | /s/ DAVE BOENNIGHAUSEN | ||
Name: | Dave Boennighausen | ||
Title: | Interim Chief Executive Officer and and Chief Financial Officer | ||
This certification accompanies this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Such certification will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference.