UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
Form 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 9, 2015
Potbelly Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 001-36104 | 36-4466837 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
Commission File Number: |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
111 N. Canal Street, Suite 850
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(312) 951-0600
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Item 1.01. | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On December 9, 2015, Potbelly Corporation (the Company) entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the Credit Agreement), with Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC (PSW), as borrower, Potbelly Illinois, Inc., PSWs immediate parent corporation, all of the Companys wholly-owned subsidiaries, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Chase), as Administrative Agent, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as Sole Bookrunner and Sole Lead Arranger. The Credit Agreement amended and restated that certain Credit Agreement (as amended, the Prior Credit Agreement), dated as of September 21, 2012, among the Company, PSW, as borrower, all of the Companys wholly-owned subsidiaries, Chase, as Administrative Agent, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as Sole Bookrunner and Sole Lead Arranger. The Company intends to use the Credit Agreement for general corporate purposes.
The Credit Agreement provides, among other things, for a revolving credit facility in a maximum principal amount of $50 million, with possible future increases to $75 million under an expansion feature. Borrowings under the credit facility generally bear interest at PSWs option at either (i) a eurocurrency rate determined by reference to the applicable LIBOR rate plus a margin ranging from 1.00% to 1.75% or (ii) a prime rate as announced by Chase plus a margin ranging from 0.00% to 0.50%. The applicable margin is determined based upon PSWs consolidated total leverage ratio. On the last day of each calendar quarter, PSW is required to pay a commitment fee ranging from 0.125% to 0.20% per annum in respect of any unused commitments under the credit facility, with the specific rate determined based upon PSWs consolidated total leverage ratio. So long as certain total leverage ratios are met, there is no limit on the restricted payments (primarily distributions and equity repurchases) that PSW or the Company may make.The Credit Agreement matures on November 30, 2020.
The foregoing description of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the complete text of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 2.03 | Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. |
The discussion of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement in Item 1.01 of this Current Report of Form 8-K is incorporated by reference herein.
Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit |
Description | |
10.1 | Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of December 9, 2015, among Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC, Potbelly Corporation, the other Loan Parties party thereto, the Lenders party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as Sole Bookrunner and Sole Lead Arranger. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: December 11, 2015 | Potbelly Corporation | |||||
By: | /s/ Michael Coyne | |||||
Name: | Michael Coyne | |||||
Title: | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit |
Description | |
10.1 | Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of December 9, 2015, among Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC, Potbelly Corporation, the other Loan Parties party thereto, the Lenders party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as Sole Bookrunner and Sole Lead Arranger. |
Exhibit 10.1
Execution Version
AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of
December 9, 2015
among
POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS, LLC,
The Loan Parties Party Hereto,
The Lenders Party Hereto,
and
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC,
as Sole Bookrunner and Sole Lead Arranger
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||||||
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
1 | |||||
SECTION 1.01. |
Defined Terms | 1 | ||||
SECTION 1.02. |
Classification of Loans and Borrowings | 25 | ||||
SECTION 1.03. |
Terms Generally | 26 | ||||
SECTION 1.04. |
Accounting Terms; GAAP | 26 | ||||
ARTICLE II THE CREDITS |
26 | |||||
SECTION 2.01. |
Commitments | 26 | ||||
SECTION 2.02. |
Loans and Borrowings | 27 | ||||
SECTION 2.03. |
Requests for Borrowings | 27 | ||||
SECTION 2.04. |
[Intentionally Omitted.] | 28 | ||||
SECTION 2.05. |
[Intentionally Omitted.] | 28 | ||||
SECTION 2.06. |
Letters of Credit | 28 | ||||
SECTION 2.07. |
Funding of Borrowings | 32 | ||||
SECTION 2.08. |
Interest Elections | 33 | ||||
SECTION 2.09. |
Termination and Reduction of Commitments; Increase in Revolving Commitments | 34 | ||||
SECTION 2.10. |
Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt | 36 | ||||
SECTION 2.11. |
Prepayment of Loans | 37 | ||||
SECTION 2.12. |
Fees | 37 | ||||
SECTION 2.13. |
Interest | 38 | ||||
SECTION 2.14. |
Alternate Rate of Interest | 39 | ||||
SECTION 2.15. |
Increased Costs | 39 | ||||
SECTION 2.16. |
Break Funding Payments | 40 | ||||
SECTION 2.17. |
Taxes | 41 | ||||
SECTION 2.18. |
Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs | 44 | ||||
SECTION 2.19. |
Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders | 46 | ||||
SECTION 2.20. |
Defaulting Lenders | 47 | ||||
SECTION 2.21. |
Returned Payments | 49 | ||||
SECTION 2.22. |
Banking Services and Swap Agreements | 49 |
-i-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
ARTICLE III REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES |
49 | |||||
SECTION 3.01. |
Organization; Powers | 49 | ||||
SECTION 3.02. |
Authorization; Enforceability | 49 | ||||
SECTION 3.03. |
Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts | 50 | ||||
SECTION 3.04. |
Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change | 50 | ||||
SECTION 3.05. |
Properties | 50 | ||||
SECTION 3.06. |
Litigation and Environmental Matters | 51 | ||||
SECTION 3.07. |
Compliance with Laws and Agreements | 51 | ||||
SECTION 3.08. |
Investment Company Status | 51 | ||||
SECTION 3.09. |
Taxes | 51 | ||||
SECTION 3.10. |
ERISA | 52 | ||||
SECTION 3.11. |
Disclosure | 52 | ||||
SECTION 3.12. |
[Intentionally Omitted] | 52 | ||||
SECTION 3.13. |
Solvency | 52 | ||||
SECTION 3.14. |
Insurance | 52 | ||||
SECTION 3.15. |
Capitalization and Subsidiaries | 52 | ||||
SECTION 3.16. |
Security Interest in Collateral | 53 | ||||
SECTION 3.17. |
Labor Disputes | 53 | ||||
SECTION 3.18. |
Affiliate Transactions | 53 | ||||
SECTION 3.19. |
Common Enterprise | 53 | ||||
SECTION 3.20. |
Brokers Fees; Transaction Fees | 54 | ||||
SECTION 3.21. |
Margin Rules | 54 | ||||
SECTION 3.22. |
Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions | 54 | ||||
ARTICLE IV CONDITIONS |
54 | |||||
SECTION 4.01. |
Effective Date | 54 | ||||
SECTION 4.02. |
Each Credit Event | 56 | ||||
ARTICLE V AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS |
57 | |||||
SECTION 5.01. |
Financial Statements and Other Information | 57 | ||||
SECTION 5.02. |
Notices of Material Events | 58 | ||||
SECTION 5.03. |
Existence; Conduct of Business | 59 | ||||
SECTION 5.04. |
Payment of Obligations | 60 |
-ii-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
SECTION 5.05. |
Maintenance of Properties | 60 | ||||
SECTION 5.06. |
Books and Records; Inspection Rights | 60 | ||||
SECTION 5.07. |
Compliance with Laws | 60 | ||||
SECTION 5.08. |
Use of Proceeds | 61 | ||||
SECTION 5.09. |
Insurance | 61 | ||||
SECTION 5.10. |
Casualty and Condemnation | 61 | ||||
SECTION 5.11. |
Depository Banks | 61 | ||||
SECTION 5.12. |
Additional Collateral; Further Assurances | 61 | ||||
SECTION 5.13. |
Permitted Acquisitions | 62 | ||||
ARTICLE VI NEGATIVE COVENANTS |
63 | |||||
SECTION 6.01. |
Indebtedness | 63 | ||||
SECTION 6.02. |
Liens | 65 | ||||
SECTION 6.03. |
Fundamental Changes | 66 | ||||
SECTION 6.04. |
Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions | 67 | ||||
SECTION 6.05. |
Asset Sales | 69 | ||||
SECTION 6.06. |
Sale and Leaseback Transactions | 70 | ||||
SECTION 6.07. |
Swap Agreements | 70 | ||||
SECTION 6.08. |
Restricted Payments; Certain Payments of Indebtedness | 70 | ||||
SECTION 6.09. |
Transactions with Affiliates | 71 | ||||
SECTION 6.10. |
Restrictive Agreements | 72 | ||||
SECTION 6.11. |
Amendment of Organizational Documents | 72 | ||||
SECTION 6.12. |
[Intentionally Omitted] | 72 | ||||
SECTION 6.13. |
Financial Covenants | 72 | ||||
SECTION 6.14. |
Use of Proceeds | 72 | ||||
ARTICLE VII EVENTS OF DEFAULT |
73 | |||||
ARTICLE VIII THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT |
76 | |||||
ARTICLE IX MISCELLANEOUS |
78 | |||||
SECTION 9.01. |
Notices | 78 | ||||
SECTION 9.02. |
Waivers; Amendments | 79 | ||||
SECTION 9.03. |
Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver | 81 |
-iii-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
SECTION 9.04. |
Successors and Assigns | 83 | ||||
SECTION 9.05. |
Survival | 86 | ||||
SECTION 9.06. |
Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness | 87 | ||||
SECTION 9.07. |
Severability | 87 | ||||
SECTION 9.08. |
Right of Setoff | 87 | ||||
SECTION 9.09. |
Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process | 88 | ||||
SECTION 9.10. |
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL | 88 | ||||
SECTION 9.11. |
Headings | 89 | ||||
SECTION 9.12. |
Confidentiality | 89 | ||||
SECTION 9.13. |
Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law | 89 | ||||
SECTION 9.14. |
USA PATRIOT Act | 90 | ||||
SECTION 9.15. |
Disclosure | 90 | ||||
SECTION 9.16. |
Appointment for Perfection | 90 | ||||
SECTION 9.17. |
Interest Rate Limitation | 90 | ||||
SECTION 9.18. |
No Novation | 90 | ||||
ARTICLE X LOAN GUARANTY |
91 | |||||
SECTION 10.01. |
Guaranty | 91 | ||||
SECTION 10.02. |
Guaranty of Payment | 91 | ||||
SECTION 10.03. |
No Discharge or Diminishment of Loan Guaranty | 91 | ||||
SECTION 10.04. |
Defenses Waived | 92 | ||||
SECTION 10.05. |
Rights of Subrogation | 92 | ||||
SECTION 10.06. |
Reinstatement; Stay of Acceleration | 93 | ||||
SECTION 10.07. |
Information | 93 | ||||
SECTION 10.08. |
Termination | 93 | ||||
SECTION 10.09. |
Taxes | 93 | ||||
SECTION 10.10. |
Contribution | 93 | ||||
SECTION 10.11. |
Liability Cumulative | 94 | ||||
SECTION 10.12. |
Keepwell | 94 |
-iv-
AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of December 9, 2015 (as it may be amended or modified from time to time, this Agreement), among POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company, the other Loan Parties party hereto, the Lenders party hereto, and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Administrative Agent.
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, Borrower, the Administrative Agent, Lenders and certain other Persons are parties to that certain Credit Agreement dated as of September 21, 2012 (as heretofore amended, the Existing Credit Agreement); and
WHEREAS, Loan Parties, the Administrative Agent and Lenders desire to amend and restate the Existing Credit Agreement in its entirety as set forth in this Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of (i) the premises, (ii) the terms and conditions contained herein, and (iii) of any loans or extensions of credit heretofore, now or hereafter made to or for the benefit of Borrower by any Lender or Administrative Agent, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree that the Existing Credit Agreement is amended in its entirety effective as of the Effective Date (as hereinafter defined) to read as follows:
The parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
SECTION 1.01. Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
Additional Distribution Conditions means, with respect to any Restricted Payment, the Leverage Ratio ending on the last day of the last period in respect of which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or 5.01(b), as applicable, does not exceed 1.50 to 1.0 determined on a pro forma basis (so that there shall be included as additional Total Funded Indebtedness an amount equal to the sum of the aggregate amount of such Restricted Payment to the extent that the same results in an increase in the outstanding Secured Obligations or other Total Funded Indebtedness).
Adjusted LIBO Rate means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing for any Interest Period or for any CBFR Borrowing, an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to (a) the LIBO Rate for such Interest Period, multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate.
Adjusted One Month LIBOR Rate means, for any day, an interest rate per annum equal to the sum of (i) 1.00% plus (ii) the Adjusted LIBO Rate for a one month Interest Period on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day); provided
that, for the avoidance of doubt, the Adjusted LIBO Rate for any day shall be based on the LIBO Screen Rate at approximately 11:00 a.m. London time on such day; provided further, that, if the LIBO Screen Rate at such time shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
Administrative Agent means Chase, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
Administrative Questionnaire means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
Affiliate means, with respect to a specified 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 Revolving Exposure means, at any time, the aggregate Revolving Exposure of all the Lenders.
Anti-Corruption Laws means all laws, rules, and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to Holdings, the Borrower or any of their respective Subsidiaries from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption.
Applicable Percentage means, with respect to any Lender, with respect to Revolving Loans or LC Exposure, a percentage equal to a fraction the numerator of which is such Lenders Revolving Commitment and the denominator of which is the aggregate Revolving Commitments or, if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon such Lenders share of the Aggregate Revolving Exposures at that time; with respect to the Aggregate Revolving Exposure, a percentage based upon its share of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure and the unused Commitments; provided that, in accordance with Section 2.20, so long as any Lender shall be a Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lenders Commitment shall be disregarded in the preceding calculation.
Applicable Rate means, for any day, with respect to any CBFR Loan or Eurodollar Loan, or with respect to the commitment fees payable hereunder, as the case may be, the applicable rate per annum set forth below under the caption CBFR Spread, Eurodollar Spread or Commitment Fee Rate, respectively, as the case may be, based upon the Leverage Ratio as of the last day of the most recent Computation Period, provided that until the delivery to the Administrative Agent, pursuant to Section 5.01(b), of the Borrowers financial information for the Borrowers Fiscal Quarter ending on or about December 31, 2015, the Applicable Rate shall be the applicable rate per annum set forth below in Category 1:
Leverage Ratio |
CBFR Spread | Eurodollar Spread | Commitment Fee Rate | |||||||||
Category 1 Less than 1.25 to 1.0 |
0.00 | % | 1.00 | % | 0.125 | % | ||||||
Category 2 |
||||||||||||
Greater than or equal to 1.25 to 1.00, but less than 1.75 to 1.00 |
0.25 | % | 1.50 | % | 0.200 | % | ||||||
Category 3 Greater than or equal to 1.75 to 1.00 |
0.50 | % | 1.75 | % | 0.200 | % |
2
For purposes of the foregoing, (a) the Applicable Rate shall be determined as of the end of each Fiscal Quarter of the Loan Parties based upon the Loan Parties consolidated financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), as applicable, and (b) each change in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Leverage Ratio shall be effective during the period commencing on and including the date of delivery to the Administrative Agent of such consolidated financial statements indicating such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change, provided that the Leverage Ratio shall be deemed to be in Category 3 at the option of the Administrative Agent or at the request of the Required Lenders if the Borrower fails to deliver the annual or quarterly consolidated financial statements required to be delivered by it pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), as applicable, during the period from the expiration of the time for delivery thereof until such consolidated financial statements are delivered.
Approved Fund has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04.
Assignment and Assumption means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
Authorized Representative means the chief executive officer, treasurer, controller or chief financial officer of Borrower.
Availability means, at any time, an amount equal to (a) the aggregate Revolving Commitment of all Revolving Lenders at such time then in effect, minus (b) the Aggregate Revolving Exposure of all Revolving Lenders at such time.
Availability Period means the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Maturity Date and the date of termination, or reduction to zero, of the Revolving Commitments.
Available Revolving Commitment means, at any time, the aggregate Revolving Commitments minus the Aggregate Revolving Exposure (calculated, with respect to any Defaulting Lender, as if such Defaulting Lender had funded its Applicable Percentage of all outstanding Borrowings)
Banking Services means each and any of the following bank services provided to any Loan Party by Chase or any of its Affiliates: (a) credit cards for commercial customers (including, without limitation, commercial credit cards and purchasing cards), (b) stored value cards and (c) treasury management services (including, without limitation, controlled disbursement, automated clearinghouse transactions, return items, overdrafts and interstate depository network services).
3
Banking Services Obligations of the Loan Parties means any and all obligations of the Loan Parties, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor) in connection with Banking Services.
Board means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America.
Borrower means Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company.
Borrowing means a borrowing of Revolving Loans of the same Type, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect.
Borrowing Request means a request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03.
Business Day means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided that, when used in connection with a Eurodollar Loan, the term Business Day shall also exclude any day on which banks are not open for dealings in dollar deposits in the London interbank market.
Capital Lease Obligations of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as capital leases on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP; provided that the adoption or issuance of any accounting standards after the Effective Date will not cause any lease that would not have been treated as a capital lease prior to such adoption or issuance to be deemed a capital lease regardless of whether such lease was entered into before or after such adoption or issuance.
CB Floating Rate means the Prime Rate; provided that the CB Floating Rate shall never be less than the Adjusted One Month LIBOR Rate for a one month Interest Period on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day). Any change in the CB Floating Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate or the Adjusted One Month LIBOR Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate or the Adjusted One Month LIBOR Rate, respectively.
CBFR, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the CB Floating Rate.
4
Change in 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) becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except that a person or group shall be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all Equity Interests that such person or group has the right to acquire, whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time (such right, an option right)), directly or indirectly, of 35% or more of the Equity Interests of Holdings entitled to vote for members of the board of directors or equivalent governing body of Holdings on a fully-diluted basis (and taking into account all such securities that such person or group has the right to acquire pursuant to any option right); (b) Holdings shall cease to directly or indirectly own and control legally and beneficially (free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens permitted by Section 6.02(a) and (b)) all of the Equity Interests of Borrower; (c) Borrower shall cease to be solely managed by either (i) Holdings or, at a time when Borrower is a wholly-owned Subsidiary of Manager and the Manager is a wholly-owned Subsidiary of Holdings, the Manager or (ii) its board of directors or board of managers, as applicable; (d) except to the extent expressly permitted by Section 6.03 or except in connection with a disposition of assets permitted by Section 6.05, Holdings shall cease to directly or indirectly own and control legally and beneficially (free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens permitted by Section 6.02(a) and (b)) each of the Manager (unless and until the Manager is dissolved or liquidated in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement) and Potbelly Franchising; (e) except to the extent expressly permitted by Section 6.03 or except in connection with a disposition of assets permitted by Section 6.05, the Borrower shall cease to directly own and control legally and beneficially all of the Equity Interests of each of the Subsidiaries (other than Borrower, the Manager and Potbelly Franchising and other than the Equity Interests of any Permitted J/Vs not owned by any other Loan Party or Subsidiary); or (f) except to the extent expressly permitted by Section 6.03, or except in connection with a disposition of assets permitted by Section 6.05, the Borrower shall cease to directly or indirectly own and control legally and beneficially at least 51% of the Equity Interests of each of the Permitted J/Vs.
Change in Law means (a) the adoption of any law, rule, regulation or treaty (including any rules or regulations issued under or implementing any existing law) after the date of this Agreement, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority after the date of this Agreement or (c) compliance by any Lender or the Issuing Bank (or, for purposes of Section 2.15(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lenders or the Issuing Banks holding company, if any) with any request, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or issued after the date of this Agreement; provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder, issued in connection therewith or in implementation thereof, and (ii) all requests, rules, guidelines and 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, shall in each case be deemed to be a Change in Law, regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.
5
Chase means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, in its individual capacity, and its successors.
Class, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Revolving Loans.
Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
Collateral means any and all property owned, leased or operated by a Person covered by the Collateral Documents and any and all other property of any Loan Party, now existing or hereafter acquired, that may at any time be or become subject to a security interest or Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, on behalf of itself and the Lenders and other holders of the Secured Obligations, to secure the Secured Obligations.
Collateral Documents means, collectively, the Security Agreement and any other documents pursuant to which a Person grants a Lien upon any real or personal property as security for payment of the Secured Obligations.
Commitment means, with respect to each Lender, such Lenders Revolving Commitment. The initial amount of each Lenders Commitment is set forth on the Commitment Schedule, or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Commitment, as applicable.
Commitment Schedule means the Schedule attached hereto identified as such.
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.
Compliance Certificate has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.01(c).
Computation Period means each period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters ending on the last day of each Fiscal Quarter (commencing with the Computation Period ending on or about December 31, 2015).
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 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 opening and organizing of Restaurants, such costs to include the cost of feasibility studies, staff-training, and recruiting and travel costs for employees engaged in such start-up activities.
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.
6
Credit Party means the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any other Lender.
Default means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
Defaulting Lender means any Lender that (a) has failed, within two Business Days of the date required to be funded or paid, to (i) fund any portion of its Loans, (ii) fund any portion of its participations in Letters of Credit or (iii) pay over to any Credit Party any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder, unless, in the case of clause (i) above, such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent in writing that such failure is the result of such Lenders good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding (specifically identified and including the particular Default, if any) has not been satisfied; (b) has notified the Borrower or any Credit Party in writing, or has made a public statement, to the effect that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations under this Agreement (unless such writing or public statement indicates that such position is based on such Lenders good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding a Loan under this Agreement (specifically identified and including the particular Default, if any) cannot be satisfied) or generally under other agreements in which it commits to extend credit, (c) has failed, within three Business Days after request by a Credit Party, acting in good faith, to provide a certification in writing from an authorized officer of such Lender that it will comply with its obligations to fund prospective Loans and participations in then outstanding Letters of Credit under this Agreement, provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon such Credit Partys receipt of such certification in form and substance satisfactory to it and the Administrative Agent, or (d) has become the subject of a Bankruptcy Event.
Disclosed Matters means the actions, suits and proceedings and the environmental matters disclosed in Schedule 3.06.
Distribution Conditions means, with respect to any Restricted Payment, (a) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a result of the making of such Restricted Payment, as applicable, and (b) the Borrower is in compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 6.13 for the Computation Period ending on the last day of the last period in respect of which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or 5.01(b), as applicable, determined on a pro forma basis (so that there shall be included as additional Total Funded Indebtedness an amount equal to the sum of the aggregate amount of such Restricted Payment to the extent that the same results in an increase in the outstanding Secured Obligations).
Document has the meaning assigned to such term in the Security Agreement.
Dollars, dollars and $ each refers to lawful money of the United States of America.
Domestic Subsidiary means each Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of the United States, any State of the United States or the District of Columbia.
EBITDA means, for any period, the sum of (a) the net income (or loss) of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for such period, plus (b) without duplication and to the extent deducted in determining the net income (or loss) of the Loan Parties
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and their Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for such period, the sum of (i) Interest Expense for such period, (ii) income tax expense for such period net of tax refunds, (iii) all amounts attributable to depreciation and amortization expense for such period, (iv) non-cash stock compensation expense, (v) non-cash impairment expense, (vi) 50% of Consolidated Restaurant Pre-Opening Costs for such period, calculated on a consolidated basis for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries for such period in accordance with GAAP, (vii) non-cash disposal expense in an amount not to exceed the Threshold Amount in any Computation Period, and (viii) the aggregate amount of all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the negotiation, documentation and closing of secondary public offerings of Holdings to the extent that the amount thereof does not exceed the net cash proceeds received by Holdings from such offerings.
EBITDAR means, for any period, the ratio of (a) the sum of: (i) EBITDA, plus (ii) to the extent deducted in the determination of EBITDA (and without duplication of any Consolidated Restaurant Pre-Opening Costs added back to net income (or loss) in the calculation of EBTIDA), Rental Expense, calculated on a consolidated basis for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries for such period in accordance with GAAP.
EBITDAR to Interest and Rent Ratio means, for any period, the ratio of (a) EBITDAR, to (b) the sum of (i) cash Interest Expense, plus (ii) cash Rental Expense, calculated on a consolidated basis for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries for such period in accordance with GAAP.
ECP means an eligible contract participant as defined in Section 1(a)(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and the applicable rules issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or the SEC.
Effective Date means the date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).
Environmental Laws means all laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental Authority, relating in any way to the environment, preservation or reclamation of natural resources, the management, release or threatened release of any Hazardous Material or to health and safety matters.
Environmental Liability means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower or any Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) any violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) any 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.
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Equity Interests means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any such equity interest.
ERISA means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time.
ERISA Affiliate means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with the Borrower, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code and, solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is also treated as a single employer under Section 414(m) or (o) of the Code.
ERISA Event means (a) any reportable event, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder, with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice period is waived); (b) the failure by the Borrower or any of its ERISA Affiliates to meet the minimum funding standard of Section 412 of the Code with respect to any Plan; (c) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (d) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Plan or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (e) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal from any Plan during a plan year in which it was a substantial employer under section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA; or (f) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice imposing Withdrawal Liability on the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
Eurodollar, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing (other than a CBFR Loan or Borrowing), refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate.
Event of Default has the meaning assigned to such term in Article VII.
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 Guarantors failure for any reason to constitute an ECP at the time the Guarantee of such Guarantor or the grant of such security interest becomes or would become 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 illegal.
Excluded Taxes means, with respect to any payment made by any Loan Party under any Loan Document, any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient: (a) (i) income or franchise Taxes imposed on (or measured by) net income by the United States of
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America, or by the jurisdiction under the laws of which such Recipient is organized or in which its principal office is located or, in the case of any Lender, in which its applicable lending office is located and (ii) Other Connection Taxes, (b) any branch profits Taxes imposed by the United States of America or any similar Taxes imposed by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located, (c) in the case of a Non U.S. Lender (other than an assignee pursuant to a request by the Borrower under Section 2.19(b)), any U.S. Federal withholding Taxes resulting from any law in effect on the date such Non U.S. Lender becomes a party to this Agreement (or designates a new lending office) or is attributable to such Non U.S. Lenders failure to comply with Section 2.17(f), except to the extent that such Non U.S. Lender (or its assignor, if any) was entitled, at the time of designation of a new lending office (or assignment), to receive additional amounts from the Borrower with respect to such withholding Taxes pursuant to Section 2.17(a), (d) any U.S. Federal withholding Taxes imposed under FACTA and (e) Taxes attributable to such Recipients failure to comply with Section 2.17(f).
FATCA means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantially comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with) and any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code.
Federal Funds Effective Rate means, for any day, the weighted average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers, as published on the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or, if such rate is not so published for any day that is a Business Day, the average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for such day for such transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three Federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by it; provided, that, if the Federal Funds Effective Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
Financial Officer means the chief financial officer, controller, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower.
Fiscal Quarter means a fiscal quarter of a Fiscal Year.
Fiscal Year means the fiscal year of the Borrower.
Foreign Subsidiary means each Subsidiary that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.
Funding Account has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.01(h).
GAAP means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
Governmental Authority means the government of the United States of America, any other nation or 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.
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Guarantee of or by any Person (the guarantor) means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person (the primary obligor) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect, (a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of credit or letter of guaranty issued to support such Indebtedness or obligation; provided, that the term Guarantee shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business.
Guaranteed Obligations has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.01.
Guarantors means all Loan Guarantors and all non-Loan Parties who have delivered an Obligation Guaranty, and the term Guarantor means each or any one of them individually.
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.
Holdings means Potbelly Corporation, a Delaware corporation.
Impacted Interest Period has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of LIBO Rate.
Indebtedness of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (d) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person, (e) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding current accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (f) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the Indebtedness secured thereby has been assumed, (g) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (h) all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (i) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty, (j) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of bankers acceptances, (k) all obligations of such
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Person under any liquidated earn-out and (l) any other Off-Balance Sheet Liability of such Person. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such Persons ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness provide that such Person is not liable therefor.
Indemnified Taxes means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) Other Taxes.
Intercompany Subordination Agreement means that certain Subordination Agreement dated as of the Original Closing Date among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent.
Interest Election Request means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.07.
Interest Expense means, for any period, total interest expense (including that attributable to Capital Lease Obligations) of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries for such period with respect to all outstanding Indebtedness of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries (including all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers acceptances and net costs under Swap Agreements in respect of interest rates to the extent such net costs are allocable to such period in accordance with GAAP), calculated on a consolidated basis for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries for such period in accordance with GAAP.
Interest Payment Date means (a) with respect to any CBFR Loan, the last day of each calendar quarter and the Maturity Date (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day), and (b) with respect to any Eurodollar Loan, the last day of the Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and the Maturity Date.
Interest Period means with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing, the period commencing on the date of such Eurodollar Borrowing and ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, two or three (or, with the consent of each Lender, six or twelve) months thereafter, as the Borrower may elect; provided, that (i) if any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing only, such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day and (ii) any Interest Period pertaining to a Eurodollar Borrowing that commences on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period. For purposes hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such Borrowing is made and, in the case of a Borrowing, thereafter shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Borrowing.
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Interpolated Rate means, means, at any time, for any Interest Period, the rate per annum (rounded to the same number of decimal places as the LIBO Screen Rate) determined by the Administrative Agent (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) to be equal to the rate that results from interpolating on a linear basis between: (a) the LIBO Screen Rate for the longest period (for which the LIBO Screen Rate is available) that is shorter than the Impacted Interest Period and (b) the LIBO Screen Rate for the shortest period (for which the LIBO Screen Rate is available) that exceeds the Impacted Interest Period, in each case, at such time.
Issuing Bank means Chase, in its capacity as the issuer of Letters of Credit, and its successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.06(i). The Issuing Bank may, in its discretion, arrange for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued by Affiliates of the Issuing Bank, in which case the term Issuing Bank shall include any such Affiliate with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate.
Joinder Agreement has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.12.
LC Collateral Account has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(j).
LC Disbursement means a payment made by the Issuing Bank pursuant to a Letter of Credit.
LC Exposure means, at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time, plus (b) the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC Exposure of any Revolving Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Percentage of the aggregate LC Exposure at such time.
Lead Arranger means J.P. Morgan Securities LLC.
Lenders means the Persons listed on the Commitment Schedule and any other Person that shall have become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption, other than any such Person that ceases to be a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption.
Letter of Credit means any letter of credit issued pursuant to this Agreement.
Leverage Ratio means, as of the last day of any Computation Period, the ratio of (a) Total Funded Indebtedness on such date to (b) EBITDA for the Computation Period ended on such date.
LIBO Rate means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing for any applicable Interest Period or for any CBFR Borrowing, the London interbank offered rate as administered by ICE Benchmark Administration (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate for Dollars) for a period equal in length to such Interest Period as displayed on pages LIBOR01 or LIBOR02 of the Reuters screen that displays such rate or, in the event such rate does not appear on a Reuters page or screen, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as shall be selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion (in each case, the LIBO Screen Rate) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two (2) Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period;
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provided that, (x) if the LIBO Screen Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement and (y) if the LIBO Screen Rate shall not be available at such time for a period equal in length to such Interest Period (an Impacted Interest Period), then the LIBO Rate shall be the Interpolated Rate at such time, subject to Section 2.14 in the event that the Administrative Agent shall conclude that it shall not be possible to determine such Interpolated Rate (which conclusion shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error); provided further, that, if any Interpolated Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the above, to the extent that LIBO Rate or Adjusted LIBO Rate is used in connection with an CBFR Borrowing, such rate shall be determined as modified by the definition of Adjusted One Month LIBOR Rate.
LIBO Screen Rate has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of LIBO Rate.
Lien means, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset and (c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or similar right of a third party with respect to such securities.
Loan Documents means this Agreement, any promissory notes issued pursuant to this Agreement, any Letter of Credit applications, the Collateral Documents, all Joinder Agreements, the Intercompany Subordination Agreement and all other agreements, instruments, documents and certificates identified or referenced in Section 4.01 or in Exhibit E executed and delivered to, or in favor of, the Administrative Agent or any Lenders and including all other pledges, powers of attorney, consents, assignments, contracts, notices, letter of credit agreements and all other written matter whether heretofore, now or hereafter executed by or on behalf of any Loan Party, or any employee of any Loan Party, and delivered to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Any reference in this Agreement or any other Loan Document to a Loan Document shall include all appendices, exhibits or schedules thereto, and all amendments, restatements, supplements or other modifications thereto, and shall refer to this Agreement or such Loan Document as the same may be in effect at any and all times such reference becomes operative.
Loan Guarantor means each Loan Party (other than the Borrower).
Loan Guaranty means Article X of this Agreement.
Loan Parties means Holdings, the Manager, the Borrower, the Subsidiaries party hereto on the date hereof, and any other Subsidiary or other Person who becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to a Joinder Agreement, together with their respective successors and permitted assigns.
Loans means the loans and advances made by the Lenders pursuant to this Agreement.
Manager means Potbelly Illinois, Inc., an Illinois corporation.
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Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on (a) the business, assets, operations or condition, financial or otherwise, of the Borrower or of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) the ability of any Loan Party to perform any of its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (c) the Collateral, or the Administrative Agents Liens (on behalf of itself and the Lenders and other holders of the Secured Obligations) on the Collateral or the priority of such Liens, or (d) the rights of or benefits available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or the Lenders under any Loan Document.
Material Indebtedness means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of Credit), or obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements, of any one or more of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding the Threshold Amount. For purposes of determining Material Indebtedness, the obligations of any Loan Party or Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that such Loan Party or Subsidiary would be required to pay if such Swap Agreement were terminated at such time.
Maturity Date means November 30, 2020 or any earlier date on which the Commitments are reduced to zero or otherwise terminated pursuant to the terms hereof.
Moodys means Moodys Investors Service, Inc.
Mortgages means any mortgage, deed of trust or other agreement which conveys or evidences a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and other holders of the Secured Obligations, on real property of any Loan Party, including any amendment, modification or supplement thereto.
Multiemployer Plan means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
Non-Consenting Lender has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.02(d).
Non-U.S. Lender means a Lender that is not a U.S. Person.
Non-Paying Guarantor has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.10.
Obligated Party has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.02.
Obligation Guaranty means any Guarantee of all or any portion of the Secured Obligations executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties by a guarantor who is not a Loan Party.
Obligations means all unpaid principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans, all LC Exposure, all accrued and unpaid fees and all expenses, reimbursements, indemnities and other obligations of the Loan Parties to the Lenders or to any Lender, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any indemnified party arising under the Loan Documents.
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Off-Balance Sheet Liability of a Person means (a) any repurchase obligation or liability of such Person with respect to accounts or notes receivable sold by such Person, (b) any indebtedness, liability or obligation under any so-called synthetic lease transaction entered into by such Person, or (c) any indebtedness, liability or obligation arising with respect to any other transaction which is the functional equivalent of or takes the place of borrowing but which does not constitute a liability on the balance sheets of such Person (other than operating leases).
Original Closing Date means September 21, 2012.
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 Taxes (other than a connection arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, enforced, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, or engaged in any other transaction pursuant to, or enforced, any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan Document).
Other Taxes means any present or future stamp, court, documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar excise or property Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, or from the registration, 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 under Section 2.19(b)).
Parent means, with respect to any Lender, the Person as to which such Lender is, directly or indirectly, a subsidiary.
Parent Note means that certain Subordinated Intercompany Note dated as of January 15, 2008 in the original principal amount of $105,182,577.91 made by the Borrower in favor of Holdings.
Participant has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
Participant Register has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
Participant has the meaning set forth in Section 9.04.
Paying Guarantor has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.10.
PBGC means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
Permitted Acquisition means the acquisition by the Borrower, or a direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Borrower, of all or substantially all of the assets, or all (but not less than all) of the capital stock, of any Person (the Target) without the prior written approval of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions:
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(a) the Administrative Agent shall have received not less than ten (10) days prior written notice of any proposed Permitted Acquisition, which notice shall be in form and substance acceptable to the Administrative Agent (an Acquisition Notice), provided that if the aggregate Purchase Price (as hereinafter defined) of any proposed Permitted Acquisition shall be $10,000,000 or less such notice may be given promptly (and in any event within 30 days) after completion thereof, and shall include a due diligence package including the following materials:
(i) a general description of the business to be acquired;
(ii) a general description of the method of financing such Acquisition and the sources and uses of funds therefor;
(iii) all material agreements relating to any Indebtedness to be assumed;
(iv) any other information, materials or reports reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to the extent such information, materials or reports are readily available to any Loan Party; and
(v) to the extent available, a fully executed copy (or to the extent not complete, substantially final drafts) of the material acquisition agreements and all other material transaction documents for such acquisition, together with all schedules thereto (or in the event such documents have yet to be executed, the most recently available drafts thereof, with executed copies to follow promptly upon the same becoming available);
(b) concurrently with the giving of any Acquisition Notice relating to a Permitted Acquisition with an aggregate Purchase Price of more than $10,000,000, Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent with respect to the proposed Permitted Acquisition:
(i) a draft certificate (with a final executed certificate to be delivered upon the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition) of a Financial Officer of Borrower to the effect that at the time of such Permitted Acquisition and after giving effect thereto, (A) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing; (B) the representations and warranties set forth herein are and will be true and correct in all material respects (except to the extent they relate to an earlier date, in which case as of such earlier date); (C) Holdings and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, will be Solvent upon the consummation of the Permitted Acquisition; and (D) Holding and its Subsidiaries are and will be in pro forma compliance with all financial covenants set forth in Section 6.13 as of the end of the most recently ended fiscal quarter (as determined on a pro forma basis after giving effect to incurred indebtedness); and
(ii) a fully executed copy (or to the extent not complete, the most recent available drafts, with executed copies to follow promptly upon the same becoming available) of the material acquisition agreements and all other material transaction documents for such acquisition, together with all schedules thereto (or in the event such documents have yet to be executed the most recent available drafts thereof, with executed copies to follow promptly upon the same becoming available);
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(c) such Permitted Acquisition shall only involve assets substantially all of which are located in the United States and comprising a business, of substantially the same type engaged in by Borrower as of the Effective Date, and which business would not subject the Lenders or the Administrative Agent to material regulatory approvals in connection with the exercise of their rights and remedies under this Agreement or any other Loan Documents other than approvals applicable to the exercise of such rights and remedies with respect to Borrower prior to such Permitted Acquisition;
(d) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent as soon as reasonably possible prior to or after the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition (but in no event more than five (5) Business Days (or 30 days in the case of a Permitted Acquisition with a Purchase Price of less than $10,000,000) after such consummation) evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that all Liens with respect to the acquired assets, other than Liens permitted pursuant to Section 6.02, have been, or will be concurrently with the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition, discharged in full;
(e) unless otherwise consented to by the Administrative Agent, such Permitted Acquisition shall be consensual, shall have been approved by the Targets board of directors (or comparable governing board) and shall be consummated in accordance with the terms of the agreements and documents related thereto, and in compliance with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, regulations and requests of Governmental Authorities;
(f) no assets or liabilities (including, without limitation, Investments, Indebtedness and Guarantees) shall be acquired, incurred, assumed or otherwise be reflected on a consolidated balance sheet of Holdings and its Subsidiaries after giving effect to such Permitted Acquisition, except (i) Loans made hereunder and (ii) those assets and liabilities which may be acquired, incurred or assumed in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, the provisions of Sections 6.01, 6.02 and 6.04);
(g) the business and assets acquired in such Permitted Acquisition shall be free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens permitted by Section 6.02);
(h) within 30 days following the closing of any Permitted Acquisition, the Administrative Agent will be granted a first priority perfected Lien (subject to Liens permitted by Section 6.02 hereof) in all assets (other than Excluded Property (as defined in the Security Agreement)) acquired pursuant thereto and in the assets and capital stock of the Target, and Holdings, its Subsidiaries and the Target shall have executed such documents and taken such actions (including without limitation, the delivery of (i) certified copies of the resolutions of the board of directors (or comparable governing board) of Holdings, its Subsidiaries and the Target authorizing such Permitted Acquisition and the granting of Liens described herein, (ii) legal opinions reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, each in form and content reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, with respect to the transactions described herein and (iii) evidence of insurance of the business to be acquired consistent with the requirements of Section 5.09 as may be required by the Administrative Agent in connection therewith);
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(i) the sum of the aggregate investment, purchase price and all other amounts payable (collectively, the Purchase Price) in connection with all Permitted Acquisitions (including all Indebtedness, liabilities and Guarantees incurred or assumed and deferred purchase price or comparable payment obligation in connection therewith, whether or not reflected on a consolidated balance sheet of any Loan Party, Subsidiary or Target) shall not exceed (i) $20,000,000 in the aggregate for the trailing twelve month period ending on the date that such Permitted Acquisition is effective, or (i) $40,000,000 in the aggregate after the Effective Date; and
(j) at the time of any Permitted Acquisition and after giving effect thereto, (i) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing; (ii) the representations and warranties set forth herein are true and correct in all material respects (except as to any representation or warranty qualified as to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in which case such representation or warranty shall be true and correct in all respects) as of such date and before and after giving effect to such Permitted Acquisition and shall be deemed to be repeated and restated as of the date thereof; (iii) Holdings and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are Solvent; and (iv) Holdings and its Subsidiaries are in pro forma compliance with all financial covenants set forth in Section 6.13 as of end of the most recently ended fiscal quarter (as determined on a pro forma basis after giving effect to Indebtedness incurred in connection with such Permitted Acquisition).
Permitted Encumbrances means:
(a) Liens imposed by law for Taxes that are not yet due or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(b) landlords, carriers, warehousemens, mechanics, materialmens, repairmens and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue by more than 30 days or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(c) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations;
(d) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(e) judgment liens in respect of judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default under clause (k) of Article VII; and
(f) easements, zoning restrictions, rights-of-way and similar encumbrances on real property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not (i) secure any monetary obligations and (ii) individually or in the aggregate, materially detract from the value of the property of, or interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of, more than 10% of the Restaurants;
provided that the term Permitted Encumbrances shall not include any Lien securing Indebtedness, except with respect to clause (e) above.
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Permitted Investments means:
(a) direct obligations of, or obligations the principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States of America (or by any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States of America), in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof;
(b) investments in commercial paper maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date of acquisition, the highest credit rating obtainable from S&P or from Moodys;
(c) investments in certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances and time deposits maturing within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States of America or any State thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000;
(d) fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than 30 days for securities described in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c) above; and
(e) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moodys and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000.
Permitted J/V means any Subsidiary as to which all of the Equity Interests are owned by Borrower other than up to 49% thereof owned by joint venture partners of Borrower for the purpose of opening Restaurants in specific locations where use of a joint venture is advisable.
Person means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
Plan means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code that is, or has at any time within the preceding six years been, maintained by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.
Potbelly Franchising means Potbelly Franchising, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company and, as of the date hereof, a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of the Manager.
Prime Rate means the rate of interest per annum publicly announced from time to time by Chase as its prime rate at its offices at 270 Park Avenue in New York City; each change in the Prime Rate shall be effective from and including the date such change is publicly announced as being effective.
Projections has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.01(e).
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Qualified ECP Guarantor means, in respect of any Swap Obligation, each Loan Party that has total assets exceeding $10,000,000 at the time the relevant Loan Guaranty or grant of the relevant security interest becomes or would become effective with respect to such Swap Obligation or such other Person as constitutes an eligible contract participant under the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and can cause another Person to qualify as an eligible contract participant at such time by entering into a keepwell under Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
Recipient means, as applicable, (a) the Administrative Agent, (b) any Lender and (c) the Issuing Bank.
Register has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04.
Related Parties means, with respect to any specified Person, such Persons Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors of such Person and such Persons Affiliates.
Rental Expense means with reference to any period, the aggregate amount of all payments for rent or additional rent (including all payments for taxes and insurance made directly to the lessor, but excluding payments for repairs, alterations, construction, demolition and the like) under all leases of real or personal property (other than leases evidencing Capital Lease Obligations), inclusive of renewal options in effect at any time during such period.
Report means reports prepared by the Administrative Agent or another Person showing the results of appraisals, field examinations or audits pertaining to the assets of any Loan Party or Subsidiary from information furnished by or on behalf of the Borrower, after the Administrative Agent has exercised its rights of inspection pursuant to this Agreement, which Reports may be distributed to the Lenders by the Administrative Agent.
Required Lenders means, at any time, Lenders (other than Defaulting Lenders) having Revolving Exposure and unused Commitments representing at least 51% of the sum of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure and unused Commitments at such time; provided that, as long as there are only two Lenders, Required Lenders shall mean both Lenders.
Requirement of Law means, as to any Person, the articles or certificate of incorporation, certificate of formation and operating or limited liability company agreement or other organizational or governing documents of such Person, and any law, treaty, rule or regulation or determination of an arbitrator or a court or other Governmental Authority, in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
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 a Permitted J/V, as applicable.
Restricted Payment means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity Interests in any Loan Party or Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Equity Interests or any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such Equity Interests.
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Revolving Commitment means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, of such Lender to make Revolving Loans and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit hereunder, expressed as an amount representing the maximum possible aggregate amount of such Lenders Revolving Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may be reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to (a) Section 2.09 and (b) assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The initial amount of each Lenders Revolving Commitment is set forth on the Commitment Schedule, or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Revolving Commitment, as applicable. The initial aggregate amount of the Lenders Revolving Commitments on the Effective Date is $50,000,000.
Revolving Exposure means, with respect to any Lender at any time, the sum of the outstanding principal amount of such Lenders Revolving Loans and LC Exposure.
Revolving Lender means, as of any date of determination, a Lender with a Revolving Commitment or, if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Revolving Exposure.
Revolving Loan means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01.
Sanctioned Country means, at any time, a country or territory which is itself the subject or target of any Sanctions (at the time of this Agreement, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).
Sanctioned Person means, at any time, (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of State or by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union or any European Union member state, (b) any Person operating, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country or (c) any Person owned or controlled by any such Person or Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) or (b).
Sanctions means economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the U.S. Department of State, or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state or Her Majestys Treasury of the United Kingdom.
S&P means Standard & Poors Ratings Services, a Standard & Poors Financial Services business.
SEC means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the U.S.
Secured Obligations means all Obligations, together with all (i) Banking Services Obligations and (ii) Swap Agreement Obligations owing to one or more Lenders or their respective Affiliates; provided that at or prior to the time that any transaction relating to such
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Swap Agreement Obligation is executed, the Credit Party that is party thereto (other than Chase) shall have delivered written notice to the Administrative Agent that such a transaction has been entered into and that it constitutes a Secured Obligation entitled to the benefits of the Collateral Documents; provided, further, that the definition of Secured Obligations shall not create any guarantee by any Guarantor of (or grant of security interest by any Guarantor to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Guarantor for purposes of determining any obligations of any Guarantor.
Security Agreement means that certain Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of the Original Closing Date, among the Borrower, certain of the other Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and the other holders of the Secured Obligations, and any other pledge or security agreement entered into heretofore, now or hereafter (including as required by this Agreement or any other Loan Document), or any other Person, as the same may be amended, restated or otherwise modified from time to time.
Solvent and Solvency means, with respect to any Person on any date of determination, that on such date (i) the fair value of the assets of such Person, at a fair valuation, will exceed its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise (other than, in the case of the Borrower, its debts and liabilities in respect of the Parent Note); (ii) the present fair saleable value of the property of such Person will be greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of its debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute and matured (other than, in the case of the Borrower, its debts and liabilities in respect of the Parent Note); (iii) such Person is able to pay its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and liabilities become absolute and matured; and (iv) such Person does not have unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in which it is engaged as such business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted after the Effective Date.
Statutory Reserve Rate means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentages (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject with respect to the Adjusted LIBO Rate, for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as Eurocurrency Liabilities in Regulation D of the Board). Such reserve percentages shall include those imposed pursuant to such Regulation D. Eurodollar Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under such Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.
subsidiary means, with respect to any Person (the parent) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with those of the parent in the parents consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other
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entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled, by the parent or one or more subsidiaries of the parent or by the parent and one or more subsidiaries of the parent. Reference herein to the term Subsidiary means any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Borrower or a Loan Party, as applicable, unless the context indicates otherwise. For the purposes of this Agreement and each other Loan Document, Potbelly Franchising shall be deemed to be, and treated as, a Subsidiary of the Borrower, notwithstanding the fact that it is actually directly and wholly-owned by the Manager.
Swap Agreement means any agreement with respect to any swap, forward, spot, future, credit default, cap, collar or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of a Loan Party or Subsidiary shall be a Swap Agreement.
Swap Agreement Obligations of a Loan Party means any and all obligations of such Loan Party, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor), under (a) any and all Swap Agreements, and (b) any and all cancellations, buy backs, reversals, terminations or assignments of any Swap Agreement transaction.
Swap Obligation means, with respect to any Guarantor, any obligation to pay or perform under any agreement, contract or transaction that constitutes a swap within the meaning of Section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder.
Target has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of Permitted Acquisition.
Taxes means any and all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
Threshold Amount shall mean $6,000,000.
Total Funded Indebtedness means, as of any date, the sum of (a) all obligations for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (b) all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (d) all obligations under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property acquired by any Loan Party or Subsidiary, (e) all obligations in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding current accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (f) all obligations, contingent or
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otherwise, as an account party in respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty, (g) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, in respect of bankers acceptances, (h) all Capital Lease Obligations, (i) all obligations under any liquidated earn-out, (j) any other Off-Balance Sheet Liability, and (k) all Guarantees by any Loan Party or Subsidiary of obligations of the types specified in clauses (a) through (j) of others, calculated on a consolidated basis for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries as of such date in accordance with GAAP; provided that (i) obligations of the type described in foregoing clauses (f), (g) and (i) shall only be treated as Total Funded Indebtedness to the extent such obligations are not contingent and shall have become due and payable, and (ii) obligations of the type described in the foregoing clause (k) shall not include Guarantees of obligations of the type described in the foregoing clauses (f), (g) and (i) that are contingent and shall not have become due and payable.
Transactions means the execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower of this Agreement, the borrowing of Loans and other credit extensions, the use of the proceeds thereof and the requests for issuances of Letters of Credit hereunder.
Type, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the CB Floating Rate.
UCC means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of Illinois or any other state the laws of which are required to be applied in connection with the issue of perfection of security interests.
Unliquidated Obligations means, at any time, any Secured Obligations (or portion thereof) that are contingent in nature or unliquidated at such time, including any Secured Obligation that is: (i) an obligation to reimburse a bank for drawings not yet made under a letter of credit issued by it; (ii) any other obligation (including any guarantee) that is contingent in nature at such time; or (iii) an obligation to provide collateral to secure any of the foregoing types of obligations.
U.S. Person means a United States person within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
Withdrawal Liability means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
Withholding Agent means the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a Revolving Loan) or by Type (e.g., a Eurodollar Loan) or by Type and Class (e.g., a Eurodollar Revolving Loan). Borrowings also may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a Revolving Borrowing) or by Type (e.g., a CBFR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing) or by Type and Class (e.g., a CBFR Revolving Borrowing or a Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing).
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SECTION 1.03. Terms Generally. 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 (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Persons successors and assigns, (c) the words herein, hereof and hereunder, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement, (e) any reference in any definition to the phrase at any time or for any Period shall refer to the same time or period for all calculations or determinations within such definition, and (f) 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.
SECTION 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided that, if after the date hereof there occurs any change in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of any provision hereof and the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of such change in GAAP or in the application thereof (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith. Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made, without giving effect to any election under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 159 (or any other Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of any Loan Party or Subsidiary at fair value, as defined therein.
ARTICLE II
THE CREDITS
SECTION 2.01. Commitments. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender agrees to make Revolving Loans to the Borrower from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not result in (a) such Lenders Revolving Exposure exceeding such Lenders Revolving Commitment or (b) the Aggregate Revolving Exposures exceeding the sum of the total Revolving Commitments. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Revolving Loans.
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SECTION 2.02. Loans and Borrowings. (a) Each Loan shall be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans of the same Class and Type made by the Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Commitments of the applicable Class.
(b) Subject to Section 2.14, each Borrowing shall be comprised entirely of CBFR Loans or Eurodollar Loans as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith. Each Lender at its option may make any Eurodollar Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan; provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(c) At the commencement of each Interest Period for any Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $100,000. At the time that each CBFR Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $100,000; provided that a CBFR Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire unused balance of the aggregate Revolving Commitments or that is required to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e). Borrowings of more than one Type and Class may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than a total of twelve (12) Eurodollar Borrowings outstanding.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after the Maturity Date.
SECTION 2.03. Requests for Borrowings. To request a Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request either in writing (delivered by hand, facsimile or email) in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower or by telephone not later than (a) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, 10:00 a.m., Chicago time, two Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing or (b) in the case of a CBFR Borrowing, noon, Chicago time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing. Each such telephonic Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or facsimile to the Administrative Agent of a written Borrowing Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower. Each such telephonic and written Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.01:
(i) the aggregate amount of the requested Borrowing and a breakdown of the separate wires comprising such Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to be a CBFR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing; and
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(iv) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term Interest Period.
If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be a CBFR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested Eurodollar Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one months duration. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the amount of such Lenders Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.
SECTION 2.04. [Intentionally Omitted.]
SECTION 2.05. [Intentionally Omitted.]
SECTION 2.06. Letters of Credit. (a) General. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may request the issuance of Letters of Credit for its own account or for the account of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof in a form reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during the Availability Period. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any form of letter of credit application or other agreement submitted by the Borrower to, or entered into by the Borrower with, the Issuing Bank relating to any Letter of Credit, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Issuing Bank shall have no obligation hereunder to issue, and shall not issue, any Letter of Credit (i) the proceeds of which would be made available to any Person (A) to fund any activity or business of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of any Sanctions or (B) in any manner that would result in a violation of any Sanctions by any party to this Agreement, (ii) if any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain the Issuing Bank from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Requirement of Law relating to the Issuing Bank or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over the Issuing Bank shall prohibit, or request that the Issuing Bank refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon the Issuing Bank with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which the Issuing Bank is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Effective Date, or shall impose upon the Issuing Bank any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not applicable on the Effective Date and which the Issuing Bank in good faith deems material to it, or (iii) if the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of the Issuing Bank applicable to letters of credit generally; provided that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith or in the implementation thereof, and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements 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 not to be in effect on the Effective Date for purposes of clause (ii) above, regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.
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(b) Notice of Issuance, Amendment, Renewal, Extension; Certain Conditions. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment, renewal or extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the Borrower shall deliver by hand or facsimile (or transmit by electronic communication, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Issuing Bank) to the Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (prior to 10:00 a.m., Chicago time, at least two Business Days prior to the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension) a notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended, renewed or extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with paragraph (c) of this Section), the amount of such Letter of Credit, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof and such other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend, renew or extend such Letter of Credit. If requested by the Issuing Bank, the Borrower also shall submit a letter of credit application on the Issuing Banks standard form in connection with any request for a Letter of Credit. A Letter of Credit shall be issued, amended, renewed or extended only if (and upon issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of each Letter of Credit the Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), after giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (i) the LC Exposure shall not exceed $3,000,000, and (ii) the total Revolving Exposures shall not exceed the total Revolving Commitments.
(c) Expiration Date. Each Letter of Credit shall expire at or prior to the close of business on the date one year after the date of the issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any renewal or extension thereof, one year after such renewal or extension).
(d) Participations. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount thereof) and without any further action on the part of the Issuing Bank or the Revolving Lenders, the Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Revolving Lender, and each Revolving Lender hereby acquires from the Issuing Bank, a participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such Lenders Applicable Percentage of the aggregate amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each Revolving Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Issuing Bank, such Lenders Applicable Percentage of each LC Disbursement made by the Issuing Bank and not reimbursed by the Borrower on the date due as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section, or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason. Each Revolving Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever.
(e) Reimbursement. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an amount equal to such LC Disbursement (i) not later than 11:00 a.m.,
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Chicago time, on the date that such LC Disbursement is made, if the Borrower shall have received notice of such LC Disbursement prior to 9:00 a.m., Chicago time, on such date, or (ii) if such notice has not been received by the Borrower prior to such time on such date, then not later than 11:00 a.m., Chicago time, on the Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrower receives such notice; provided that, the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03 or 2.05 that such payment be financed with a CBFR Borrowing in an equivalent amount and, to the extent so financed, the Borrowers obligation to make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting CBFR Borrowing. If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Revolving Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement, the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof and such Lenders Applicable Percentage thereof. Promptly following receipt of such notice, each Revolving Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent its Applicable Percentage of the payment then due from the Borrower, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Revolving Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Issuing Bank the amounts so received by it from the Revolving Lenders. Promptly following receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the Borrower pursuant to this paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to the Issuing Bank or, to the extent that Revolving Lenders have made payments pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank, then to such Lenders and the Issuing Bank as their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Revolving Lender pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement (other than the funding of CBFR Revolving Loans as contemplated above) shall not constitute a Loan and shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such LC Disbursement.
(f) Obligations Absolute. The Borrowers obligation to reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all circumstances whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit or this Agreement, or any term or provision therein or herein, (ii) any draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect, (iii) payment by the Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or other document that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit, or (iv) any other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or provide a right of setoff against, the Borrowers obligations hereunder. Neither the Administrative Agent, the Revolving Lenders nor the Issuing Bank, nor any of their Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility by reason of or in connection with the issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit or any payment or failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error, omission, interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, notice or other communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including any document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of technical terms or any consequence arising from causes beyond the control of the Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse the Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to consequential damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law)
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suffered by the Borrower that are caused by the Issuing Banks failure to exercise care when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly agree that, in the absence of gross negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of the Issuing Bank (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), the Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have exercised care in each such determination. In furtherance of the foregoing and without limiting the generality thereof, the parties agree that, with respect to documents presented which appear on their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, the Issuing Bank may, in its sole discretion, either accept and make payment upon such documents without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such documents if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit.
(g) Disbursement Procedures. The Issuing Bank shall, promptly following its receipt thereof, examine all documents purporting to represent a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit. The Issuing Bank shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed by facsimile) of such demand for payment and whether the Issuing Bank has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder; provided that any failure to give or delay in giving such notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse the Issuing Bank and the Revolving Lenders with respect to any such LC Disbursement.
(h) Interim Interest. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement in full on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such LC Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then applicable to CBFR Revolving Loans; provided that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement when due pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section, then Section 2.13(d) shall apply. Interest accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for the account of the Issuing Bank, except that interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Revolving Lender pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section to reimburse the Issuing Bank shall be for the account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.
(i) Replacement of the Issuing Bank. The Issuing Bank may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Revolving Lenders of any such replacement of the Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees accrued for the account of the replaced Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.12(b). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (i) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the rights and obligations of the Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit to be issued thereafter and (ii) references herein to the term Issuing Bank shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks, as the context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be required to issue additional Letters of Credit.
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(j) Cash Collateralization. If (i) any Event of Default shall occur and be continuing or (ii) if any Letter of Credit is outstanding after the Maturity Date, then on the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice from the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated, Revolving Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the aggregate LC Exposure) demanding the deposit of cash collateral pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall deposit in an account with the Administrative Agent, in the name of the Administrative Agent and for the benefit of the Revolving Lenders (the LC Collateral Account), an amount in cash equal to 105% of the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time; provided that the obligation to deposit such cash collateral shall become effective immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately due and payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of Article VII. Such deposit shall be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral for the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations. The Administrative Agent shall have exclusive dominion and control, including the exclusive right of withdrawal, over the LC Collateral Account and the Borrower hereby grants the Administrative Agent a security interest in the LC Collateral Account. Other than any interest earned on the investment of such deposits, which investments shall be made at the option and sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and at the Borrowers risk and expense, such deposits shall not bear interest. Interest or profits, if any, on such investments shall accumulate in the LC Collateral Account. Moneys in the LC Collateral Account shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to reimburse the Issuing Bank for LC Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed and, to the extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the reimbursement obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at such time or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated (but subject to the consent of Revolving Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the aggregate LC Exposure), be applied to satisfy other Secured Obligations. If the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash collateral hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of Default, such amount (to the extent not applied as aforesaid) shall be returned to the Borrower within three Business Days after all such Events of Default have been cured or waived as confirmed in writing by the Administrative Agent.
(k) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit application, the Issuing Bank will 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 Issuing Bank 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 Issuing Bank, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to the Issuing Bank for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized the Issuing Bank to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the date set forth in Section 2.06(c).
SECTION 2.07. Funding of Borrowings. (a) Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by such Lender hereunder on the proposed date thereof by wire transfer of immediately available funds by 1:00 p.m., Chicago time, to the account of the Administrative Agent most
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recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders in an amount equal to such Lenders Applicable Percentage. The Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the amounts so received, in like funds, to the Funding Account; provided that CBFR Revolving Loans made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e) shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Issuing Bank.
(b) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing (or in the case of any CBFR Borrowing, prior to the deadline for requesting a CBFR Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lenders share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section 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 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 (i) in the case of such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to CBFR Loans. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lenders Loan included in such Borrowing.
SECTION 2.08. Interest Elections. (a) Each Borrowing initially shall be of the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as provided in this Section. The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing.
(b) To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election by telephone by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each such telephonic Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or facsimile to the Administrative Agent of a written Interest Election Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower.
(c) Each telephonic and written Interest Election Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
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(i) the Borrowing to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii) the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether the resulting Borrowing is to be a CBFR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing; and
(iv) if the resulting Borrowing is a Eurodollar Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after giving effect to such election, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term Interest Period.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one months duration.
(d) Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of such Lenders portion of each resulting Borrowing.
(e) If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a Eurodollar Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period such Borrowing shall be converted to a CBFR Borrowing. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent, at the request of the Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid, each Eurodollar Borrowing shall be converted to a CBFR Borrowing at the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto.
SECTION 2.09. Termination and Reduction of Commitments; Increase in Revolving Commitments. (a) Unless previously terminated, all Commitments shall terminate on the Maturity Date.
(b) The Borrower may at any time terminate the Commitments upon (i) the payment in full of all outstanding Loans, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon and on any Letters of Credit, (ii) the cancellation and return of all outstanding Letters of Credit (or alternatively, with respect to each such Letter of Credit, the furnishing to the Administrative Agent of a cash deposit (or at the discretion of the Administrative Agent a back up standby letter of credit satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) equal to 105% of the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit as of such date), (iii) the payment in full of the accrued and unpaid fees, and (iv) the payment in full of all reimbursable expenses and other Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations) together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon.
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(c) The Borrower may from time to time reduce the Revolving Commitments; provided that (i) each reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $5,000,000, and (ii) the Borrower shall not reduce the Revolving Commitments if, after giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the Revolving Loans in accordance with Section 2.10, the sum of the Revolving Exposures would exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments.
(d) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the Commitments under paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section at least two Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or reduction, specifying such election and the effective date thereof. Promptly following receipt of any notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or other refinancing, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any termination or reduction of the Commitments shall be permanent. Each reduction of the Commitments shall be made ratably among the Lenders in accordance with their respective Commitments.
(e) The Borrower shall have the right to increase the Revolving Commitment by obtaining additional Revolving Commitments, either from one or more of the Lenders or another lending institution provided that (i) any such request for an increase shall be in a minimum amount of $5,000,000 or a greater integral multiple of $1,000,000, (ii) the Borrower may make a maximum of five (5) such requests, (iii) the Administrative Agent has approved the identity of any such new Lender, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, (iv) any such new Lender assumes all of the rights and obligations of a Lender hereunder, and (v) the procedure described in Section 2.09(f) have been satisfied.
(f) Any amendment hereto for such an increase or addition shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and shall only require the written signatures of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and each Lender being added or increasing its Commitment, subject only to (i) the approval of all Lenders if any such increase would cause the aggregate amount of increases in Revolving Commitments pursuant to this Section 2.09 to exceed $25,000,000, and (ii) pro forma compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 6.13 as of the end of the most recent Fiscal Quarter (assuming that the Revolving Commitments as increased were fully drawn). As a condition precedent to such an increase, Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of each Loan Party (in sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by an authorized officer of such Loan Party (i) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such increase, and (ii) in the case of the Borrower, certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (A) the representations and warranties contained in Article III and the other Loan Documents are true and correct, 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, (B) pro forma compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 6.13 as of the end of the most recent Fiscal Quarter (assuming that the Revolving Commitments as increased were fully drawn) accompanied by calculations supporting the same, and (C) no Default exists.
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(g) Within a reasonable time after the effective date of any increase, the Administrative Agent shall, and is hereby authorized and directed to, revise the Commitment Schedule to reflect such increase and shall distribute such revised Commitment Schedule to each of the Lenders and the Borrower, whereupon such revised Commitment Schedule shall replace the old Commitment Schedule and become part of this Agreement. On the Business Day following any such increase, all outstanding CBFR Advances shall be reallocated among the Lenders (including any newly added Lenders) in accordance with the Lenders respective revised Applicable Percentages and the Lenders shall make adjustments among themselves with respect to the Advances then outstanding and amounts of principal, interest, commitment fees and other amounts paid or payable with respect thereto as shall be necessary, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, in order to effect such reallocation. Eurodollar Advances shall not be reallocated among the Lenders until the expiration of the applicable Interest Period in effect at the time of any such increase, at which time any such Eurodollar Advances being continued shall be reallocated, and any such Eurodollar Advances being converted to CBFR Advances shall be converted and allocated, among the Lenders (including the newly added Lenders) at such time.
SECTION 2.10. Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt. (a) The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Revolving Loan on the Maturity Date.
(b) Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Class and Type thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of the Lenders and each Lenders share thereof.
(d) The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraph (c) or (d) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(e) Any Lender may request that Loans made by it be evidenced by a promissory note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note payable to the order of such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more promissory notes in such form payable to the order of the payee named therein (or, if such promissory note is a registered note, to such payee and its registered assigns).
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SECTION 2.11. Prepayment of Loans. (a) The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part without premium or penalty (other than pursuant to Section 2.16), subject to prior notice in accordance with paragraph (e) of this Section.
(b) In the event and on such occasion that the Aggregate Revolving Exposure exceeds the aggregate Revolving Commitments, the Borrower shall prepay the Revolving Loans and/or LC Exposure in an aggregate amount equal to such excess.
(c) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent by telephone (confirmed by facsimile) of any prepayment hereunder not later than 10:00 a.m., Chicago time, (i) in the case of prepayment of a Eurodollar Borrowing, two Business Days before the date of prepayment, or (ii) in the case of prepayment of a CBFR Borrowing, one Business Day before the date of prepayment. Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid; provided that, if a notice of prepayment is given in connection with a conditional notice of termination of the Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.09, then such notice of prepayment may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked in accordance with Section 2.09. Promptly following receipt of any such notice relating to a Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02. Each prepayment of a Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Revolving Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing. Prepayments shall be accompanied by accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.13.
SECTION 2.12. Fees. (a) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a commitment fee, which shall accrue at the Applicable Rate on the average daily amount of the Available Revolving Commitment of such Lender during the period from and including the Original Closing Date to but excluding the date on which the Lenders Revolving Commitments terminate. Accrued commitment fees shall be payable in arrears on the last day of each March, June, September and December and on the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate, commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof. All commitment fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed.
(b) The Borrower agrees to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender a participation fee with respect to its participations in Letters of Credit, at a per annum rate equal to 1.10% on the average daily amount of such Lenders LC Exposure (excluding any portion thereof attributable to unreimbursed LC Disbursements) during the period from and including the Original Closing Date to but excluding the later of the date on which such Lenders Revolving Commitment terminates and the date on which such Lender ceases to have any LC Exposure, and (ii) at any time there are Lenders other than Chase, to the Issuing Bank a fronting fee, which shall accrue at the rate of 0.125% per annum on the average daily amount of the LC Exposure (excluding any portion thereof attributable to unreimbursed LC Disbursements) during the period from and including the Original Closing Date to but excluding the later of the date of termination of the Revolving Commitments and the date on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure, as well as the Issuing Banks standard fees with respect to the issuance,
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amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or processing of drawings thereunder. Participation fees and fronting fees accrued through and including the last day of each March, June, September and December shall be payable on the first Business Day following such last day, commencing on the first such date to occur after the Effective Date; provided that all such fees shall be payable on the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate and any such fees accruing after the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. Any other fees payable to the Issuing Bank pursuant to this paragraph shall be payable within 10 days after demand. All participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed.
(c) [Intentionally Omitted].
(d) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
(e) All fees payable hereunder shall be paid on the dates due, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent (or to the Issuing Bank, in the case of fees payable to it) for distribution, in the case of commitment fees and participation fees, to the Lenders. Fees paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
SECTION 2.13. Interest. (a) The Loans comprising each CBFR Borrowing shall bear interest at the CB Floating Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(b) The Loans comprising each Eurodollar Borrowing shall bear interest at the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus the Applicable Rate.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, during the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may, at their option, by notice to the Borrower (which notice may be revoked at the option of the Required Lenders notwithstanding any provision of Section 9.02 requiring the consent of each Lender affected thereby for reductions in interest rates), declare that (i) all Loans shall bear interest at 2.00% plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loans as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount outstanding hereunder, such amount shall accrue at 2.00% plus the rate applicable to such fee or other obligation as provided hereunder.
(d) Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan and upon termination of the Commitments; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (d) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other than a prepayment of a CBFR Revolving Loan prior to the end of the Availability Period), accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any Eurodollar Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.
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(e) All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days (except that interest computed by reference to the CB Floating Rate shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365/366 days) and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed. The applicable CB Floating Rate, Adjusted LIBO Rate and LIBO Rate shall be determined by the Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
SECTION 2.14. Alternate Rate of Interest. If prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Borrowing:
(a) the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining (including, without limitation, by means of an Interpolated Rate) the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the LIBO Rate, as applicable, for such Interest Period; or
(b) the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the LIBO Rate, as applicable, for such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their Loans (or its Loan) included in such Borrowing for such Interest Period;
then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders by telephone or facsimile as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist, (i) any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a Eurodollar Borrowing shall be ineffective, and (ii) if any Borrowing Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be made as a CBFR Borrowing.
SECTION 2.15. Increased Costs. (a) If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted LIBO Rate) or the Issuing Bank;
(ii) impose on any Lender or the Issuing Bank or the London interbank market any other condition affecting this Agreement or Eurodollar Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein; or
(iii) subject any Recipient to any Taxes on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (a)(i) and (b) through (e) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes);
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender or such other Recipient of making or maintaining any Eurodollar Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Eurodollar Loan) or to increase the cost to such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other Recipient of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other
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Recipient hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise), then the Borrower will pay to such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other Recipient, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other Recipient, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) If any Lender or the Issuing Bank determines that any Change in Law regarding capital requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lenders or the Issuing Banks capital or on the capital of such Lenders or the Issuing Banks holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by the Issuing Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lenders or the Issuing Banks holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lenders or the Issuing Banks policies and the policies of such Lenders or the Issuing Banks holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lenders or the Issuing Banks holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) A certificate of a Lender or the Issuing Bank setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(d) Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lenders or the Issuing Banks right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender or the Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 180 days prior to the date that such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lenders or the Issuing Banks intention to claim compensation therefor; provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 180-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
SECTION 2.16. Break Funding Payments. In the event of (a) the payment of any principal of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default), (b) the conversion of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (c) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Eurodollar Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.11(c) and is revoked in accordance therewith), or (d) the assignment of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event (excluding any loss of anticipated profits). In the case of a Eurodollar Loan, such loss, cost or expense to any Lender shall be deemed to include
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an amount determined by such Lender to be the excess, if any, of (i) the amount of interest which would have accrued on the principal amount of such Eurodollar Loan had such event not occurred, at the Adjusted LIBO Rate that would have been applicable to such Eurodollar Loan, for the period from the date of such event to the last day of the then current Interest Period therefor (or, in the case of a failure to borrow, convert or continue, for the period that would have been the Interest Period for such Loan), over (ii) the amount of interest which would accrue on such principal amount for such period at the interest rate which such Lender would bid were it to bid, at the commencement of such period, for dollar deposits of a comparable amount and period from other banks in the eurodollar market. A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
SECTION 2.17. Taxes. (a) Withholding of Taxes; Gross-Up. Each payment by any Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without withholding for any Taxes, unless such withholding is required by any law. If any Withholding Agent determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it is so required to withhold Taxes, then such Withholding Agent may so withhold and shall timely pay the full amount of withheld Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law. If such Taxes are Indemnified Taxes, then the amount payable by such Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that, net of such withholding (including such withholding applicable to additional amounts payable under this Section), the applicable Recipient receives the amount it would have received had no such withholding been made.
(b) Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower. The Borrower shall timely pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.
(c) Evidence of Payments. As soon as practicable after any payment of Indemnified Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority, such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(d) Indemnification by the Borrower. The Loan Parties shall jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient for any Indemnified Taxes that are paid or payable by such Recipient in connection with any Loan Document (including amounts paid or payable under this Section 2.17(d)) and any 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. The indemnity under this Section 2.17(d) shall be paid within 10 days after the Recipient delivers to any Loan Party a certificate stating the amount of any Indemnified Taxes so paid or payable by such Recipient and describing the basis for the indemnification claim; provided, that the Borrower shall not be obligated to make a payment pursuant to this Section 2.17 in respect of penalties, interest and additions to tax attributable to or included in any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes (and, for the avoidance of doubt, reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto), if such penalties, interest, additions to tax or expenses are attributable to the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Administrative Agent or any Lender. Such certificate shall be conclusive of the amount so paid or payable absent manifest error. Such Recipient shall deliver a copy of such certificate to the Administrative Agent.
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(e) Indemnification by the Lenders. Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent for any Taxes (but, in the case of any Indemnified Taxes, 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) attributable to such Lender that are paid or payable by the Administrative Agent 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. The indemnity under this Section 2.17(e) shall be paid within 10 days after the Administrative Agent delivers to the applicable Lender a certificate stating the amount of Taxes so paid or payable by the Administrative Agent. Such certificate shall be conclusive of the amount so paid or payable absent manifest error.
(f) Status of Lenders. (i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from, or reduction of, any applicable withholding Tax with respect to any payments 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, or at a reduced rate of, withholding. In addition, any Lender, if requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by 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 any withholding (including 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 2.17(f)(ii)(A) through (E) below) shall not be required if in the Lenders 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. Upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, any Lender shall update any form or certification previously delivered pursuant to this Section 2.17(f). If any form or certification previously delivered pursuant to this Section expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect with respect to a Lender, such Lender shall promptly (and in any event within 10 days after such expiration, obsolescence or inaccuracy) notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of such expiration, obsolescence or inaccuracy and update the form or certification if it is legally eligible to do so.
(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the Borrower is a U.S. Person, any Lender with respect to the Borrower shall, if it is legally eligible to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies reasonably requested by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent) on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a party hereto, duly completed and executed copies of whichever of the following is applicable:
(A) in the case of a Lender that is a U.S. Person, IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. Federal backup withholding tax;
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(B) in the case of a Non-U.S. Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (1) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (as applicable) establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. Federal withholding Tax pursuant to the interest article of such tax treaty and (2) with respect to any other applicable payments under this Agreement, IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (as applicable) 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;
(C) in the case of a Non-U.S. Lender for whom payments under this Agreement constitute income that is effectively connected with such Lenders conduct of a trade or business in the United States, IRS Form W-8ECI;
(D) in the case of a Non-U.S. Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code both (1) IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (as applicable) and (2) a tax certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-1 to the effect that such Lender is not (a) a bank within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (b) a 10 percent shareholder of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code (c) a controlled foreign corporation described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (d) conducting a trade or business in the United States with which the relevant interest payments are effectively connected;
(E) in the case of a Non-U.S. Lender that is not the beneficial owner of payments made under this Agreement (including a partnership or a participating Lender) (1) an IRS Form W-8IMY on behalf of itself and (2) the relevant forms prescribed in clauses (A), (B), (C), (D) and (F) of this paragraph (f)(ii) that would be required of each such beneficial owner or partner of such partnership if such beneficial owner or partner were a Lender; provided, however, that if the Lender is a partnership and one or more of its partners are claiming the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, such Lender may provide a tax certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-2 on behalf of such partners; or
(F) any other form prescribed by law as a basis for claiming exemption from, or a reduction of, U.S. Federal withholding Tax together with such supplementary documentation necessary to enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the amount of Tax (if any) required by law to be withheld.
(iii) 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 Withholding Agent, at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Withholding 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 Withholding Agent as may be necessary for the Withholding Agent to comply with its obligations under FATCA, to determine that such Lender has or has not complied with such Lenders obligations under FATCA and, as necessary, to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this Section 2.17(f)(iii), FATCA shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
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(g) Treatment of Certain Refunds. If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.17 (including additional amounts paid pursuant to this Section 2.17), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including any Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid to such indemnified party pursuant to the previous sentence (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 2.17(g), in no event will any indemnified party be required to pay any amount to any indemnifying party pursuant to this Section 2.17(g) if such payment would place such indemnified party in a less favorable position (on a net after-Tax basis) than such indemnified party would have been in if the indemnification payments or additional amounts giving rise to such refund had never been paid. This Section 2.17(g) shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes which it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.
(h) Grandfathered Obligations. For purposes of determining withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA, from and after the Effective Date, the Borrower and the Administrative Agent shall treat (and the Lenders hereby authorize the Administrative Agent to treat) the Loans as not qualifying as a grandfathered obligation within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.1471-2(b)(2)(i).
(i) Defined Terms. For purposes of this Section 2.17, the term Lender includes any Issuing Bank and the term applicable law includes FATCA.
SECTION 2.18. Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs. (a) The Borrower shall make each payment required to be made by it hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC Disbursements, or of amounts payable under Section 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17, or otherwise) prior to 2:00 p.m., Chicago time, on the date when due, in immediately available funds, without set-off or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent at its offices at 10 South Dearborn Street, 35th Floor, Chicago, Illinois, except payments to be made directly to the Issuing Bank as expressly provided herein and except that payments pursuant to Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 shall be made directly to the Persons entitled thereto. The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments received by it for the account of any other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof. If any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension. All payments hereunder shall be made in dollars.
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(b) Any proceeds of Collateral received by the Administrative Agent (i) not constituting a specific payment of principal, interest, fees or other sum payable under the Loan Documents (which shall be applied as specified by the Borrower), or (ii) after an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent so elects or the Required Lenders so direct, such funds shall be applied ratably first, to pay any fees, indemnities, or expense reimbursements including amounts then due to the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank from the Borrower (other than in connection with Banking Services or Swap Agreement Obligations), second, to pay any fees or expense reimbursements then due to the Lenders from the Borrower (other than in connection with Banking Services or Swap Agreement Obligations), third, to pay interest then due and payable on the Loans ratably, fourth, to prepay or pay principal on the Loans, unreimbursed LC Disbursements and any amounts owing with respect to Banking Services and Swap Agreement Obligations constituting Secured Obligations ratably, fifth, to pay an amount to the Administrative Agent equal to one hundred five percent (105%) of the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit, to be held as cash collateral for such Obligations, sixth, to the payment of any other Secured Obligation due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender by the Borrower and, seventh, to the Borrower. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, unless so directed by the Borrower, or unless a Default is in existence, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall apply any payment which it receives to any Eurodollar Loan of a Class, except (a) on the expiration date of the Interest Period applicable thereto or (b) in the event, and only to the extent, that there are no outstanding CBFR Loans of the same Class and, in any such event, the Borrower shall pay the break funding payment required in accordance with Section 2.16. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall have the continuing and exclusive right to apply and reverse and reapply any and all such proceeds and payments to any portion of the Secured Obligations in accordance with the first sentence of this Section 2.18(b).
(c) At the election of the Administrative Agent, all payments of principal, interest, LC Disbursements, fees, premiums, reimbursable expenses (including, without limitation, all reimbursement for fees and expenses pursuant to Section 9.03), and other sums payable under the Loan Documents, may be paid from the proceeds of Borrowings made hereunder whether made following a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.03 or a deemed request as provided in this Section or may be deducted from any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent. The Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes (i) the Administrative Agent to make a Borrowing for the purpose of paying each payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents and agrees that all such amounts charged shall constitute Loans, and that all such Borrowings shall be deemed to have been requested pursuant to Sections 2.03 or 2.05, as applicable and (ii) the Administrative Agent to charge any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent for each payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents.
(d) If, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any Lender shall, by exercising any right of set-off or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements resulting in such Lender
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receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and accrued interest thereon than the proportion received by any other similarly situated Lender, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and participations in LC Disbursements of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by all such Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and participations in LC Disbursements; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply). The Borrower 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 the Borrower rights of set-off and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
(e) 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 Issuing Bank 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 Lenders or the Issuing Bank, 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 Lenders or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or Issuing Bank 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 greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
(f) If any Lender shall fail to make any payment required to be made by it hereunder, then the Administrative Agent may, in its discretion (notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof), (i) apply any amounts thereafter received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Lender to satisfy such Lenders obligations hereunder until all such unsatisfied obligations are fully paid and/or (ii) hold any such amounts in a segregated account as cash collateral for, and apply any such amounts to, any future funding obligations of such Lender hereunder; application of amounts pursuant to (i) and (ii) above shall be made in such order as may be determined by the Administrative Agent in its discretion.
SECTION 2.19. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a) If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, 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 2.17, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to
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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 good faith judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b) If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, 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 2.17, or if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, 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 Section 9.04), all its interests, rights and obligations under this Agreement to an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent (and if a Revolving Commitment is being assigned, the Issuing Bank), which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, 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) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.17, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments. A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and 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.
SECTION 2.20. Defaulting Lenders. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:
(a) fees shall cease to accrue on the unfunded portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(a);
(b) such Defaulting Lender shall not have the right to vote on any issue on which voting is required (other than to the extent expressly provided in Section 9.02(b)) and the Commitment and Revolving Exposure of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether the Required Lenders have taken or may take any action hereunder;
(c) if any LC Exposure exists at the time a Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender then:
(i) all or any part of the LC Exposure of such Defaulting Lender shall be reallocated among the non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages but only to the extent the sum of all non-Defaulting Lenders Revolving Exposures plus such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure does not exceed the total of all non-Defaulting Lenders Revolving Commitments;
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(ii) if the reallocation described in clause (i) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall within one Business Day following notice by the Administrative Agent cash collateralize, for the benefit of the Issuing Bank, the Borrowers obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure (after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause (i) above) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.06(j) for so long as such LC Exposure is outstanding;
(iii) if the Borrower cash collateralizes any portion of such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure pursuant to clause (ii) above, the Borrower shall not be required to pay any fees to such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure during the period such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure is cash collateralized;
(iv) if the LC Exposure of the non-Defaulting Lenders is reallocated pursuant to clause (i) above, then the fees payable to the Lenders pursuant to Sections 2.12(a) and (b) shall be adjusted in accordance with such non-Defaulting Lenders Applicable Percentages; and
(v) if all or any portion of such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure is neither reallocated nor cash collateralized pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) above, then, without prejudice to any rights or remedies of the Issuing Bank or any Lender hereunder, all letter of credit fees payable under Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lenders LC Exposure shall be payable to the Issuing Bank until such LC Exposure is reallocated and/or cash collateralized; and
(d) so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender, the Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless it is satisfied that the related exposure will be 100% covered by the Commitments of the non-Defaulting Lenders and/or cash collateral will be provided by the Borrower in accordance with Section 2.20(c), and participating interests in any such newly issued or increased Letter of Credit shall be allocated among non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.20(c)(i) (and such Defaulting Lenders shall not participate therein); if (i) a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Parent of any Lender shall occur following the date hereof and for so long as such event shall continue or (ii) the Issuing Bank has a good faith belief that any Lender has defaulted in fulfilling its obligations under one or more other agreements in which such Lender commits to extend credit, the Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit unless the Issuing Bank shall have entered into arrangements with the Borrower or such Lender, satisfactory to the Issuing Bank to defease any risk in respect of such Lender hereunder.
(e) in the event that each of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower, and Issuing Bank agrees that a Defaulting Lender has adequately remedied all matters that caused such Lender to be a Defaulting Lender, then the LC Exposure of the Lenders shall be readjusted to reflect the inclusion of such Lenders Revolving Commitment and on the date of such readjustment such Lender shall purchase at par such of the Loans of the other Lenders as the Administrative Agent shall determine may be necessary in order for such Lender to hold such Loans in accordance with its Applicable Percentage.
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SECTION 2.21. Returned Payments. If after receipt of any payment which is applied to the payment of all or any part of the Obligations, the Administrative Agent or any Lender is for any reason compelled to surrender such payment or proceeds to any Person because such payment or application of proceeds is invalidated, declared fraudulent, set aside, determined to be void or voidable as a preference, impermissible setoff, or a diversion of trust funds, or for any other reason, then the Obligations or part thereof intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued and this Agreement shall continue in full force as if such payment or proceeds had not been received by the Administrative Agent or such Lender. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall be and remain effective notwithstanding any contrary action which may have been taken by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in reliance upon such payment or application of proceeds. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 2.22. Banking Services and Swap Agreements. Each Lender or Affiliate thereof providing Banking Services for, or having Swap Agreements with, any Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent, promptly after entering into such Banking Services or Swap Agreements, written notice setting forth the aggregate amount of all Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations of such Loan Party to such Lender or Affiliate (whether matured or unmatured, absolute or contingent). In furtherance of that requirement, each such Lender or Affiliate thereof shall furnish the Administrative Agent, from time to time after a significant change therein or upon a request therefor, a summary of the amounts due or to become due in respect of such Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations. The most recent information provided to the Administrative Agent shall be used in determining which tier of the waterfall, contained in Section 2.18(b), such Banking Services Obligations and/or Swap Agreement Obligations will be placed.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
Each Loan Party represents and warrants to the Lenders that:
SECTION 3.01. Organization; Powers. Each of the Loan Parties and each of its Subsidiaries is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required.
SECTION 3.02. Authorization; Enforceability. The Transactions are within each Loan Partys organizational powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary organizational actions and, if required, actions by equity holders. The Loan Documents to which each Loan Party is a party have been duly executed and delivered by such Loan Party and constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
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SECTION 3.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The Transactions (a) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except (i) such as have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (ii) for filings necessary to perfect Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents or (iii) those that individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (b) will not violate any Requirement of Law applicable to any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, which individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (c) will not violate or result in a default under any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries or its assets, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, and (d) will not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, except Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents.
SECTION 3.04. Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change. (a) The Borrower has heretofore furnished to the Lenders consolidated balance sheets and statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries (i) as of and for the Fiscal Years ended on or about December 31, 2013 and 2014, reported on by Deloitte & Touche, LLP, independent public accountants, and (ii) as of and for the fiscal quarter and the portion of the Fiscal Year ended on or about September 30, 2015, certified by an Authorized Representative. Such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position and results of operations and cash flows of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods in accordance with GAAP, subject to year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes in the case of the statements referred to in clause (ii) above.
(b) No event, change or condition has occurred that has had, or could reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, since December 31, 2014.
SECTION 3.05. Properties. (a) As of the date of this Agreement, Schedule 3.05 sets forth the address of each parcel of real property that is owned or leased by each Loan Party. Each material lease and each material sublease is valid and enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law, and is in full force and effect, and no default by any party to any material lease or sublease exists, except for defaults that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Each of the Loan Parties and its Subsidiaries has good title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all of its real and personal property material to the business of the Loan Parties, and each of their Subsidiaries taken as a whole, free of all Liens other than (i) those permitted by Section 6.02 and (ii) minor defects in title that do not interfere with each of its ability to conduct its business as currently conducted or to utilize such properties for their intended purposes.
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(b) Each Loan Party and its Subsidiaries owns, or is licensed to use, all trademarks, trade names, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property material to its business as currently conducted, a correct and complete list of which, as of the date of this Agreement, is set forth on Schedule 3.05, and the use thereof by the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries does not, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, infringe upon the rights of any other Person, and the Loan Parties rights thereto are not subject to any licensing agreement or similar arrangement, except for any such infringements that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.06. Litigation and Environmental Matters. (a) There are no actions, suits or proceedings by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority pending against or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, threatened in writing against or affecting the Loan Parties or any of their Subsidiaries (i) that would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect (other than the Disclosed Matters) or (ii) that involve this Agreement or the Transactions.
(b) Except for the Disclosed Matters and except with respect to any other matters that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, no Loan Party nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) has received notice of any claim with respect to any Environmental Liability or knows of any basis for any Environmental Liability, (ii) has failed to comply with any Environmental Law or to obtain, maintain or comply with any permit, license or other approval required under any Environmental Law or (iii) has become subject to any Environmental Liability.
(c) Since the date of this Agreement, there has been no change in the status of the Disclosed Matters that, individually or in the aggregate, has resulted in, or materially increased the likelihood of, a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.07. Compliance with Laws and Agreements. Each Loan Party and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with all Requirements of Law applicable to it or its property and all indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. No Default has occurred and is continuing.
SECTION 3.08. Investment Company Status. No Loan Party nor any of its Subsidiaries is required to be registered as an investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.
SECTION 3.09. Taxes. Each Loan Party and its Subsidiaries has timely filed or caused to be filed all Tax returns and reports required to have been filed and has paid or caused to be paid all Taxes required to have been paid by it, except (a) Taxes that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, as applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves or (b) to the extent that the failure to do so could not be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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SECTION 3.10. ERISA. No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA Events for which liability is reasonably expected to occur, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The present value of all benefit liabilities (as defined in Section 4001(a)(16) of ERISA) under each Plan (based on the assumptions used to fund such Plans) did not, as of the date of the most recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, if any, exceed the fair market value of the assets of such Plan by an amount that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. All required contributions have been and will be made in accordance with the provisions of each Multiemployer Plan, except to the extent the same could not individually, or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and with respect to the Borrower and any of its ERISA Affiliates, there have been no, and there is not expected to be any, material Withdrawal Liabilities, except to the extent the same could not individually, or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.11. Disclosure. Each of Borrower and Holdings has disclosed to the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which it or any Subsidiary is subject, and all other matters known to it, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the other reports, financial statements, certificates or other information furnished by or on behalf of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, each of the Borrower and Holdings represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time delivered and, if such projected financial information was delivered prior to the Effective Date, as of the Effective Date.
SECTION 3.12. [Intentionally Omitted].
SECTION 3.13. Solvency. (a) Immediately after the consummation of the Transactions to occur on the Effective Date, each of (i) the Borrower and (ii) the Loan Parties taken as a whole, will be Solvent.
(b) The Borrower does not intend to, the Loan Parties taken as a whole do not intend to, and no Loan Party believes that it will, incur debts beyond its or their ability to pay such debts as they mature, taking into account the timing of and amounts of cash to be received by it or them, the timing of the amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its or their indebtedness and any right of contribution under Section 10.10 hereof.
SECTION 3.14. Insurance. Schedule 3.14 sets forth a description of all insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries as of the Effective Date. As of the Effective Date, all premiums in respect of such insurance have been paid. Each of the Borrower and Holdings believes that the insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries is adequate.
SECTION 3.15. Capitalization and Subsidiaries. Schedule 3.15 sets forth, as of the Effective Date, (a) a correct and complete list of the name and relationship to the Borrower of each Loan Party and their Subsidiaries, (b) a true and complete listing of each class of authorized
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Equity Interests of each Loan Party Subsidiary, including which issued Equity Interests are validly issued, outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable, and the ownership beneficially and of record of all of such Equity Interests, and (c) the type of entity of each Loan Party and each of their Subsidiaries. All of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests owned by any Loan Party has been (to the extent such concepts are relevant with respect to such ownership interests) duly authorized and issued and is fully paid and non-assessable.
SECTION 3.16. Security Interest in Collateral. The provisions of the Loan Documents create legal and valid Liens on all the Collateral in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and, upon the filing of UCC financing statements with the appropriate filing office in the jurisdiction of incorporation or formation of the applicable Loan Party, such Liens constitute perfected and continuing Liens on the Collateral, securing the Secured Obligations, enforceable against the applicable Loan Party and all third parties, and having priority over all other Liens on the Collateral except Liens permitted by Section 6.02.
SECTION 3.17. Labor Disputes. Except as could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, as of the date hereof, there are no strikes, lockouts or slowdowns against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened. The hours worked by and payments made to employees of the Loan Parties and the Subsidiaries have not been in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act or any other applicable Federal, state, local or foreign law dealing with such matters, except for any such violations that could not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. All material payments due from any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or for which any claim may be made against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, on account of wages and employee health and welfare insurance and other benefits, have been paid or accrued as a liability on the books of the Loan Party or such Subsidiary, except for any such failures that could not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.18. Affiliate Transactions. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.18, as of the date of this Agreement, there are no existing or proposed agreements, arrangements, understandings, or transactions between any Loan Party and any of the officers, members, managers, directors, stockholders, parents, other interest holders, employees, or Affiliates (other than Subsidiaries) of any Loan Party or any members of their respective immediate families, and none of the foregoing Persons are directly or indirectly indebted to or have any direct or indirect ownership, partnership, or voting interest in any Affiliate of any Loan Party or any Person with which any Loan Party has a business relationship or which competes with any Loan Party.
SECTION 3.19. Common Enterprise. The successful operation and condition of each of the Loan Parties is dependent on the continued successful performance of the functions of the group of the Loan Parties as a whole and the successful operation of each of the Loan Parties is dependent on the successful performance and operation of each other Loan Party. Each Loan Party expects to derive benefit (and its board of directors or other governing body has determined that it may reasonably be expected to derive benefit), directly and indirectly, from (i) successful operations of each of the other Loan Parties and (ii) the credit extended by the Lenders to the Borrower hereunder, both in their separate capacities and as members of the group of companies. Each Loan Party has determined that execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and any other Loan Documents to be executed by such Loan Party is within its purpose, in furtherance of its direct and/or indirect business interests, will be of direct and/or indirect benefit to such Loan Party, and is in its best interest.
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SECTION 3.20. Brokers Fees; Transaction Fees. Except as contemplated by Section 2.12(c), the Borrower has no obligation to any Person in respect of any finders, brokers or investment bankers fee or other fee in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
SECTION 3.21. Margin Rules. No part of the proceeds of the Loans made to any Loan Party will be used to purchase or carry any Margin Stock, as defined in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve System, or any successor thereto, as in effect from time to time or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any such margin stock or for any purpose that violates, or is inconsistent with, the provisions of Regulation T, U or X of such Board of Governors.
SECTION 3.22. Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions. Each of Holdings and the Borrower has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by Holdings, the Borrower, their respective Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions, and Holdings, the Borrower, their respective Subsidiaries and their respective officers and employees and to the knowledge of such Loan Party its directors and agents, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects. None of (a) Holdings, the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any of their respective directors, officers or employees, or (b) to the knowledge of Holdings, the Borrower, any agent of Holdings, the Borrower or any of their respective Subsidiaries that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person. No Borrowing or Letter of Credit, use of proceeds, Transaction or other transaction contemplated by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents will violate Anti-Corruption Laws or applicable Sanctions.
ARTICLE IV
CONDITIONS
SECTION 4.01. Effective Date. The obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall not become effective until the date on which each of the following conditions is satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02):
(a) Credit Agreement and Loan Documents. The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received (i) from each party hereto either (A) a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party or (B) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (which may include facsimile or other electronic transmission of a signed signature page of this Agreement) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Agreement, (ii) duly executed copies of the Loan Documents and such other certificates, documents, instruments and agreements as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably
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request in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including any promissory notes requested by a Lender pursuant to Section 2.10 payable to the order of each such requesting Lender, and (iii) written opinions of the counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders and including the opinions set forth in Exhibit B.
(b) Closing Certificates and Good Standing Certificates. The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) a certificate of each Loan Party, dated the Effective Date and executed by its respective Secretary or Assistant Secretary, which shall (A) certify the resolutions of its respective Board of Directors, members or other body authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (B) identify by name and title and bear the signatures of the Financial Officers and such Loan Party authorized to sign the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and (C) contain appropriate attachments, including the certificate of formation of each Loan Party certified by the Secretary of State of or other appropriate official of the jurisdiction of its organization and a true and correct copy of its respective by-laws, limited liability company or partnership agreement, and (ii) a long form good standing certificate for each Loan Party from the Secretary of State (or other appropriate official of the jurisdiction of its organization) of the jurisdiction of its organization and from each other jurisdiction in which such Loan Party is qualified to do business.
(c) No Default Certificate. The Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate, signed by an Authorized Representative, on the initial Borrowing date (i) stating that no Default has occurred and is continuing, (ii) stating that the representations and warranties contained in Article III are true and correct in all material respects (except as to any representation or warranty qualified as to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in which case such representation or warranty shall be true and correct in all respects) as of such date (or, to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, as of such earlier date) and (iii) certifying any other factual matters as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.
(d) Fees. The Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall have received all fees required to be paid, and all expenses for which invoices have been presented (including the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), on or before the Effective Date.
(e) Lien Searches. As to each Loan Party and its assets, to the extent requested by the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall have received the results of a recent lien search in each of the jurisdictions where such Loan Party is organized, and such search shall reveal no liens on any of the assets or property of the Loan Parties except for liens permitted by Section 6.02.
(f) Solvency. The Administrative Agent shall have received a solvency certificate from an Authorized Representative of the Borrower.
(g) Other Documents. The Administrative Agent shall have received such other documents as the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, any Lender or their respective counsel may have reasonably requested, including the documents listed on the checklist attached hereto as Exhibit E.
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The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding.
SECTION 4.02. Each Credit Event. The obligation of each Lender to make a Loan on the occasion of any Borrowing, and of the Issuing Bank to issue, amend, renew or extend any Letter of Credit, is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) The representations and warranties of the Borrower set forth in this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects (except as to any representation or warranty qualified as to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in which case such representation or warranty shall be true and correct in all respects) on and as of the date of such Borrowing or the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable (except, to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, in which case as of such earlier date), and if they are not true and correct the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders shall have determined not to make any Loan or instructed the Issuing Bank not to issue Letters of Credit as a result of the fact that such representation or warranty is untrue or incorrect.
(b) At the time of and immediately after giving effect to such Borrowing or the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing and the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders shall have determined not to make such Borrowing or instructed the Issuing Bank not to issue such Letter of Credit as a result of such Default.
(c) After giving effect to any Borrowing or the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit, Availability is not less than zero.
Each Borrowing and each issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this Section.
Notwithstanding the failure to satisfy the conditions precedent set forth in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Section, unless otherwise directed by the Required Lenders, the Administrative Agent may, but shall have no obligation to, continue to make Loans and an Issuing Bank may, but shall have no obligation to, issue or cause to be issued any Letter of Credit for the ratable account and risk of Lenders from time to time if the Administrative Agent believes that making such Loans or issuing or causing to be issued any such Letter of Credit is in the best interests of the Lenders.
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ARTICLE V
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
Until the Commitments have expired or terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees, expenses and other amounts (other than Unliquidated Obligations) payable under any Loan Document have been paid in full and all Letters of Credit have expired or terminated and all LC Disbursements have been reimbursed, each Loan Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees, jointly and severally with all of the other Loan Parties, with the Lenders that:
SECTION 5.01. Financial Statements and Other Information. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a) within 120 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, an audited consolidated balance sheet of Holdings and its Subsidiaries and related statements of operations, stockholders and members equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous Fiscal Year, all reported on by Deloitte & Touche, LLP or other independent public accountants acceptable to the Required Lenders (without a going concern or like qualification or exception and without any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit) to the effect that such financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, accompanied by any management letter prepared by said accountants; provided, that if Holdings and its Subsidiaries switch from one independent certified public accounting firm to another, the audit report of any such new accounting firm may contain a qualification or exception as to the scope of such consolidated or financial statements that relates to any fiscal year prior to its retention which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall have been the subject of an audit report of the previous accounting firm meeting the criteria set forth above;
(b) within 45 days after the end of each Fiscal Quarter (excluding the last Fiscal Quarter of any Fiscal Year), a consolidated balance sheet of Holdings and its Subsidiaries and related statements of operations, stockholders and members equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such Fiscal Quarter and the then elapsed portion of the Fiscal Year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding period or periods of (or, in the case of the balance sheet, as of the end of) the previous Fiscal Year and setting forth specific detail on Consolidated Restaurant Pre-Opening Expenses (on a consolidated basis and consistent with the use of such terms in the financial statements as of September 30, 2015 and for the nine-month period then ending referenced in Section 3.04), all certified by an Authorized Representative as presenting fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial condition and results of operations of Holdings and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
(c) concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (a) or (b) above, a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower in substantially the form of Exhibit C (the Compliance Certificate) (i) certifying, in the case of the financial statements delivered under clause (b), as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal
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year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes, (ii) the aggregate investment of the Loan Parties in Permitted J/Vs, (iii) certifying as to whether a Default has occurred and, if a Default has occurred, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto, and (iv) setting forth reasonably detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Section 6.13;
(d) upon the request of the Administrative Agent with respect to any of Holdings and its Subsidiaries (other than the Borrower and its Subsidiaries that are Loan Parties): (i) a copy of the most recently filed federal and state income tax returns of such Person, if any, and (ii) a copy of the most recent balance sheet and related statements of operations, stockholders and members equity and cash flows of such Person if reasonably available;
(e) as soon as available, but in any event on or prior to the 45th day of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower, a copy of the plan and forecast (including a projected consolidated balance sheet, income statement and funds flow statement) of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries for each month of such Fiscal Year (the Projections);
(f) promptly after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by the Borrower or any Subsidiary with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the functions of said Commission, or with any national securities exchange, or distributed by any Loan Party to its shareholders generally, as the case may be;
(g) concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (b) above, updated Exhibits A, C and F to the Security Agreement in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; and
(h) promptly following any request therefor, such other information regarding the operations, business affairs and financial condition of any Loan Party or Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may reasonably request.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to clauses (a) and (b) of this Section 5.01 may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date on which such documents are filed for public availability on the Securities and Exchange Commissions Electronic Data Gathering and Retrieval System (if applicable); provided that the Borrower shall notify (which may be by facsimile or electronic mail) the Administrative Agent of the filing of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. Notwithstanding anything contained herein, in every instance the Borrower shall be required to provide paper copies of the compliance certificates required by clause (c) of this Section 5.01 to the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 5.02. Notices of Material Events. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender prompt written notice of the following:
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(a) upon an Authorized Officers knowledge thereof, the occurrence of any Event of Default;
(b) receipt of any notice of any governmental investigation or any litigation or proceeding commenced or threatened in writing against a Loan Party or Subsidiary that (i) seeks damages in excess of the Threshold Amount, (ii) seeks injunctive relief, individually or in the aggregate, with respect to more than 40 Restaurants, (iii) is asserted or instituted against any Plan, its fiduciaries or its assets, (iv) is asserted by a Governmental Authority and alleges material criminal misconduct by a Loan Party or Subsidiary, (v) alleges the violation of any law regarding, or seeks remedies in connection with, any Environmental Laws that could individually or in the aggregate exceed the Threshold Amount, or (vi) contests any tax, fee, assessment, or other governmental charge in excess of the Threshold Amount;
(c) (i) any Lien (other than Liens permitted by Section 6.02) and (ii) any claims made or asserted against any of the Collateral if such claim or claims, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to exceed the Threshold Amount;
(d) any loss, damage, or destruction to the Collateral in an amount in excess of the Threshold Amount, whether or not covered by insurance;
(e) any and all default notices received under or with respect to any leased location (other than individual Restaurants) or public warehouse where material Collateral is located (which shall be delivered within two Business Days after receipt thereof);
(f) if at the time thereof there if more than one Lender under this Agreement, the fact that a Loan Party or Subsidiary has entered into a Swap Agreement or an amendment to a Swap Agreement with a Lender or any Affiliate thereof, together with copies of all agreements evidencing such Swap Agreement or amendments thereto (which shall be delivered within five (5) Business Days);
(g) the occurrence of any ERISA Event that, alone or together with any other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate in an aggregate amount exceeding the Threshold Amount; and (h) any other development that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect.
Each notice delivered under this Section shall be accompanied by a statement of a Financial Officer or other executive officer of the Borrower setting forth the details of the event or development requiring such notice and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto.
SECTION 5.03. Existence; Conduct of Business. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, (a) do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect its legal existence and the rights, qualifications, licenses, permits,
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franchises, governmental authorizations, intellectual property rights, licenses and permits material to the conduct of its business, and maintain all requisite authority to conduct its business in each jurisdiction in which its business is conducted, provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution permitted under Section 6.03; provided, further, that no Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries shall be required to preserve, renew or keep in full force and effect any rights, qualifications, licenses, permits, franchises, governmental authorizations, intellectual property rights, licenses if such Loan Party or any such Subsidiary shall in its good faith judgment, determine that the preservation thereof is no longer in the best interests of such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, and (b) carry on and conduct its business in substantially the same manner and in substantially the same fields of enterprise as it is presently conducted.
SECTION 5.04. Payment of Obligations. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, pay or discharge all Material Indebtedness and all other material liabilities and obligations, including Taxes, before the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (a) the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, and (b) such Loan Party or such Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP.
SECTION 5.05. Maintenance of Properties. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, keep and maintain all property material to the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted.
SECTION 5.06. Books and Records; Inspection Rights. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, (a) keep proper books of record and account in which full, true and correct entries are made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities and (b) permit any representatives designated by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including employees of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any consultants, accountants, lawyers and appraisers retained by the Administrative Agent), upon reasonable prior notice and during regular business hours, to visit and inspect its properties, conduct at the Loan Partys premises, field examinations of the Loan Partys assets, liabilities, books and records, including examining and making extracts from its books and records, environmental assessment reports and Phase I or Phase II studies, and to discuss its affairs, finances and condition with its officers and independent accountants, all at such reasonable times and as often as reasonably requested. The Loan Parties acknowledge that the Administrative Agent, after exercising its rights of inspection, may prepare and distribute to the Lenders certain Reports pertaining to the Loan Parties assets for internal use by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders.
SECTION 5.07. Compliance with Laws. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, comply with all Requirements of Law applicable to it or its property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Holdings and the Borrower will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by Holdings, the Borrower, their respective Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions.
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SECTION 5.08. Use of Proceeds. The Borrower will use the proceeds of the Loans only for general limited liability company and working capital purposes (not otherwise prohibited by this Agreement). No part of the proceeds of any Loan and no Letter of Credit will be used, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose that entails a violation of any of the Regulations of the Board, including Regulations T, U and X.
SECTION 5.09. Insurance. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, maintain with financially sound and reputable carriers having a financial strength rating of at least A- by A.M. Best Company (a) insurance in such amounts (with no greater risk retention) and against such risks (including loss or damage by fire and loss in transit; theft, burglary, pilferage, larceny, embezzlement, and other criminal activities; business interruption; and general liability) and such other hazards, as is customarily maintained by companies of established repute engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations and (b) all insurance required pursuant to the Collateral Documents. The Borrower will furnish to the Lenders, upon request of the Administrative Agent, information in reasonable detail as to the insurance so maintained.
SECTION 5.10. Casualty and Condemnation. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders prompt written notice of (a) any casualty or other insured damage to any Collateral with a book or fair market value of in excess of the Threshold Amount or (b) the commencement of any action or proceeding for the taking of any Collateral with a book or fair market value of in excess of the Threshold Amount, or any interest therein, under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding.
SECTION 5.11. Depository Banks. Each Loan Party will, and each Loan Party will cause each Subsidiary to, maintain Chase as its principal depository bank, including for the maintenance of all material operating, administrative, cash management, collection activity, and other deposit accounts for the conduct of its business, except in any geographic locations where it is reasonably determined by a Loan Party or such Subsidiary that the use of local banks may be necessary due to non-availability of reasonably accessible Chase branch locations.
SECTION 5.12. Additional Collateral; Further Assurances. (a) Subject to applicable law, each Loan Party and each Subsidiary that is a Loan Party shall cause each of its Domestic Subsidiaries formed or acquired after the Effective Date (except for Permitted J/Vs) in accordance with the terms of this Agreement to become a Loan Party by executing the Joinder Agreement set forth as Exhibit D hereto (the Joinder Agreement) within five (5) Business Days of the creation or acquisition thereof (or such longer period of time agreed to in writing by the Administrative Agent in its sole and absolute discretion). Upon execution and delivery thereof, each such Person (i) shall automatically become a Loan Guarantor hereunder and thereupon shall have all of the rights, benefits, duties, and obligations in such capacity under the Loan Documents and (ii) will grant Liens to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, in any property of such Loan Party which constitutes Collateral, including any parcel of owned real property located in the U.S. owned by any Loan Party.
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(b) Each Loan Party will cause 100% of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of each of its Domestic Subsidiaries (other than the Equity Interest of any Permitted J/Vs not owned by any other Loan Party or Subsidiary) to be subject at all times to a first priority, perfected Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Loan Documents or other security documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request. Each Loan Party will cause 65% of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of each of its Foreign Subsidiaries (other than the Equity Interest of any Permitted J/Vs not owned by any other Loan Party or Subsidiary) to be subject at all times to a first priority, perfected Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Loan Documents or other security documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request.
(c) Without limiting the foregoing, each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the Administrative Agent such documents, agreements and instruments, and will take or cause to be taken such further actions (including the filing and recording of financing statements, fixture filings, fee property mortgages, deeds of trust and other documents and such other actions or deliveries of the type required by Section 4.01, as applicable), which may be required by law or which the Administrative Agent may, from time to time, reasonably request to carry out the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and to ensure perfection and priority of the Liens created or intended to be created by the Collateral Documents, all at the expense of the Loan Parties. For the avoidance of doubt, no Loan Party shall have any obligation to deliver any mortgages in respect of any leasehold interests in real property.
(d) Subject to the second sentence of clause (b) above and the final sentence of clause (c) above, if any material assets (including any fee real property or improvements thereto or any interest therein) are acquired by any Loan Party after the Effective Date (other than assets constituting Collateral under the Security Agreement that become subject to the Lien in favor of the Security Agreement upon acquisition thereof), the Borrower will (i) notify the Administrative Agent and the Lenders thereof, and, if requested by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, cause such assets to be subjected to a Lien securing the Secured Obligations and (ii) will take, and cause each Subsidiary that is a Loan Party to take, such actions as shall be necessary or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to grant and perfect such Liens, including actions described in paragraph (c) of this Section, all at the expense of the Loan Parties.
SECTION 5.13. Permitted Acquisitions. The Borrower will provide the following to the Administrative Agent and each Lender within 30 days after the completion of each Permitted Acquisition:
(a) copies of the most recent annual income statement and balance sheet of the Target of such Permitted Acquisition, together with the audit opinions thereon, if any, of such Targets independent accountants, together with available interim financial statements;
(b) if requested by the Administrative Agent, a summary of material pending and threatened litigation adversely affecting the business or assets acquired in such Permitted Acquisition;
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(c) if requested by the Administrative Agent, a description of the method of financing such Permitted Acquisition, including sources and uses (including, without limitation, a description of the material terms of any Indebtedness to be assumed in such Permitted Acquisition);
(d) a listing of locations of all material personal and real property acquired in such Permitted Acquisition;
(e) if requested by the Administrative Agent, all material agreements assumed or acquired in such Permitted Acquisition; and
(f) if the Target of such Permitted Acquisition owns, or if the assets to be acquired include, any real property, or if otherwise reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, environmental reports and related information regarding any such property owned, leased or otherwise used (other than leased property used solely as office space).
ARTICLE VI
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
Until the Commitments have expired or terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees, expenses and other amounts (other than Unliquidated Obligations) payable under any Loan Document have been paid in full and all Letters of Credit have expired or terminated and all LC Disbursements have been reimbursed, each Loan Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees, jointly and severally with all of the other Loan Parties, with the Lenders that:
SECTION 6.01. Indebtedness. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a) the Secured Obligations;
(b) Indebtedness existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule 6.01 and extensions, renewals and replacements of any such Indebtedness in accordance with clause (f) hereof;
(c) Indebtedness of the Borrower to any Subsidiary and of any Subsidiary to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party to a Loan Party shall be subject to Section 6.04 and (ii) Indebtedness of the Borrower to any Subsidiary and Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is a Loan Party to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subordinated to the Secured Obligations on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(d) Guarantees by the Borrower of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary and by any Subsidiary of Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is permitted by this Section 6.01, (ii) Guarantees by the Borrower or any Subsidiary that is a Loan Party of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party
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shall be subject to Section 6.04 and (iii) Guarantees permitted under this clause (d) shall be subordinated to the Secured Obligations of the applicable Subsidiary on the same terms as the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is subordinated to the Secured Obligations;
(e) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Subsidiary incurred to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of any fixed or capital assets (whether or not constituting purchase money Indebtedness), including Capital Lease Obligations and any Indebtedness assumed in connection with the acquisition of any such assets or secured by a Lien on any such assets prior to the acquisition thereof (including any Indebtedness of a Person that is acquired or merged with or into or consolidated with the Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Borrower or that becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower that is existing at the time of such acquisition, merger or consolidation, provided that such Indebtedness is not incurred in contemplation thereof), and extensions, renewals and replacements of any such Indebtedness in accordance with clause (f) hereof; provided that (i) such Indebtedness is incurred prior to or within 90 days after such acquisition or the completion of such construction or improvement, (ii) any such Indebtedness does not exceed 100% of the cost of acquiring, constructing or improving such fixed or capital asset, (iii) such Indebtedness is secured by Liens permitted by Section 6.02(d) and otherwise unsecured; and (iv) the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness permitted by this clause (e) shall not exceed the Threshold Amount at any time outstanding;
(f) Indebtedness which represents an extension, refinancing or renewal (such Indebtedness being referred to herein as the Refinancing Indebtedness) of any of the Indebtedness described in clauses (b) and (e) hereof (such Indebtedness being so extended, refinanced or renewed being referred to herein as the Refinanced Indebtedness); provided that, (i) such Refinancing Indebtedness does not increase the principal amount of the Refinanced Indebtedness (other than by an amount equal to a reasonable premium, or other fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such extension, refinancing or renewal as a result of, or in connection with, such extension, refinancing or renewal), (ii) any Liens securing such Refinanced Indebtedness are not extended to any additional property of any Loan Party, (iii) such Refinancing Indebtedness does not result in a shortening of the average weighted maturity of such Refinanced Indebtedness, (iv) the interest rate in respect of such Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the then prevailing market interest rates in respect of indebtedness similar to such Refinancing Indebtedness at the time of the incurrence thereof, and (v) if such Refinanced Indebtedness was subordinated in right of payment to the Secured Obligations, then the terms and conditions of the subordination provisions in respect of such Refinancing Indebtedness must include subordination terms and conditions that are, taken as a whole, at least as favorable to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders as those that were applicable to such Refinanced Indebtedness;
(g) Indebtedness owed to any person providing workers compensation, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance, pursuant to reimbursement or indemnification obligations to such person, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(h) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in respect of performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, surety bonds and similar obligations, in each case provided in the ordinary course of business;
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(i) Indebtedness arising in respect of netting services, overdraft protection and otherwise arising in respect of deposit account services, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,000,000 at any time outstanding;
(j) Indebtedness arising under Swap Agreements entered into for the purpose of mitigation of risks associated with fluctuations in interest rates, commodity prices or foreign exchange rates and not for speculative purposes;
(k) indemnification obligations or obligations in respect of purchase price or other similar adjustments incurred by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in connection with a Permitted Acquisition or any other transaction expressly permitted by Section 6.04 or Section 6.05;
(l) Guarantees of obligations of Persons that are not Loan Parties to the extent permitted by Section 6.04 (other than clause (e) thereof);
(m) Indebtedness of the Borrower to Holdings evidenced by the Parent Note, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding $175,000,000 plus the aggregate amount of interest paid thereon after the Original Closing Date that is reinvested by Holdings in the Borrower and is evidenced by the Parent Note, provided that such Indebtedness is subordinated to the Secured Obligations pursuant to the Intercompany Subordination Agreement;
(n) [intentionally omitted]; and
(o) other unsecured Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding the Threshold Amount at any time outstanding.
SECTION 6.02. Liens. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, or assign or sell any income or revenues (including accounts receivable) or rights in respect of any thereof, except:
(a) Liens created pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b) Permitted Encumbrances;
(c) any Lien on any property or asset of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule 6.02 and any renewals, replacements or extensions thereof; provided that (i) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or asset of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries and (ii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date hereof and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof;
(d) Liens on fixed or capital assets acquired, constructed or improved by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; provided that (i) such security interests secure Indebtedness permitted by clause (e) of Section 6.01, (ii) such security interests and the Indebtedness secured thereby are incurred prior to or within 90 days after such acquisition or the completion of such construction or improvement, (iii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed 100% of the cost of acquiring, constructing or improving such fixed or capital assets and (iv) such security interests shall not apply to any other property or assets of the Borrower, any Loan Party or Subsidiary;
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(e) any Lien existing on any property or asset prior to the acquisition thereof by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (including any Lien existing on any property of a Person that is acquired or merged with or into or consolidated with the Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Borrower or that becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower that is existing at the time of such acquisition, merger or consolidation, provided that such Lien is not created in contemplation thereof); provided that (i) such Lien is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition, (ii) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or assets of any Loan Party or Subsidiary and (iii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date of such acquisition and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof;
(f) Liens arising by virtue of any statutory or common law provision relating to bankers liens or similar rights; and
(g) Liens arising out of sale and leaseback transactions permitted by Section 6.06.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of the Liens permitted pursuant to this Section 6.02 may at any time attach to any Loan Partys Inventory other than those permitted under clauses (a), (b) and (e) of the definition of Permitted Encumbrance and clauses (a), (b) (subject to the foregoing limitations), (c) and (e) above.
SECTION 6.03. Fundamental Changes. (a) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, merge into or consolidate with any other Person, or permit any other Person to merge into or consolidate with it, or liquidate or dissolve, except that, if at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing (i) Holdings or any Subsidiary of Holdings may merge with the Borrower in a transaction in which the surviving entity is the Borrower, (ii) any Loan Party (other than the Borrower) may merge into any other Loan Party in a transaction in which the surviving entity is a Loan Party, (iii) any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may merge into any other Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, (iv) any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may liquidate or dissolve if the Borrower determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of the Borrower and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders, and (v) any Person (other than the Borrower, Holdings or the Manager) may merge into or consolidate with any Subsidiary in order to effect a Permitted Acquisition that is permitted by Section 6.04 (provided that the surviving entity is a Subsidiary that becomes a Loan Party and of which at least 100% of the Equity Interests are owned, directly or indirectly, by the Borrower immediately after giving effect to such Permitted Acquisition); provided that any such merger involving a Person that is not a wholly owned Subsidiary immediately prior to such merger shall not be permitted unless also permitted by Section 6.04.
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(b) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, (i) engage to any material extent in any business other than businesses of the type conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof and businesses substantially related or incidental thereto (it being agreed that no material change shall be deemed to result from selling through retail or other additional channels), or (ii) own, operate or franchise any restaurant concept other than a Potbelly Sandwich Works restaurant concept and other restaurant concepts.
(c) Neither Holdings nor the Manager will engage in any business or activity other than (i) the ownership of all the outstanding Equity Interests of the Borrower and activities incidental thereto, (ii) in the case of Holdings, holding the Parent Note, and (iii) in the case of the Manager, being the Manager of the Borrower and activities incidental thereto and holding all of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of Potbelly Franchising; provided, that, Holdings shall be permitted to issue Equity Interests (other than to the extent such Equity Interests require dividends, redemptions or the making of any Restricted Payments of a type subject to Section 6.08) to the extent such interest would not result in an Event of Default. Neither Holdings nor the Manager shall own or acquire any assets (other than Equity Interests of the Borrower, in the case of Holdings, the Parent Note and payments in respect thereof, and, in the case of the Manager, Potbelly Franchising) and the cash proceeds of any Restricted Payments permitted by Section 6.08) or incur any liabilities (other than liabilities under the Loan Documents, liabilities imposed by law, including tax liabilities and other liabilities reasonably incurred in connection with its maintenance of its existence).
SECTION 6.04. Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, form any subsidiary after the Effective Date, or purchase, hold or acquire (including pursuant to any merger with any Person that was not a Loan Party and a wholly-owned Subsidiary prior to such merger) any Equity Interests in or of, or evidences of indebtedness or other securities (including any option, warrant or other right to acquire any of the foregoing) of, make or permit to exist any loans or advances to, Guarantee any obligations of, or make or permit to exist any investment or any other interest in, any other Person, or purchase or otherwise acquire (in one transaction or a series of transactions) any assets of any other Person constituting a business unit (whether through purchase of assets, merger or otherwise), except:
(a) Permitted Investments;
(b) investments in existence on the date hereof and described in Schedule 6.04;
(c) investments by Holdings and Manager in the Borrower, by the Manager in Potbelly Franchising, and by the Borrower in Equity Interests of its Subsidiaries, provided that (i) any such Equity Interests held by a Loan Party shall be pledged pursuant to the Security Agreement and (ii) the aggregate amount of investments made or incurred after the Effective Date (including any outstanding intercompany loans and outstanding Guarantees) by Loan Parties in Subsidiaries (including any Permitted J/Vs) that are not wholly-owned directly or indirectly by Borrower shall not exceed $10,000,000 at any time outstanding (in each case determined without regard to any write-downs or write-offs);
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(d) loans or advances made by the Borrower to any wholly-owned Subsidiary that is a Loan Party and made by any Subsidiary to the Borrower or any other wholly-owned Subsidiary that is a Loan Party; provided that any such loans and advances made by a Loan Party shall be evidenced by a promissory note pledged pursuant to the Security Agreement;
(e) Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.01;
(f) loans or advances made by a Loan Party to its employees on an arms-length basis in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices for travel and entertainment expenses, relocation costs and similar purposes up to a maximum of $100,000 in the aggregate at any one time outstanding;
(g) subject to Sections 4.2(a) and 4.4 of the Security Agreement, notes payable, or stock or other securities issued by any Person obligated on an account receivable to the Borrower pursuant to negotiated agreements with respect to settlement of such account receivable in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practices;
(h) investments in newly formed Subsidiaries that become Loan Guarantors;
(i) investments in the form of Swap Agreements permitted by Section 6.07;
(j) investments of any Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower or consolidates or merges with the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (including in connection with a Permitted Acquisition) so long as such investments were not made in contemplation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary or of such merger;
(k) investments received in connection with the dispositions of assets permitted by Section 6.05;
(l) investments received in connection with the bankruptcy or reorganization of, or settlement of delinquent accounts and disputes with, account debtors, customers and suppliers, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(m) other investments, loans, advances or Guarantees by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not to exceed the Threshold Amount at any time outstanding;
(n) investments constituting deposits described in clauses (c) and (d) of the definition of the term Permitted Encumbrances; and
(o) Permitted Acquisitions.
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SECTION 6.05. Asset Sales. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of any asset, including any Equity Interest owned by it, nor will the Borrower permit any Subsidiary to issue any additional Equity Interest in such Subsidiary (other than to the Borrower in compliance with Section 6.04), except:
(a) sales, transfers and dispositions of (i) inventory in the ordinary course of business and (ii) used, obsolete, worn out or surplus property in the ordinary course of business;
(b) sales, transfers and dispositions of assets to the Borrower or any Subsidiary that a Loan Party;
(c) sales, transfers and dispositions of accounts receivable in connection with the compromise, settlement or collection thereof;
(d) (i) non-exclusive licenses of intellectual property rights in the ordinary course of business and substantially consistent with past practice for terms not exceeding five years and (ii) non-exclusive licenses of intellectual property rights to any present or future franchisee of a Potbelly Sandwich Works restaurant concept in connection with a franchise agreement entered into on an arms length basis and in the ordinary course of business between Potbelly Franchising and such franchisee;
(e) sale and leaseback transactions permitted by Section 6.06;
(f) sales, transfers and dispositions in connection with mergers and consolidations permitted by Section 6.03;
(g) dispositions resulting from any casualty or other insured damage to, or any taking under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding of, any property or asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary;
(h) Liens permitted by Section 6.02;
(i) dispositions of no more than 10% of the Restaurants in existence as of the beginning of the applicable Fiscal Year in which such dispositions occur; provided that
(i) at the time of such disposition, no Event of Default shall exist or would result from such disposition, (ii) any disposition which is a sale, transfer or other similar transaction shall be an arms length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate, and (iii) in connection with any disposition which is a sale, transfer or other similar transaction, the aggregate amount of any proceeds consisting of non-cash consideration received in connection with all such Dispositions permitted under this clause (i) in any Fiscal Year shall not exceed $500,000;
(j) so long as no Event of Default or Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a result thereof, sales, transfers and other dispositions by the Borrower of its property at prices and on terms and conditions not less favorable to the Borrower than could be obtained on an arms-length basis from unrelated third parties, provided that the aggregate fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Borrower) of all property sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of in reliance upon this paragraph (j) in any twelve month period shall not exceed $5,000,000;
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provided that all sales, transfers, leases and other dispositions permitted hereby (other than those permitted by paragraphs (a)(ii), (b) and (f) above) shall be made for fair value and for cash consideration.
SECTION 6.06. Sale and Leaseback Transactions. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any arrangement, directly or indirectly, whereby it shall sell or transfer any property, real or personal, used or useful in its business, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, and thereafter rent or lease such property or other property that it intends to use for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the property sold or transferred, except for (a) any such sale of any fixed or capital assets by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries that is made for cash consideration in an amount not less than the fair value of such fixed or capital asset and is consummated within 90 days after the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries acquires or completes the construction of such fixed or capital asset, and (b) any other such sale of fixed or capital assets to the extent greater of (i) the aggregate fair value of such assets, or (ii) the aggregate net book value of such assets, sold in any twelve month period does not exceed $2,500,000.
SECTION 6.07. Swap Agreements. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Swap Agreement, except (a) Swap Agreements entered into to hedge or mitigate risks to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary has actual exposure (other than those in respect of Equity Interests of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries), and (b) Swap Agreements entered into in order to effectively cap, collar or exchange interest rates (from fixed to floating rates, from one floating rate to another floating rate or otherwise) with respect to any interest-bearing liability or investment of the Borrower.
SECTION 6.08. Restricted Payments; Certain Payments of Indebtedness. (a) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, declare or make, or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except (i) Holdings may declare and pay dividends with respect to its common or preferred stock payable solely in additional shares of its common or preferred stock, (ii) any Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower, any Subsidiary that is a Loan Party may make Restricted Payments to any other Subsidiary that is a Loan Party, and any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may make Restricted Payments to any other Subsidiary, (iii) the Borrower may make distributions to Holdings for payment of reasonable out-of-pocket operating and administrative costs and expenses payable by Holdings, the Manager or the Borrower, as the case may be, and incurred primarily in connection with the business of the Borrower, so long as no Default shall have occurred and is continuing or would occur as a result thereof, (iv) the Borrower may make distributions to Holdings in an amount necessary to enable Holdings to pay when due, its actual federal, state and local income Taxes directly attributable to (or arising as a result of) the operations of the Borrower, the Manager and their Subsidiaries that are due and payable by Holdings as the parent of a consolidated group, (v) so long as the Distribution Conditions have been satisfied (as determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion) at the time of, and with respect to, any Restricted Payment not otherwise permitted by the foregoing clauses (i) through (iv), the Borrower may make such Restricted Payment to Holdings and Holdings may make such Restricted Payment to holders of Equity Interests in Holdings so long as the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments made pursuant to this clause (v) after the Effective Date does not exceed the sum of (x) $40,000,000 plus (y) the amount of
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any such Restricted Payments made at such time as the Additional Distribution Conditions have been satisfied, (vi) Potbelly Franchising may declare and pay cash dividends to Holdings to permit Holdings to invest such cash dividends in the Borrower; provided that, in each such case, Holdings actually and promptly uses such dividends for such investments, (vii) each Loan Party may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire its common or preferred Equity Interests with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issuance of new common or preferred Equity Interests or where the consideration is the cancellation of Indebtedness owed to any Loan Party; and (viii) Permitted J/Vs may make Restricted Payments to the holders of their Equity Interests so long as such Restricted Payments are made on a pro rata basis to all such holders in accordance with their respective Equity Interests in such Permitted J/V.
(b) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, make or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) of or in respect of principal of or interest on any Indebtedness, or any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any Indebtedness, except:
(i) payment of Indebtedness created under the Loan Documents;
(ii) payment of regularly scheduled interest and principal payments as and when due in respect of any Indebtedness;
(iii) refinancings of Indebtedness to the extent permitted by Section 6.01;
(iv) payment of secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness; and
(v) repayments on, reductions of, forgiveness of or the termination of the Parent Note so long as, in any case, after giving effect to any such repayment, reduction, forgiveness or termination any other transactions to be consummated simultaneously therewith, there is no net cash outflow to Holdings from the Borrower or any other Loan Party.
SECTION 6.09. Transactions with Affiliates. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, sell, lease or otherwise transfer any property or assets to, or purchase, lease or otherwise acquire any property or assets from, or otherwise engage in any other transactions with, any of its Affiliates, except (a) transactions that (i) are in the ordinary course of business and (ii) are at prices and on terms and conditions not less favorable to such Loan Party or such Subsidiary than could be obtained on an arms-length basis from unrelated third parties, (b) transactions between or among the Borrower and any Subsidiary that is a Loan Party not involving any other Affiliate, (c) any investment permitted by Sections 6.04(c) or 6.04(d), (d) any Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.01(c), (e) any Restricted Payment permitted by Section 6.08, (f) loans or advances to employees permitted under Section 6.04, (g) the payment of reasonable fees to directors of the Borrower or any Subsidiary who are not employees of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, and compensation and employee benefit arrangements paid to, and indemnities provided for the benefit of, directors, officers or employees of the Borrower or its
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Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, (h) any issuances of securities or other payments, awards or grants in cash, securities or otherwise pursuant to, or the funding of, employment agreements, stock options and stock ownership plans approved by the Borrowers board of directors, and (i) any contribution to the capital of Holdings by any Person or any purchase of Equity Interests of Holdings by any Person so long as no Change in Control occurs.
SECTION 6.10. Restrictive Agreements. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, enter into, incur or permit to exist any agreement or other arrangement that prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition upon (a) the ability of such Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries to create, incur or permit to exist any Lien upon any of its property or assets, or (b) the ability of any Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to any of its Equity Interests or to make or repay loans or advances to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary or to Guarantee Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Subsidiary; provided that (i) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions imposed by law or by any Loan Document, (ii) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing on the date hereof identified on Schedule 6.10 (but shall apply to any extension or renewal of, or any amendment or modification expanding the scope of, any such restriction or condition) or any restrictions or conditions in respect of a Person who becomes a Subsidiary after the date of this Agreement, so long as such restrictions or conditions were not entered into solely in contemplation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary, (iii) restrictions or conditions imposed by any agreement relating to secured Indebtedness permitted by this Agreement if such restrictions or conditions apply only to the property or assets securing such Indebtedness, and (iv) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions in leases and other contracts restricting the assignment thereof.
SECTION 6.11. Amendment of Organizational Documents. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, amend, modify or waive any of its rights under its articles or certificate of incorporation, by-laws, operating, management or partnership agreement or other organizational documents, to the extent any such amendment, modification or waiver would be adverse to the Lenders in any material respect.
SECTION 6.12. [Intentionally Omitted].
SECTION 6.13. Financial Covenants.
(a) EBITDAR to Interest and Rent Ratio. The Loan Parties shall not permit the EBITDAR to Interest and Rent Ratio for any Computation Period to be less than 1.50 to 1.0.
(b) Leverage Ratio. The Loan Parties shall not permit the Leverage Ratio as of the last day of any Computation Period to exceed 2.25 to 1.0.
SECTION 6.14. Use of Proceeds. The Borrower hereby agrees that it will not request any Borrowing or Letter of Credit, and that it shall not use, and shall procure that its Subsidiaries and its or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents shall not use, the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit: (i) in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any Person in violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws, (ii) for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating
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any activities, business or transaction of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, to the extent such activities, businesses or transaction would be prohibited by Sanctions if conducted by a corporation incorporated in the United States or in a European Union member state or (iii) in any manner that would result in the violation of any Sanctions applicable to any party hereto.
ARTICLE VII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
If any of the following events (Events of Default) shall occur:
(a) the Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the due date thereof or at a date fixed for prepayment thereof or otherwise;
(b) the Borrower shall fail to pay (i) any interest on any Loan or any fee payable under this Agreement, when and as the same shall become due and payable, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of three Business Days or (ii) any other amount (other than an amount referred to in clause (a) of this Article) payable under this Agreement, when and as the same shall become due and payable, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of five days;
(c) any representation or warranty made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in, or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, or in any report, certificate, financial statement or other document furnished pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, shall prove to have been incorrect (or, in the case of any such representation or warranty that is not qualified as to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, incorrect in any material respect) when made or deemed made;
(d) any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in Section 5.02(a), 5.03 (with respect to a Loan Partys existence), 5.06(b) or 5.08 or in Article VI;
(e) any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in this Agreement (other than those which constitute a default under another Section of this Article) or in any other Loan Document, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of 30 days (or, in the case of Section 5.01 (other than Sections 5.01(d) or (h)), 5.02 (other than Section 5.02(a)), 5.09, 5.10 or 5.11 of this Agreement, for a period of 5 days) after the earlier of (i) the date on which such failure shall first become known to any Authorized Representative of any Loan Party or (ii) written notice thereof from the Administrative Agent to the Borrower (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender);
(f) any Loan Party or Subsidiary shall fail to make any payment (whether of principal or interest and regardless of amount) in respect of any Material Indebtedness, when and as the same shall become due and payable;
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(g) any event or condition occurs that results in any Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or that enables or permits (with or without the giving of notice) the holder or holders of any Material Indebtedness or any trustee or agent on its or their behalf to cause any Material Indebtedness to become due, or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to its scheduled maturity; provided that this clause (g) shall not apply to secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness;
(h) an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or other relief in respect of a Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party or for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed for 60 days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered;
(i) any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (h) of this Article, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for such Loan Party or Subsidiary of any Loan Party or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi) take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;
(j) any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party shall become unable, admit in writing its inability or fail generally to pay its debts as they become due;
(k) (i) one or more judgments for the payment of money in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by an independent third-party insurer that has not denied coverage) shall be rendered against any Loan Party, any Subsidiary of any Loan Party or any combination thereof and the same shall remain undischarged for a period of 45 consecutive days during which execution shall not be effectively stayed, or any action shall be legally taken by a judgment creditor to attach or levy upon any assets of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party to enforce any such judgment; or (ii) any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party shall fail within 45 days to discharge one or more non-monetary judgments or orders which, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, which judgments or orders, in any such case, are not stayed on appeal or otherwise being appropriately contested in good faith by proper proceedings diligently pursued;
(l) an ERISA Event shall have occurred that when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
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(m) a Change in Control shall occur;
(n) the occurrence of any event of default or Event of Default, as defined in any Loan Document (other than this Agreement), which event of default or Event of Default continues beyond any period of grace therein provided;
(o) the Loan Guaranty shall fail to remain in full force or effect or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of the Loan Guaranty or any Loan Guarantor shall deny that it has any further liability under the Loan Guaranty, or shall give notice to such effect;
(p) except as expressly permitted by the terms of any Collateral Document, (i) any Collateral Document shall for any reason fail to create a valid security interest in any Collateral purported to be covered thereby, or (ii) any Lien securing any Secured Obligation shall cease to be a perfected, first priority Lien (subject to Liens expressly permitted by Section 6.02);
(q) any Collateral Document shall fail to remain in full force or effect or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of any Collateral Document; or
(r) any material provision of any Loan Document for any reason ceases to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms (or any Loan Party shall challenge the enforceability of any Loan Document or shall assert in writing, or engage in any action or inaction based on any such assertion, that any provision of any of the Loan Documents has ceased to be or otherwise is not valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms);
then, and in every such event (other than an event with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article), and at any time thereafter during the continuance of such event, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrower, take either or both of the following actions, at the same or different times: (i) terminate the Commitments, and thereupon the Commitments shall terminate immediately, and (ii) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and payable in whole (or in part, in which case any principal not so declared to be due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), and thereupon the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder, shall become due and payable immediately, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower; and in case of any event with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article, the Commitments shall automatically terminate and the principal of the Loans then outstanding, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder, shall automatically become due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower. Upon the occurrence and the continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, exercise any rights and remedies provided to the Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents or at law or equity, including all remedies provided under the UCC.
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ARTICLE VIII
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Each of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the Administrative Agent as its agent and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf, including execution of the other Loan Documents, and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms of the Loan Documents, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.
The bank 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 such bank and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of business with the Loan Parties or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party or other Affiliate thereof as if it were not the Administrative Agent hereunder.
The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth in the Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (a) the Administrative Agent shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing, (b) the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated by the Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise in writing as directed by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary under the circumstances as provided in Section 9.02), and (c) except as expressly set forth in the Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries that is communicated to or obtained by the bank serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary under the circumstances as provided in Section 9.02) or in the absence of its own gross negligence or wilful misconduct. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until written notice thereof is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower or a Lender, and the Administrative Agent 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 any Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or in connection with any Loan Document, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth in any Loan Document, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, (v) the creation, perfection or priority of Liens on the Collateral or the existence of the Collateral, or (vi) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere in any Loan Document, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.
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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 believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or sent 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 be made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts 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.
The Administrative Agent may perform any and all its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any and all its duties and exercise its rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, 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.
Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Administrative Agent as provided in this paragraph, the Administrative Agent may resign at any time by notifying the Lenders, the Issuing Bank and the Borrower. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor. If no 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 Issuing Bank, appoint a successor Administrative Agent which shall be a commercial bank or an Affiliate of any such commercial bank. Upon the acceptance of its appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder. 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 Administrative Agents resignation hereunder, the provisions of this Article, Section 2.17(d) and Section 9.03 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 while it was acting as Administrative Agent.
Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender 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 related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
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Each Lender hereby agrees that (a) it has requested a copy of each Report prepared by or on behalf of the Administrative Agent; (b) the Administrative Agent (i) makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the completeness or accuracy of any Report or any of the information contained therein or any inaccuracy or omission contained in or relating to a Report and (ii) shall not be liable for any information contained in any Report; (c) the Reports are not comprehensive audits or examinations, and that any Person performing any field examination will inspect only specific information regarding the Loan Parties and will rely significantly upon the Loan Parties books and records, as well as on representations of the Loan Parties personnel and that the Administrative Agent undertakes no obligation to update, correct or supplement the Reports; (d) it will keep all Reports confidential and strictly for its internal use, not share the Report with any Loan Party or any other Person except as otherwise permitted pursuant to this Agreement; and (e) without limiting the generality of any other indemnification provision contained in this Agreement, it will pay and protect, and indemnify, defend, and hold the Administrative Agent and any such other Person preparing a Report harmless from and against, the claims, actions, proceedings, damages, costs, expenses, and other amounts (including reasonable attorney fees) incurred by the Administrative Agent or such other Person as the direct or indirect result of any third parties who might obtain all or part of any Report through the indemnifying Lender.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 9.01. Notices. (a) Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and subject to paragraph (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 facsimile, as follows:
(i) | if to any Loan Party at: |
c/o Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC
111 N. Canal Street, Suite 850
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Attention: Michael Coyne, CFO
Facsimile No: 312 896 9255
E-Mail: Mike.Coyne@Potbelly.com
With a copy to:
c/o Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC
111 N. Canal Street, Suite 850
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Attention: Matt Revord, SVP General Counsel
Facsimile No: 312 896 9255
E-Mail: matt.revord@potbelly.com
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(ii) | if to the Administrative Agent, or the Issuing Bank to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. at: |
10 S. Dearborn, 35th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Attention: Jonathan Deck
Facsimile No: (312) 361-3100
E-Mail: jonathan.m.deck@chase.com
(iii) | if to any other Lender, to it at its address or facsimile number set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire. |
All such notices and other communications (i) sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received or (ii) sent by facsimile shall be deemed to have been given when sent, provided 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.
(b) Notices and other communications to the Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communications (including e-mail and internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II or to compliance and no Default certificates delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(c) unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower (on behalf of the Loan Parties) 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. All such notices and other communications (i) sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the senders 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), provided that if not given during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient, and (ii) posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (b)(i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor.
(c) Any party hereto may change its address, e-mail address or facsimile number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto.
SECTION 9.02. Waivers; Amendments. (a) No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders hereunder and under any other Loan Document are cumulative and
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are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of any Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any other Loan Document nor any provision hereof or thereof may be waived, amended or modified except (i) in the case of this Agreement, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or (ii) in the case of any other Loan Document, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Administrative Agent and the Loan Party or Loan Parties that are parties thereto, with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided that no such agreement shall (i) increase the Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender), (ii) reduce or forgive the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce or forgive any interest or fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby, (iii) postpone any scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement, or any date for the payment of any interest, fees or other Obligations payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment, without the written consent of each Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby, (iv) change Section 2.18(b) or (d) in a manner that would alter the manner in which payments are shared, without the written consent of each Lender, (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender), (v) change any of the provisions of this Section or the definition of Required Lenders or any other provision of any Loan Document specifying the number or percentage of Lenders (or Lenders of any Class) required to waive, amend or modify any rights thereunder or make any determination or grant any consent thereunder, without the written consent of each Lender, (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby, (vii) release any Loan Guarantor from its obligation under its Loan Guaranty (except as otherwise permitted herein or in the other Loan Documents), without the written the consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender), (viii) change Section 2.20, without the consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender) or (viii) except as provided in clauses (d) and (e) of this Section or in any Collateral Document, release all or substantially all of the Collateral, without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender); provided further that no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be (it being understood that any change to Section 2.20 shall require the consent of the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank). The Administrative Agent may also amend the Commitment Schedule without the consent of the Lenders or any Loan Party to reflect assignments and entered into pursuant to Section 9.04 and reductions or increases pursuant to Section 2.09.
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(c) The Lenders hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its sole discretion, to release any Liens granted to the Administrative Agent by the Loan Parties on any Collateral (i) upon the termination of the all Commitments, payment and satisfaction in full in cash of all Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations), and the cash collateralization of all Unliquidated Obligations in a manner satisfactory to each affected Lender, (ii) constituting property being sold or disposed of if the Loan Party disposing of such property certifies to the Administrative Agent that the sale or disposition is made in compliance with the terms of this Agreement (and the Administrative Agent may rely conclusively on any such certificate, without further inquiry), and to the extent that the property being sold or disposed of constitutes 100% of the Equity Interest of a Subsidiary, the Administrative Agent is authorized to release any Loan Guaranty provided by such Subsidiary, (iii) constituting property leased to a Loan Party under a lease which has expired or been terminated in a transaction permitted under this Agreement, or (iv) as required to effect any sale or other disposition of such Collateral in connection with any exercise of remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Article VII. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, the Administrative Agent will not release any Liens on Collateral without the prior written authorization of the Required Lenders; provided that, the Administrative Agent may in its discretion release its Liens on additional Collateral valued in the aggregate not in excess of $1,000,000 during any calendar year without the prior written authorization of the Required Lenders. Any such release shall not in any manner discharge, affect, or impair the Obligations or any Liens (other than those expressly being released) upon (or obligations of the Loan Parties in respect of) all interests retained by the Loan Parties, including the proceeds of any sale, all of which shall continue to constitute part of the Collateral.
(d) If, in connection with any proposed amendment, waiver or consent requiring the consent of each Lender or each Lender affected thereby, the consent of the Required Lenders is obtained, but the consent of other necessary Lenders is not obtained (any such Lender whose consent is necessary but not obtained being referred to herein as a Non-Consenting Lender), then the Borrower may elect to replace a Non-Consenting Lender as a Lender party to this Agreement, provided that, concurrently with such replacement, (i) another bank or other entity which is reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent shall agree, as of such date, to purchase for cash the Loans and other Obligations due to the Non-Consenting Lender pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption and to become a Lender for all purposes under this Agreement and to assume all obligations of the Non-Consenting Lender to be terminated as of such date and to comply with the requirements of clause (b) of Section 9.04, and (ii) the Borrower shall pay to such Non-Consenting Lender in same day funds on the day of such replacement (1) all interest, fees and other amounts then accrued but unpaid to such Non-Consenting Lender by the Borrower hereunder to and including the date of termination, including without limitation payments due to such Non-Consenting Lender under Sections 2.15 and 2.17, and (2) an amount, if any, equal to the payment which would have been due to such Lender on the day of such replacement under Section 2.16 had the Loans of such Non-Consenting Lender been prepaid on such date rather than sold to the replacement Lender.
SECTION 9.03. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver. (a) The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent, in connection with the syndication and distribution (including, without
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limitation, via the internet or through a service such as Intralinks) of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation and administration of the Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions of the Loan Documents (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Issuing Bank 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, the Issuing Bank or any Lender, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender, in connection with the enforcement, collection or protection of its rights in connection with the Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or in connection with the 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. Expenses being reimbursed by the Borrower under this Section include, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, costs and expenses incurred in connection with: (i) appraisals and insurance reviews; (ii) field examinations and the preparation of Reports based on the fees charged by a third party retained by the Administrative Agent or the internally allocated fees for each Person employed by the Administrative Agent with respect to each field examination; provided that, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, (x) the Borrower shall only be required to reimburse such costs and expenses for one of such field examinations in any calendar year and (y) the aggregate amount of such costs and expenses so reimbursed shall not exceed $50,000 in any calendar year; (iii) taxes, fees and other charges for (A) lien and title searches and title insurance and (B) recording mortgages, filing financing statements and continuations, and other actions to perfect, protect, and continue the Administrative Agents Liens; (iv) sums paid or incurred to take any action required of any Loan Party under the Loan Documents that such Loan Party fails to pay or take; and (v) forwarding loan proceeds, collecting checks and other items of payment, and establishing and maintaining the accounts and lock boxes, and costs and expenses of preserving and protecting the Collateral.
All of the foregoing costs and expenses may be charged to the Borrower as Revolving Loans or to another deposit account, all as described in Section 2.18(c).
(b) The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and each Lender, 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, penalties, incremental taxes, liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of the Loan Documents or any agreement or instrument contemplated thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations thereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by the Issuing Bank 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, (iv) the failure of the Borrower to deliver to the Administrative Agent the required receipts or other required documentary evidence with respect
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to a payment made by the Borrower for Taxes pursuant to Section 2.17, or (v) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, penalties, liabilities or related expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of such Indemnitee. This Section 9.03(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses or damages arising from any non-Tax claim.
(c) To the extent that the Borrower fails to pay any amount required to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank under paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such Lenders 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, penalty, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank in its capacity as such.
(d) To the extent permitted by applicable law, no Loan Party shall assert, and each 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 or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the Transactions, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof.
(e) All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten (10) Business Days after written demand therefor.
SECTION 9.04. Successors and Assigns. (a) 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 (including any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section. 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 (including any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this Section) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) (i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (b)(ii) below, any Lender may 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 and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) of:
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(A) the Borrower, 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 seven (7) Business Days after having received notice thereof, and provided further that no consent of the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee;
(B) the Administrative Agent; and
(C) the Issuing Bank.
(ii) Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:
(A) except in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lenders Commitment or Loans of any Class, the amount of the Commitment or 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) shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent, provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;
(B) each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lenders rights and obligations under this Agreement, provided that this clause shall not be construed to prohibit the assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lenders rights and obligations in respect of one Class of Commitments or Loans;
(C) the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500; and
(D) the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.
For the purposes of this Section 9.04(b), the term Approved Fund has the following meaning:
Approved Fund means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and 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.
(iii) Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of
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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 Lenders 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 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 9.04 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 paragraph (c) of this Section.
(iv) The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitment of, and principal amount of the Loans and LC Disbursements 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, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders shall 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. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, the Issuing Bank and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(v) Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the assignees completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register; provided that if either the assigning Lender or the assignee shall have failed to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Section 2.05, 2.06(d) or (e), 2.07(b), 2.18(d) or 9.03(c), the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information therein in the Register unless and until such payment shall have been made in full, together with all accrued interest thereon. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(c) Any Lender may, without the consent of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a Participant) in all or a portion of such Lenders rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans owing to it); provided that (A) such Lenders obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged; (B) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations; and (C) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lenders 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
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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, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. The Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Section 2.17(f) (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 2.17(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender)) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.18 and 2.19 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section; and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.15 or 2.17, with respect to any participation, than its participating Lender would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.18(c) 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 Participants interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement (the Participant Register); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register to any Person (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participants interest in any Commitments, Loans, Letters of Credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) 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. A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.15 or 2.17 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 Borrowers prior written consent. A Participant that would be a Lender that is not a U.S. Person if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.17 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 2.17(f) as though it were a Lender.
(d) Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including without limitation any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
SECTION 9.05. Survival. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Loan Parties in the Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan
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Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and the making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount payable under this Agreement is outstanding and unpaid or any Letter of Credit is outstanding and so long as the Commitments have not expired or terminated. The provisions of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit and the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any provision hereof.
SECTION 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Administrative Agent 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 which, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic transmission shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any representations and warranties made by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and any existing Defaults or Events of Default (as such terms are defined in the Existing Credit Agreement) shall be a Default hereunder.
SECTION 9.07. Severability. Any provision of any Loan Document held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions thereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.
SECTION 9.08. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of its Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held and other obligations at any time owing by such Lender or Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower or such Loan Guarantor against any of and all the Secured Obligations held by such Lender, irrespective of whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under the Loan Documents and although such obligations may be unmatured. The applicable Lender shall notify the Borrower
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and the Administrative Agent of such set-off or application, provided that any failure to give or any delay in giving such notice shall not affect the validity of any such set-off or application under this Section. The rights of each Lender under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Lender may have.
SECTION 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process. (a) The Loan Documents (other than those containing a contrary express choice of law provision) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws (and not the law of conflicts) of the State of Illinois (including, without limitation, 735 ILCS Section 105/5-1 et seq, but giving effect to federal laws applicable to national banks.
(b) Each Loan Party hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any U.S. Federal or Illinois State court sitting in Chicago, Illinois in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to any Loan Documents, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such Illinois State or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action 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 any other Loan Document shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any Loan Party or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(c) Each Loan Party hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, 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 law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(d) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY 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, 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 PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY 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 BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
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SECTION 9.11. Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 9.12. Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its and its Affiliates directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (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, (c) to the extent required by Requirement of Law or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party to this Agreement, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or any suit, 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 (ii) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Loan Parties and their obligations, (g) with the consent of the Borrower, (h) to holders of Equity Interests in any Loan Party, or (i) to the extent such Information (i) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (ii) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-confidential basis from a source other than the Borrower. For the purposes of this Section, Information means all information received from the Borrower relating to the Borrower or its business, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-confidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower and other than information pertaining to this Agreement routinely provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry; provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower after the Original Closing Date, 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 to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
SECTION 9.13. Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law. The respective obligations of the Lenders hereunder are several and not joint and the failure of any Lender to make any Loan or perform any of its obligations hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender from any of its obligations hereunder. Each Lender hereby represents that it is not relying on or looking to any margin stock for the repayment of the Borrowings provided for herein. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, neither the Issuing Bank nor any Lender shall be obligated to extend credit to the Borrower in violation of any Requirement of Law.
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SECTION 9.14. USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the Act) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Act.
SECTION 9.15. Disclosure. Each Loan Party and each Lender hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Administrative Agent and/or its Affiliates from time to time may hold investments in, make other loans to or have other relationships with any of the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates.
SECTION 9.16. Appointment for Perfection. Each Lender hereby appoints each other Lender as its agent for the purpose of perfecting Liens, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, in assets which, in accordance with Article 9 of the UCC or any other applicable law can be perfected only by possession. Should any Lender (other than the Administrative Agent) obtain possession of any such Collateral, such Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent thereof, and, promptly upon the Administrative Agents request therefor shall deliver such Collateral to the Administrative Agent or otherwise deal with such Collateral in accordance with the Administrative Agents instructions.
SECTION 9.17. Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if at any time the interest rate applicable to any Loan, together with all fees, charges and other amounts which are treated as interest on such Loan under applicable law (collectively the Charges), shall exceed the maximum lawful rate (the Maximum Rate) which may be contracted for, charged, taken, received or reserved by the Lender holding such Loan in accordance with applicable law, the rate of interest payable in respect of such Loan hereunder, together with all Charges payable in respect thereof, shall be limited to the Maximum Rate and, to the extent lawful, the interest and Charges that would have been payable in respect of such Loan but were not payable as a result of the operation of this Section shall be cumulated and the interest and Charges payable to such Lender in respect of other Loans or periods shall be increased (but not above the Maximum Rate therefor) until such cumulated amount, together with interest thereon at the Federal Funds Effective Rate to the date of repayment, shall have been received by such Lender.
SECTION 9.18. No Novation. The terms and conditions of the Existing Credit Agreement and the notes originally issued thereunder to evidence the Revolving Loan (the Old Notes) are amended as set forth in, and restated in their entirety and superseded by, this Agreement and the Revolving Notes issued in connection herewith. It is expressly understood and acknowledged that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to cause or otherwise give rise to a novation of the Old Notes, or any prior promissory note or any obligation under the Existing Credit Agreement or any prior loan and security agreement. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the incurrence of the Secured Obligations hereunder and under the Revolving Notes shall be in substitution for, but not in payment of, the Old Notes and obligations owing to the Lenders under the Existing Credit Agreement.
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ARTICLE X
LOAN GUARANTY
SECTION 10.01. Guaranty. Each Loan Guarantor (other than those that have delivered a separate Guaranty) hereby agrees that it is jointly and severally liable for, and absolutely and unconditionally guarantees to the Lenders the prompt payment when due, whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, and at all times thereafter, of the Secured Obligations and all costs and expenses, including, without limitation, all court costs and attorneys and paralegals fees (including allocated costs of in-house counsel and paralegals) and expenses paid or incurred by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders in endeavoring to collect all or any part of the Secured Obligations from, or in prosecuting any action against, the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor or any other guarantor of all or any part of the Secured Obligations (such costs and expenses, together with the Secured Obligations, collectively the Guaranteed Obligations); provided, however, that the definition of Guaranteed Obligations shall not create any guarantee by any Loan Guarantor of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Guarantor to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Guarantor for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Guarantor). Each Loan Guarantor further agrees that the Guaranteed Obligations may be extended or renewed in whole or in part without notice to or further assent from it, and that it remains bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any such extension or renewal. All terms of this Loan Guaranty apply to and may be enforced by or on behalf of any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of any Lender that extended any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations.
SECTION 10.02. Guaranty of Payment. This Loan Guaranty is a guaranty of payment and not of collection. Each Loan Guarantor waives any right to require the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender to sue the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor, any other guarantor, or any other Person obligated for all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations (each, an Obligated Party), or otherwise to enforce its payment against any collateral securing all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations.
SECTION 10.03. No Discharge or Diminishment of Loan Guaranty. (a) Except as otherwise provided for herein, the obligations of each Loan Guarantor hereunder are unconditional and absolute and not subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason (other than the payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations), including: (i) any claim of waiver, release, extension, renewal, settlement, surrender, alteration, or compromise of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, by operation of law or otherwise; (ii) any change in the corporate existence, structure or ownership of the Borrower or any other guarantor of or other Person liable for any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (iii) any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other similar proceeding affecting any Obligated Party or their assets or any resulting release or discharge of any obligation of any Obligated Party; or (iv) the existence of any claim, setoff or other rights which any Loan Guarantor may have at any time against any Obligated Party, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, any Lender or any other person, whether in connection herewith or in any unrelated transactions.
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(b) The obligations of each Loan Guarantor hereunder are not subject to any defense (other than the payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations) or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise, or any provision of applicable law or regulation purporting to prohibit payment by any Obligated Party, of the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof.
(c) Further, the obligations of any Loan Guarantor hereunder are not discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by: (i) the failure of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy with respect to all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; (ii) any waiver or modification of or supplement to any provision of any agreement relating to the Guaranteed Obligations; (iii) any release, non-perfection, or invalidity of any indirect or direct security for the obligations of the Borrower for all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or any obligations of any other guarantor of or other Person liable for any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (iv) any action or failure to act by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender with respect to any collateral securing any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; or (v) any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the payment or performance of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any other circumstance, act, omission or delay that might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of such Loan Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of any Loan Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations).
SECTION 10.04. Defenses Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Loan Guarantor hereby waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or any Loan Guarantor or the unenforceability of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower or any Loan Guarantor, other than the payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Loan Guarantor irrevocably waives acceptance hereof, presentment, demand, protest and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any notice not provided for herein, as well as any requirement that at any time any action be taken by any Person against any Obligated Party, or any other Person. Each Loan Guarantor confirms that it is not a surety under any state law and shall not raise any such law as a defense to its obligations hereunder. The Administrative Agent may, at its election, foreclose on any Collateral held by it by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such Collateral in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise act or fail to act with respect to any collateral securing all or a part of the Guaranteed Obligations, compromise or adjust any part of the Guaranteed Obligations, make any other accommodation with any Obligated Party or exercise any other right or remedy available to it against any Obligated Party, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of such Loan Guarantor under this Loan Guaranty except to the extent the Guaranteed Obligations have been fully paid in cash. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Loan Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such election even though that election may operate, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of any Loan Guarantor against any Obligated Party or any security.
SECTION 10.05. Rights of Subrogation. No Loan Guarantor will assert any right, claim or cause of action, including, without limitation, a claim of subrogation, contribution or indemnification that it has against any Obligated Party, or any collateral, until the Loan Parties have fully performed all their obligations to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders.
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SECTION 10.06. Reinstatement; Stay of Acceleration. If at any time any payment of any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise be restored or returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy, or reorganization of the Borrower or otherwise, each Loan Guarantors obligations under this Loan Guaranty with respect to that payment shall be reinstated at such time as though the payment had not been made and whether or not the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders are in possession of this Loan Guaranty. If acceleration of the time for payment of any of the Guaranteed Obligations is stayed upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, all such amounts otherwise subject to acceleration under the terms of any agreement relating to the Guaranteed Obligations shall nonetheless be payable by the Loan Guarantors forthwith on demand by the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 10.07. Information. Each Loan Guarantor assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrowers financial condition and assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Guaranteed Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that each Loan Guarantor assumes and incurs under this Loan Guaranty, and agrees that neither the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank nor any Lender shall have any duty to advise any Loan Guarantor of information known to it regarding those circumstances or risks.
SECTION 10.08. Termination. Each of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank may continue to make loans or extend credit to the Borrower based on this Loan Guaranty until five days after it receives written notice of termination from any Loan Guarantor. Notwithstanding receipt of any such notice, each Loan Guarantor will continue to be liable to the Lenders for any Guaranteed Obligations created, assumed or committed to prior to the fifth day after receipt of the notice, and all subsequent renewals, extensions, modifications and amendments with respect to, or substitutions for, all or any part of that Guaranteed Obligations.
SECTION 10.09. Taxes. Section 2.17 of this Agreement shall be applicable, mutatis mutandis, to all payments required to be made by any Loan Guarantor under this Loan Guaranty.
SECTION 10.10. Contribution. In the event any Loan Guarantor (a Paying Guarantor) shall make any payment or payments under this Loan Guaranty or shall suffer any loss as a result of any realization upon any collateral granted by it to secure its obligations under this Loan Guaranty, each other Loan Guarantor (each a Non-Paying Guarantor) shall contribute to such Paying Guarantor an amount equal to such Non-Paying Guarantors Applicable Percentage of such payment or payments made, or losses suffered, by such Paying Guarantor. For purposes of this Article X, each Non-Paying Guarantors Applicable Percentage with respect to any such payment or loss by a Paying Guarantor shall be determined as of the date on which such payment or loss was made by reference to the ratio of (i) such Non-Paying Guarantors Maximum Liability as of such date (without giving effect to any right to receive, or obligation to make, any contribution hereunder) or, if such Non-Paying Guarantors Maximum Liability has not been determined, the aggregate amount of all monies received by such Non-Paying Guarantor from the Borrower after the Original Closing Date (whether by loan, capital infusion or by other means) to (ii) the aggregate Maximum Liability of all Loan
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Guarantors hereunder (including such Paying Guarantor) as of such date (without giving effect to any right to receive, or obligation to make, any contribution hereunder), or to the extent that a Maximum Liability has not been determined for any Loan Guarantor, the aggregate amount of all monies received by such Loan Guarantors from the Borrower after the Original Closing Date (whether by loan, capital infusion or by other means). Nothing in this provision shall affect any Loan Guarantors several liability for the entire amount of the Guaranteed Obligations (up to such Loan Guarantors Maximum Liability). Each of the Loan Guarantors covenants and agrees that its right to receive any contribution under this Loan Guaranty from a Non-Paying Guarantor shall be subordinate and junior in right of payment to the payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations. This provision is for the benefit of all of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, the Lenders and the Loan Guarantors and may be enforced by any one, or more, or all of them in accordance with the terms hereof.
SECTION 10.11. Liability Cumulative. The liability of each Loan Party as a Loan Guarantor under this Article X is in addition to and shall be cumulative with all liabilities of each Loan Party to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party or in respect of any obligations or liabilities of the other Loan Parties, without any limitation as to amount, unless the instrument or agreement evidencing or creating such other liability specifically provides to the contrary.
SECTION 10.12. Keepwell. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor hereby jointly and severally absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes to provide such funds or other support as may be needed from time to time by each other Guarantor to honor all of its obligations under this Guarantee in respect of a Swap Obligation (provided, however, that each Qualified ECP Guarantor shall only be liable under this Section 10.12 for the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering its obligations under this Section 10.12 or otherwise under this Loan Guaranty voidable under applicable law relating to fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer, and not for any greater amount). Except as otherwise provided herein, the obligations of each Qualified ECP Guarantor under this Section 10.12 shall remain in full force and effect until the termination of all Swap Obligations. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor intends that this Section 10.12 constitute, and this Section 10.12 shall be deemed to constitute, a keepwell, support, or other agreement for the benefit of each other Loan Party for all purposes of Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
[signature pages follow]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS, LLC | ||
By: |
/s/ Michael Coyne | |
Name: Michael Coyne | ||
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
POTBELLY CORPORATION | ||
By: |
/s/ Michael Coyne | |
Name: Michael Coyne | ||
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
POTBELLY ILLINOIS, INC. | ||
By: |
/s/ Michael Coyne | |
Name: Michael Coyne | ||
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
POTBELLY FRANCHISING, LLC PSW NORTH BRIDGE, LLC PSW NAPERVILLE, LLC POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS DC-1, LLC PSW 55 WEST MONROE, LLC PSW WEST JACKSON, LLC PSW 555 TWELFTH STREET, LLC PSW OLD ORCHARD, LLC PSW ROCKVILLE CENTER, LLC PSW GENEVA IL, LLC PSW LINCOLNSHIRE, LLC PSW IC, LLC PSW CLARK, LLC PSW NYAVE, LLC PSW DC ACQUISITION LLC PSW PBD ACQUISITION LLC | ||
By: Potbelly Illinois, Inc., as Manager | ||
By: |
/s/ Michael Coyne | |
Name: Michael Coyne Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., individually and as Administrative Agent and Issuing Bank | ||
By: |
| |
Name: Title: |
Amended and Restated Credit Agreement
POTBELLY FRANCHISING, LLC PSW NORTH BRIDGE, LLC PSW NAPERVILLE, LLC POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS DC-1, LLC PSW 55 WEST MONROE, LLC PSW WEST JACKSON, LLC PSW 555 TWELFTH STREET, LLC PSW OLD ORCHARD, LLC PSW ROCKVILLE CENTER, LLC PSW GENEVA IL, LLC PSW LINCOLNSHIRE, LLC PSW IC, LLC PSW CLARK, LLC PSW NYAVE, LLC PSW DC ACQUISITION LLC PSW PBD ACQUISITION LLC | ||
By: Potbelly Illinois, Inc., as Manager | ||
By: |
| |
Name: Title: | ||
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., individually and as Administrative Agent and Issuing Bank | ||
By: |
/s/ Jonathan M. Deck | |
Name: Jonathan M. Deck Title: Authorized Officer |
Amended and Restated Credit Agreement
COMMITMENT SCHEDULE
Lender |
Revolving Commitment on the Effective Date |
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JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
$ | 50,000,000 | ||
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Total |
$ | 50,000,000 | ||
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