Exhibit 1.1
EXECUTION VERSION
DEERE & COMPANY
4.375% Notes due 2019
5.375% Notes due 2029
TERMS AGREEMENT
Dated: October 13, 2009
Deere &
Company
One
John Deere Place
Moline,
Illinois 61265-8098
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We understand that Deere &
Company (the Company) proposes to issue and sell $750,000,000 aggregate
principal amount of its 4.375% Notes due 2019 (the 2019 Notes) and
$500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 5.375% Notes due 2029 (the 2029
Notes, and together with the 2019 Notes, the Underwritten Securities). Subject to the terms and conditions set forth
or incorporated by reference herein, the Company has agreed to sell to the
underwriters named hereafter (the Underwriters), for whom Citigroup Global
Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are
acting as the Representatives (in such capacity, the Representatives), and
the Underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the
Company, the respective principal amounts of 2019 Notes and 2029 Notes set
forth hereafter opposite their respective names at the purchase prices set
forth hereafter.
|
Underwriter
|
|
Principal Amount
of
2019 Notes
|
|
Principal Amount
of
2029 Notes
|
|
|
Citigroup Global Markets
Inc.
|
|
$
|
172,500,000
|
|
$
|
115,000,000
|
|
|
Deutsche Bank Securities
Inc.
|
|
$
|
172,500,000
|
|
$
|
115,000,000
|
|
|
J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc.
|
|
$
|
172,500,000
|
|
$
|
115,000,000
|
|
|
Banc of America Securities
LLC
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
Barclays Capital Inc.
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
BNP Paribas Securities
Corp.
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
Credit Suisse Securities
(USA) LLC
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
RBC Capital Markets
Corporation
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
TD Securities (USA) LLC
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
Wells Fargo Securities,
LLC
|
|
$
|
24,562,500
|
|
$
|
16,375,000
|
|
|
BBVA Securities Inc.
|
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
BNY Mellon Capital
Markets, LLC
|
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
Fifth Third
Securities, Inc.
|
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
Mitsubishi UFJ Securities
(USA), Inc.
|
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
Santander Investment
Securities Inc.
|
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
U.S. Bancorp
Investments, Inc.
|
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
750,000,000
|
|
$
|
500,000,000
|
|
The 2019 Notes shall have
the following terms:
|
Title of 2019 Notes:
|
|
4.375% Notes due 2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency:
|
|
U.S. dollars
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal amount to be issued:
|
|
$750,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ranking:
|
|
Senior unsecured
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current ratings:
|
|
Moodys Investors Service, Inc. A-2;
|
|
|
|
Standard & Poors Ratings Services A
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest Rate or formula:
|
|
4.375% per annum
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest Payment Date(s):
|
|
Each April 16 and October 16, commencing April 16,
2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
Record Dates:
|
|
The close of business on the 15th day preceding the particular Interest
Payment Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment of Additional Amounts:
|
|
Not applicable
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maturity Date:
|
|
October 16, 2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redemption provisions:
|
|
None
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sinking fund requirements:
|
|
None
|
|
|
|
|
|
Delayed Delivery Contracts:
|
|
Not authorized
|
|
|
|
|
|
Initial public offering price:
|
|
99.456%, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 16, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase price:
|
|
99.006%, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 16, 2009 in
same-day funds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Form:
|
|
Global Note through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company
(in the United States)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Applicable Time:
|
|
7.50 A.M.; October 14, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
Closing Date and Location:
|
|
9:00 a.m.; October 16, 2009
New York City time
Sidley Austin LLP
787 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10019
|
2
|
General Disclosure Package:
|
|
(1) Prospectus dated September 26, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2) Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated October 13,
2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3) Term Sheet dated October 13, 2009 attached to Schedule
I hereto
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Terms:
|
|
None
|
The 2029 Notes shall have
the following terms:
|
Title of 2029 Notes:
|
|
5.375 % Notes due 2029
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency:
|
|
U.S. dollars
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal amount to be issued:
|
|
$500,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ranking:
|
|
Senior unsecured
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current ratings:
|
|
Moodys Investors Service, Inc. A-2;
|
|
|
|
Standard & Poors Ratings Services A
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest Rate or formula:
|
|
5.375% per annum
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest Payment Date(s):
|
|
Each April 16 and October 16, commencing April 16,
2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
Record Dates:
|
|
The close of business on the 15th day preceding the particular
Interest Payment Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment of Additional Amounts:
|
|
Not applicable
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maturity Date:
|
|
October 16, 2029
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redemption provisions:
|
|
None
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sinking fund requirements:
|
|
None
|
|
|
|
|
|
Delayed Delivery Contracts:
|
|
Not authorized
|
|
|
|
|
|
Initial public offering price:
|
|
99.769%, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 16, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase price:
|
|
98.894%, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 16, 2009 in
same-day funds.
|
3
|
Form:
|
|
Global Note through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company
(in the United States)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Applicable Time:
|
|
7.50 A.M.; October 14, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
Closing Date and Location:
|
|
9:00 a.m.; October 16, 2009
New York City time
Sidley Austin LLP
787 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10019
|
|
|
|
|
|
General Disclosure Package:
|
|
(1) Prospectus dated September 26, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2) Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated October 13,
2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3) Term Sheet dated October 13, 2009 attached to Schedule
I hereto
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Terms:
|
|
None
|
Attached to this Terms
Agreement as a part of Schedule I is an issuer free writing prospectus
included in the General Disclosure Package.
All of the provisions
contained in the document attached as Annex A hereto entitled Deere &
Company Debt Securities and Warrants to Purchase Debt Securities
Underwriting Agreement Basic Provisions (the Basic Provisions) are hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety herein and shall be deemed to be a
part of this Terms Agreement to the same extent as if such provisions had been
set forth in full herein. Terms defined
in the Basic Provisions are used herein as therein defined.
Covenants of the
Underwriters
Each Underwriter, on behalf
of itself and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial
distribution of the Underwritten Securities, severally and not jointly,
represents, covenants and agrees with the Company that it will not offer, sell,
or deliver any of the Underwritten Securities, directly or indirectly, or
distribute the Prospectus, or any other offering material relating to the
Underwritten Securities, in or from any jurisdiction outside the United States
except in or from or into jurisdictions as contemplated in the Prospectus and
under circumstances that will, to the best knowledge and belief of such
Underwriter, result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations
thereof and which will not impose any obligations on the Company, except as set
forth in the Basic Provisions and this Terms Agreement.
Please accept this offer by
signing a copy of this Terms Agreement in the space set forth below and
returning the signed copy to us.
4
|
|
Very truly yours,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Chandru M. Harjani
|
|
|
|
Name: Chandru M. Harjani
|
|
|
|
Title: Vice President
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Marc Fratepietro
|
|
|
|
Name: Marc Fratepietro
|
|
|
|
Title: Managing Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ John McCabe
|
|
|
|
Name: John McCabe
|
|
|
|
Title: Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Maria Sramek
|
|
|
|
Name: Maria Sramek
|
|
|
|
Title: Executive Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On behalf of themselves
and the other several Underwriters named above
|
|
Accepted:
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEERE & COMPANY
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ James A. Davlin
|
|
|
|
Name: James A. Davlin
|
|
|
|
Title: Vice President and Treasurer
|
|
5
Schedule
I
PERMITTED FREE WRITING PROSPECTUS
Term Sheet dated October 13, 2009
Filed
Pursuant to Rule 433
Dated October 13, 2009
Registration Statement No. 333-153704
Relating to Preliminary Prospectus Supplement
Dated
October 13, 2009 to
Prospectus
dated September 26, 2008
DEERE & COMPANY
4.375% Notes due 2019
5.375% Notes due 2029
Term
Sheet dated October 13, 2009
|
Issuer:
|
|
Deere & Company
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade Date:
|
|
October 13, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Type of Offering:
|
|
SEC registered
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Settlement Date:
|
|
October 16, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest Payment Dates:
|
|
April 16 and October 16, beginning on April 16, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Security:
|
|
4.375% Notes due 2019
|
|
5.375% Notes due 2029
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Size:
|
|
$750,000,000
|
|
$500,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maturity Date:
|
|
October 16, 2019
|
|
October 16, 2029
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benchmark Treasury:
|
|
3.625% UST Due August, 2019
|
|
4.250% UST Due May, 2039
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benchmark Treasury Yield and Price:
|
|
3.343%; 102-11
|
|
4.194%; 100-30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yield to Maturity:
|
|
4.443%
|
|
5.394%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spread to Benchmark Treasury:
|
|
110 basis points
|
|
120 basis points
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coupon (Interest Rate):
|
|
4.375% per year
|
|
5.375% per year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds to the Issuer:
|
|
$742,545,000
|
|
$494,470,000
|
I-1
|
Price to Public:
|
|
99.456% of principal
amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 16, 2009
|
|
99.769% of principal
amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 16, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CUSIP:
|
|
244199 BC8
|
|
244199 BD6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joint Book-Running Managers:
|
|
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Co-Managers:
|
|
Banc of America Securities LLC
Barclays Capital Inc.
BNP Paribas Securities Corp.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
RBC Capital Markets Corporation
TD Securities (USA) LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Co-Managers:
|
|
BBVA Securities Inc.
BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.
Santander Investment Securities Inc.
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
|
|
|
The issuer has
filed a registration statement (including a preliminary prospectus supplement
and a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication
relates. Before you invest, you should read the preliminary prospectus supplement
and the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the
issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the issuer
and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on
the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or
any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the
preliminary prospectus supplement and the prospectus if you request it by
calling Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at (877) 858-5407, Deutsche
Bank Securities Inc. at
(800) 503-4611
or J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. at (212) 834-4533 (collect).
Any disclaimers or
other notices that may appear below are not applicable to this communication
and should be disregarded. Such
disclaimers or other notices were automatically generated as a result of this
communication being sent via Bloomberg or another email system.
I-2
October 13, 2009
ANNEX A
DEERE &
COMPANY
(a Delaware corporation)
Debt
Securities and Warrants to Purchase Debt Securities
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT BASIC PROVISIONS
Deere & Company
(the Company) proposes to issue and sell from time to time certain of its
senior debt securities (the Senior Securities) or its subordinated debt
securities (the Subordinated Securities), or both, or Warrants (the Debt
Warrants) to purchase Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities, or any
combination thereof, on terms to be determined at the time of sale. The Senior Securities and Subordinated
Securities will be issued under an indenture dated as of September 25,
2008 (the Indenture) between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon,
Trustee. The Debt Warrants will be
issued under one or more warrant agreements (the warrant agreement relating to
any issue of Debt Warrants to be sold pursuant to this Agreement will be
identified in the applicable Terms Agreement (as hereinafter defined) and is
referred to herein as the Warrant Agreement) between the Company and the
Warrant Agent identified in such Warrant Agreement (the Warrant Agent). Each issue of Senior Securities, Subordinated
Securities and Debt Warrants may vary, as applicable, as to aggregate principal
amount, maturity date, interest rate or formula and timing of payments thereof,
redemption provisions, conversion provisions and sinking fund requirements, if
any, and any other variable terms which the Indenture or the Warrant Agreement,
as the case may be, contemplates may be set forth in the Senior Securities, the
Subordinated Securities and the Debt Warrants as issued from time to time. The Senior Securities, the Subordinated
Securities and the Debt Warrants may be offered either together or separately. As used herein, Securities shall mean
Senior Securities, Subordinated Securities or Debt Warrants or any combination
thereof; and Warrant Securities shall mean the Senior Securities or
Subordinated Securities issuable upon exercise of the Debt Warrants.
This is to confirm the
arrangements with respect to the purchase of Underwritten Securities from the
Company by the Representatives and the several Underwriters listed in the
applicable terms agreement entered into between the Representatives and the
Company of which this Underwriting Agreement is Annex A thereto (the Terms
Agreement). With respect to any
particular Terms Agreement, the Terms Agreement, together with the provisions
hereof incorporated therein by reference, is herein referred to as the
Agreement. Terms defined in the Terms
Agreement are used herein as therein defined.
The Company has filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) an automatic shelf
registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-153704) in respect of its
Senior Securities, Subordinated Securities and Debt Warrants, including the
Underwritten Securities, and other warrants, certain of the Companys equity
securities, stock purchase contracts, stock purchase units and senior debt
securities of John Deere Funding S.A. that are guaranteed by the Company, under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), and the offering
thereof from time to time in accordance with Rule 415 of the rules and
A-1
regulations
of the Commission under the 1933 Act (the 1933 Act Regulations). Such registration statement and any
post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you,
became effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462 of the
1933 Act Regulations and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such
registration statement has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose or
pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act has been initiated or threatened by
the Commission (if prepared, any preliminary prospectus supplement specifically
relating to the Underwritten Securities immediately prior to the Applicable
Time included in such registration statement or filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations being hereinafter
called a Preliminary Prospectus). The
Indenture has been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended
(the 1939 Act).
The term Registration
Statement means the registration statement at any given time, including the
amendments thereto to such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such
time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form
S-3 under the 1933 Act at such time and the documents otherwise deemed to be a
part thereof or included therein by the 1933 Act Regulations, except that when
no time is specified, the term Registration Statement means the registration
statement as deemed revised pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(1) of the 1933
Act Regulations by virtue of the filing with the Commission of the Prospectus
pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations; the term Base
Prospectus means the prospectus on file with the Commission on the date of the
applicable Terms Agreement; and the term Prospectus means the Base Prospectus
together with the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the
Underwritten Securities prepared in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B
and promptly filed after execution and delivery of the applicable Terms
Agreement pursuant to Rule 430B or Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act
Regulations; any information included in such Prospectus that was omitted from
the Registration Statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed
to be a part of and included in such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B
is referred to as Rule 430B Information; and any reference herein to any
Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be
deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein,
as of the date of the applicable Terms Agreement; any reference to any
amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus shall be
deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 1934 Act), and incorporated by
reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; and
any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to
refer to and include any annual, quarterly or periodic report of the Company
filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 1934 Act after
the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement.
All references in this
Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is
disclosed, contained, included, set forth or stated (or other
references of like import) in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include all such financial
statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by
reference in or otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or
included in the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus, as the case may be,
prior to the offer and acceptance of the Underwritten Securities; and all
references
A-2
in
this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing
of any document under the 1934 Act, which is incorporated by reference in or
otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the
Registration Statement, or the Prospectus, as the case may be, after the offer
and acceptance of the Underwritten Securities.
SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to the
Representatives and to each Underwriter named in a Terms Agreement as of the
date thereof, as of the Applicable Time and as of Closing Time (each a
Representation Date), as follows:
(a) The Registration Statement, the term sheet(s) attached
as Schedule I of the applicable Terms Agreement (such term sheet(s), the
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus), the Preliminary Prospectus and the
Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement became effective and as of
the applicable Representation Date, complied or will comply in all material
respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations and
the 1939 Act. The conditions to the use
of Form S-3 in connection with the offering and sale of the Underwritten
Securities as contemplated hereby have been satisfied. The Registration Statement constitutes an
automatic shelf registration statement as defined in Rule 405 of the
1933 Act Regulations. The Company has
not received from the Commission a notice, pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of
the 1933 Act Regulations, of objection to the use of the automatic shelf
registration statement form. As of the
determination date applicable to the Registration Statement (and any amendment
thereof) and the offerings of Underwritten Securities contemplated hereby, the
Company is a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 of the
1933 Act Regulations. The date of any
Terms Agreement in connection with an offering of any Underwritten Securities
is not more than three years subsequent to the original effective date of the
Registration Statement. The Registration
Statement, at the time the Registration Statement became effective and as of
the applicable Representation Date, did not, and will not, contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date and as of the
applicable Representation Date, did not, and will not, contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading; and the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus
and the Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (collectively the General Disclosure
Package), all considered together, as of the Applicable Time, did not include
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements
in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus,
the Prospectus or the Permitted Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon
and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by any
Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration
Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus or to that part of the Registration Statement which shall
constitute the Statement of Eligibility and Qualification under the 1939 Act (Form T-1)
of the Trustee under the Indenture.
(b) At the time of original filing of the Registration
Statement, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering
participant made a bona fide offer
(within the
A-3
meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the
1933 Act Regulations) of the Underwritten Securities and at the date of any
Terms Agreement in connection with an offering of any Underwritten Securities,
the Company was not and is not an ineligible issuer as defined in Rule 405
of the 1933 Act Regulations.
(c) The Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue
date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and
sale of the Underwritten Securities or until any earlier date that the Company
notified or notifies the applicable Underwriter(s) as contemplated in Section 3(d) hereof,
did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted,
conflicts or will conflict (within the meaning of Rule 433(c) of the
1933 Act Regulations) with the information then contained in the Registration
Statement.
(d) The financial statements and the supporting schedules
included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus present fairly the financial position of the Company and its
subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, as at the dates indicated, and the
respective results of operations for the periods specified, in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during
the periods involved.
(e) The documents incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, at
the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and
will comply, as the case may be, in all material respects with the requirements
of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(the 1934 Act Regulations), and, when read together and with the other
information in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the Prospectus, (a) at the time the Registration Statement became
effective and at the time any amendments thereto become effective (b) at
the Applicable Time and (c) at Closing Time, did not and will not contain
an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
(f) Since the respective dates as of which information is
given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the
Prospectus, except as may otherwise be stated therein: (i) there has not been any material
adverse change in the financial condition of the Company and its subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise, or in the results of operations or business
prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise,
whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business and (ii) there have
not been any transactions entered into by the Company or its subsidiaries other
than (x) transactions in the ordinary course of business and (y) transactions
which are not material in relation to the Company and its subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise.
(g) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of
Delaware with power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and
conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(h) The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the
Indenture and the Warrant Agreement, if any, and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein and therein,
A-4
have been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate action and will not result in any breach of any of the terms,
conditions or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the
creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or
assets of the Company, pursuant to any indenture, loan agreement, contract or
other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the
Company may be bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company
is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of
the charter or by-laws of the Company or, to the best of its knowledge, any
order, rule or regulation applicable to the Company of any court or of any
federal, state or other regulatory authority or other governmental body having
jurisdiction over the Company.
(i) The Underwritten Securities have been duly authorized for
issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement (or will have been so authorized
prior to each issuance of Underwritten Securities) and, when issued,
authenticated and delivered pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and of
the Indenture or Warrant Agreement, or both, as the case may be, against
payment of the consideration therefor in accordance with this Agreement, the
Underwritten Securities or the Warrant Securities, or both, will be valid and
legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their
terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency
or other laws relating to or affecting enforcement of creditors rights or by
general equity principles and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture
or Warrant Agreement, or both, as the case may be, and the Underwritten
Securities, the Indenture and the Warrant Agreement, if any, conform in all
material respects to all descriptions and statements relating thereto contained
in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus.
(j) If applicable, the shares of the Companys Common Stock,
par value $1.00 per share (the Common Stock), issuable upon conversion of any
issue of Subordinated Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for
issuance upon such conversion by all necessary corporate action and, when
issued and delivered in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, will
be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such
shares upon such conversion will not be subject to preemptive rights.
(k) Deloitte & Touche LLP are independent certified
public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.
(l) The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can
acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patent rights or licenses or other rights
to use patent rights, inventions, trademarks, service marks, trade names and
copyrights necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, and neither
the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement
of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any patent,
patent rights, inventions, trademarks, service marks, trade names or copyrights
which, singly or in aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision,
ruling or finding, would materially adversely affect the conduct of the
business, operations, financial condition or income of the Company and its
subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.
(m) No labor disturbance by the employees of the Company or any
subsidiary exists or is imminent which might be expected to materially
adversely affect the conduct of the
A-5
business, operations, financial condition or
income of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise.
(n) The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) each
purchase and sale of Underwritten Securities pursuant to this Agreement,
including the determination of any price for the Underwritten Securities and
Underwriter compensation, is an arms-length commercial transaction between the
Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, (ii) in
connection therewith and with the process leading to such transactions, each
Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of
the Company or any of its affiliates, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed any
advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company or any of its
affiliates with respect to any offering of Underwritten Securities contemplated
hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter
has advised or is currently advising the Company or any of its affiliates on other
matters) or any other obligation to the Company or any of its affiliates except
the obligations explicitly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) the Underwriters
and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions
that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, (v) no
Underwriter has provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with
respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, and (vi) the Company has
consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed
appropriate.
Any certificate signed by
any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for
the Underwriters in connection with an offering of Underwritten Securities
shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to the matters
covered thereby, to each Underwriter participating in such offering.
SECTION 2. Purchase and Sale. The obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase, and the Company to sell, the Underwritten Securities shall be evidenced
by the Terms Agreement. The Terms
Agreement specifies the principal amount of the Senior Securities or
Subordinated Securities, or both, and the number of Debt Warrants, if any, the
names of the Underwriters participating in the offering (subject to
substitution as provided in Section 10 hereof) and the principal amount of
Underwritten Securities which each Underwriter severally has agreed to
purchase, the purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters for the
Underwritten Securities, the initial public offering price, if any, of the
Underwritten Securities, any delayed delivery arrangements and any terms of the
Underwritten Securities not already specified in the Indenture or Warrant
Agreement, as the case may be, pursuant to which they are being issued
(including, but not limited to, designations, denominations, current ratings,
interest rates or formulas and payment dates, maturity dates, conversion
provisions, redemption provisions and sinking fund requirements).
The several commitments of
the Underwriters to purchase Underwritten Securities pursuant to the Terms
Agreement shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the representations
and warranties herein contained and shall be subject to the terms and
conditions herein set forth.
Payment of the purchase
price for, and delivery of, any Underwritten Securities to be purchased by the
Underwriters shall be made at the office of Sidley Austin LLP, 787 Seventh
Avenue, New York, New York 10019, or at such other place as shall be agreed
upon by the
A-6
Representatives
and the Company, at 10:00 AM, New York City time, on the third business day
(unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10)
following the date of the Terms Agreement or such other time as shall be agreed
upon by the Representatives and the Company (each such time and date being
referred to as a Closing Time).
Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately
available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery
to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of the
Underwritten Securities to be purchased by them. Delivery of the Underwritten Securities shall
be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the
Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
If authorized by the Terms
Agreement, the Underwriters named therein may solicit offers to purchase
Underwritten Securities from the Company pursuant to delayed delivery contracts
(Delayed Delivery Contracts) substantially in the form of Exhibit A
hereto with such changes therein as the Company may approve. As compensation
for arranging Delayed Delivery Contracts, the Company will pay to the
Representatives at Closing Time, for the accounts of the Underwriters, a fee
equal to that percentage of the principal amount of Senior Securities or
Subordinated Securities or based on the number of Debt Warrants, as the case
may be, for which Delayed Delivery Contracts are made at Closing Time as is
specified in the Terms Agreement. Any Delayed Delivery Contracts are to be with
institutional investors of the types set forth in the Prospectus. At Closing
Time the Company will enter into Delayed Delivery Contracts (for not less than
the minimum principal amount of Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities or
number of Debt Warrants per Delayed Delivery Contract specified in the
applicable Terms Agreement) with all purchasers proposed by the Underwriters
and previously approved by the Company as provided below, but not for an
aggregate principal amount of Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities or
number of Debt Warrants in excess of that specified in the Terms Agreement. The
Underwriters will not have any responsibility for the validity or performance
of Delayed Delivery Contracts.
The Representatives shall
submit to the Company, at least three business days prior to Closing Time, the
names of any institutional investors with which it is proposed that the Company
will enter into Delayed Delivery Contracts and the principal amount of Senior
Securities or Subordinated Securities or number of Debt Warrants to be
purchased by each of them, and the Company will advise the Representatives, at
least two business days prior to Closing Time, of the names of the institutions
with which the making of Delayed Delivery Contracts is approved by the Company
and the principal amount of Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities or
number of Debt Warrants to be covered by each such Delayed Delivery Contract.
The principal amount of
Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities or number of Debt Warrants agreed
to be purchased by the respective Underwriters pursuant to the Terms Agreement
shall be reduced by the principal amount of Senior Securities or Subordinated
Securities or number of Debt Warrants, as the case may be, covered by Delayed
Delivery Contracts, as to each Underwriter as set forth in a written notice
delivered by the Representatives to the Company; provided, however, that the
total principal amount of Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities or
number of Debt Warrants to be purchased by all Underwriters shall be the total
amount of Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities or number of Debt
Warrants covered by the applicable Terms Agreement, less the principal amount
of Senior Securities or
A-7
Subordinated
Securities or number of Debt Warrants, as the case may be, covered by Delayed
Delivery Contracts.
SECTION 3. Covenants of
the Company. The Company
covenants with the Representatives, and with each Underwriter participating in
the offering of Underwritten Securities, as follows:
(a) The Company will
notify the Underwriters immediately of (i) the effectiveness of any
amendment to the Registration Statement, (ii) the receipt of any comments
from the Commission with respect to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus, (iii) any request by the Commission for any
amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv)
the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness
of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that
purpose. The Company will make every
reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop
order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(b) During the period
from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time, the Company will: (i) give the Underwriters notice of its
intention to file (a) any new or additional registration statement with
respect to the Underwritten Securities or (b) any amendment to the
Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus,
whether by the filing of documents pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or
otherwise; (ii) furnish the Underwriters with copies of any document
proposed to be filed and referred to in clause (i) above a reasonable time
in advance of filing; (iii) make available to the Underwriters copies of
documents so filed promptly upon the filing thereof; and (iv) give the
Underwriters notice of the initiation of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of
the 1933 Act relating to the Registration Statement or any new or additional
registration statement relating to the Underwritten Securities or the Company
becoming subject to a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in
connection with the Underwritten Securities.
The Company will promptly effect all filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) of
the 1933 Act Regulations, in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without
reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)) and will take such steps as it deems necessary
to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing
under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in
the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company shall pay the required Commission
filing fees relating to the Underwritten Securities within the time required by
Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the
proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of
the 1933 Act Regulations (including, if applicable, by updating the
Calculation of Registration Fee table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either
in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of
a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)).
(c) The Company will
furnish to each Underwriter as many copies of the Prospectus (as amended or
supplemented) as such Underwriter shall reasonably request
A-8
so
long as an Underwriter is required to deliver a Prospectus in connection with
sales of Underwritten Securities.
(d) If at any time
during the term of this Agreement any event shall occur or condition exist as a
result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of the Company or in the
reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or counsel for the Company,
to further amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the same will not include an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading (in the case
of the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, in the light of the
circumstances existing at the time the same is delivered (or but for the
exemption in Rule 172 of the 1933 Act Regulations would be required to be
delivered) to a purchaser), or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of the
Company or in the reasonable opinion of either such counsel, to amend or
supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to comply with
the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will
promptly prepare and file with the Commission such amendment or supplement,
whether by filing documents pursuant to the 1934 Act, the 1933 Act or
otherwise, as may be necessary to correct such untrue statement or omission or
to make the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply with such
requirements. If at any time following
issuance of a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an
event or development as a result of which such Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information then contained in
the Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue statement of
a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly (i) notify
the Representatives and (ii) amend or supplement such Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or
omission.
(e) With respect to each
sale of Underwritten Securities, the Company will make generally available to
its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than 90 days after
the close of the period covered thereby, earning statements (in a form
complying with the provisions of Rule 158 under the 1933 Act) covering
12-month periods beginning, in each case, not later than the first day of the
Companys fiscal quarter next following the effective date (as defined in Rule
158) of the Registration Statement.
(f) The Company will
endeavor in good faith to qualify the Underwritten Securities for offering and
sale under the applicable securities laws of such jurisdictions as the
Representatives may designate; provided, however, that the Company shall not be
obligated to file any general consent to service or to qualify as a foreign
corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not
so qualified. The Company will maintain
such qualifications in effect for as long as may be required for the
distribution of the Underwritten Securities.
The Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by
the laws of each jurisdiction in which the Underwritten Securities have been
qualified as above provided.
A-9
(g) The Company, during
the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act
in connection with the sale of the Underwritten Securities, will file promptly
all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13
or 14 of the 1934 Act.
(h) Between the date of
the Terms Agreement and the later of termination of any trading restrictions or
Closing Time with respect to the Underwritten Securities covered thereby,
except for the issuance of senior debt securities upon the exercise of debt
warrants, if any, the Company will not, without the Representatives prior
consent, offer to sell, or enter into any agreement to sell, any new issue of
senior debt securities of the Company with a maturity of more than one year,
including additional Securities (other than borrowings under the Companys
revolving credit agreements).
(i) The Company
represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the
Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it
obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not
made and will not make any offer relating to the Underwritten Securities that
would constitute a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 of
the 1933 Act Regulations, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to
in writing by the Company and the Representatives is referred to herein as a
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus. The
Company represents that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an issuer free writing prospectus, as
defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations, and has complied and will
comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required,
legending and record keeping.
(j) Subject to the
consent of the Representatives required in the immediately preceding paragraph,
the Company will prepare a final term sheet relating to the final terms of the
Underwritten Securities and their offering and will file such final term sheet
within the period required by Rule 433(d)(5)(ii) of the 1933 Act
Regulations following the date such final terms have been established for such
Underwritten Securities. Any such final
term sheet is, and shall be deemed to be, an issuer free writing prospectus and
a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Company
consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that
contains only (a) (i) information describing the preliminary terms of the
Underwritten Securities generally or the offering of Underwritten Securities or
(ii) information that describes the final terms of the Underwritten
Securities of any particular series or their offering and that is or is to be
included in the final term sheet of the Company contemplated in the first
sentence above or (b) other customary information that is neither issuer
information, as defined in Rule 433, or otherwise an issuer free writing
prospectus.
SECTION 4. Conditions of
Underwriters Obligations. The
several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Underwritten Securities
pursuant to the Terms Agreement are subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties on the part of the Company herein contained, to
the accuracy of the statements of the Companys officers made in any
certificate
A-10
furnished pursuant to the provisions hereof,
to the performance by the Company of all of its covenants and other obligations
hereunder and to the following further conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall
have been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) within
the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the 1933 Act
Regulations; and each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus shall have been filed
by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 within the
applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the 1933 Act Regulations
(to the extent so required).
(b) On or after the
Applicable Time and prior to the applicable Closing Time (i) no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been
issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by
the Commission, (ii) the rating assigned by Moodys Investors Service, Inc.,
Standard & Poors Corporation, Fitch, Inc. or any other
nationally-recognized credit rating agency to any long-term debt securities of
the Company as of the date of the Terms Agreement shall not have been lowered
since the execution of such Terms Agreement and (iii) there shall not have
come to the Representatives attention any facts that would cause the
Representatives to believe that the Prospectus, together with the General
Disclosure Package, at the time it was required to be delivered to a purchaser
of the Underwritten Securities, contained an untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at such time,
not misleading.
(c) At the applicable
Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received:
(1) The favorable
opinion, dated as of the applicable Closing Time, of Shearman &
Sterling LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to
the Representatives, to the effect that:
(i) The Company is a
corporation duly incorporated and validly existing in good standing under the
laws of the State of Delaware.
(ii) This Agreement and
the Delayed Delivery Contracts, if any, have been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company.
(iii) The Indenture and
the Warrant Agreement have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Trustee,
in the case of the Indenture, and the Warrant Agent, in the case of the Warrant
Agreement, constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Company,
enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may
be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar laws
affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally and except as enforcement
thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether
enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and except as
enforcement thereof is subject, in the case of Underwritten Securities
A-11
denominated
in a foreign currency or currency unit, to provisions of law that require that
a judgment for money damages rendered by a court in the United States be
expressed only in United States dollars.
(iv) The Underwritten
Securities have been duly authorized by the Company and, when executed and
authenticated as specified in the Indenture in the case of the Senior
Securities or Subordinated Securities, or the Warrant Agreement, in the case of
Debt Warrants, and delivered against payment pursuant to this Agreement, the
Underwritten Securities will be valid and binding obligations of the Company
entitled to the benefits of the Indenture, in the case of Senior Securities or
Subordinated Securities, or the Warrant Agreement, in the case of Debt
Warrants, and enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement
thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other
similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally and except as
enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of
whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and
except as enforcement thereof is subject, in the case of Underwritten
Securities being denominated in a foreign currency or currency unit, to
provisions of law that require that a judgment for money damages rendered by a
court in the United States be expressed only in United States dollars; and the
Warrant Securities, if any, have been duly authorized by the Company and, when
executed and authenticated as specified in the Indenture, and delivered against
payment pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, the Warrant Securities will be valid
and binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of the
Indenture and enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement
thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other
similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally and except as
enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of
whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and
except as enforcement thereof is subject, in the case of Warrant Securities
being denominated in a foreign currency or currency unit, to provisions of law
that require that a judgment for money damages rendered by a court in the
United States be expressed only in United States dollars.
(v) The Underwritten
Securities, the Indenture and the Warrant Agreement conform in all material
respects as to legal matters to the descriptions thereof in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(vi) The Indenture has
been duly qualified under the 1939 Act.
(vii) If the Underwritten
Securities to which a Terms Agreement relates are convertible into shares of
Common Stock, the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof have
been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon such conversion by all
A-12
necessary
corporate action and when issued and delivered in accordance with the
provisions of this Agreement relating thereto, will be validly issued, fully paid
and nonassessable, and the issuance of such shares upon such conversion will
not be subject to preemptive rights.
(viii) The Registration
Statement is effective under the 1933 Act and, to the best of their knowledge
and information, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated
or threatened by the Commission.
(ix) The Registration
Statement, at the Applicable Time, and the Prospectus, and each amendment or
supplement thereto (except for the financial statements and other financial
data included therein or omitted therefrom and the Statement of Eligibility and
Qualification of the Trustee on Form T-1, as to which such counsel need
express no opinion), as of their respective dates, excluding the documents
incorporated by reference therein, appear on their face to have been
appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the
1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act.
(x) The documents
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and other
financial data included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel
need express no opinion), as of the dates they were filed with the Commission,
appear on their face to have been appropriately responsive in all material
respects to the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations
of the Commission thereunder.
(xi) The execution and
delivery of this Agreement, the fulfillment of the terms herein set forth and
the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with
the charter or by-laws of the Company.
Such opinion shall also
state that such counsel have not verified, and are not passing upon and do not
assume any responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the
statements contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, other
than those mentioned in (v) of subsection 4(c)(1) of this
Section. Such counsel have, however,
generally reviewed and discussed such statements with certain officers of the
Company and its auditors. In the course
of such review and discussion, no facts have come to the attention of such
counsel that has caused such counsel to believe (i) that the Registration
Statement or any amendment thereto (except for the financial statements and
other financial data included therein or omitted therefrom and the Statement of
Eligibility and Qualification of the Trustee on Form T-1, as to which such
counsel need not comment), at the Applicable Time, contained an untrue
statement of a material
A-13
fact or omitted to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading or (ii) that the Prospectus or any amendment or
supplement thereto (except for the financial statements and other financial
data included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel need not
comment), at the time the Prospectus was issued, at the time any such amended
or supplemented Prospectus was issued or at the applicable Closing Time,
included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits
to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or (iii) the
General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time or as of the applicable
Closing Time, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to
state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(2) The
favorable opinion, dated as of the applicable Closing Time, of the General
Counsel of the Company to the effect that (i) the Company is duly
qualified to transact business and is in good standing in the states in which
its manufacturing plants are located, and (ii) the execution and delivery
of this Agreement, the Indenture and the Warrant Agreement, the fulfillment of
the terms herein and therein set forth and the consummation of the transactions
herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or constitute a breach
of or default under, the charter or by-laws of the Company or any agreement,
indenture or other instrument known to such counsel of which the Company or any
of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them is bound, or any
law, administrative regulation or administrative or court order known to such
counsel to be applicable to the Company.
(3) The
favorable opinion, dated as of the applicable Closing Time, of Sidley Austin
LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to the matters set forth in (i) to
(vi), inclusive, and (viii) and (ix), and the last paragraph, of
subsection (c)(1) of this Section.
(d) At the applicable
Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date of the Terms Agreement
or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the General
Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the
financial condition of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise, or in the results of operations or business prospects of the
Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not
arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have
received a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company,
dated as of such Closing Time, to the effect that there has been no such
material adverse change and to the effect that the other representations and
warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 are true and correct.
(e) The Representatives
shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP or other independent
certified public accountants acceptable to the Representatives a letter, dated
as of the date of the Terms Agreement and delivered at such time, in form
heretofore agreed to.
A-14
(f) The Representatives
shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP or other independent
certified public accountants acceptable to the Representatives a letter, dated
as of the applicable Closing Time, reconfirming or updating the letter required
by subsection (e) of this Section to the extent that may be
reasonably requested by the Representatives, except that the specified date
referred to shall be not more than three business days prior to Closing Time.
(g) At the applicable
Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such
documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of
enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Underwritten Securities
as herein contemplated and related proceedings or in order to evidence the
accuracy and completeness of any of the representations and warranties, or the
fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings
taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the
Underwritten Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form
and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.
If any condition specified
in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be
fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to
the Company at any time at or prior to the applicable Closing Time, and such
termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except
as provided in Section 5.
SECTION 5. Payment of Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to
the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the
preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary
Prospectus, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and, in
each case, any amendments or supplements thereto, and the preparation, filing
and reproduction of this Agreement and the Terms Agreement, (ii) the
preparation, issuance and delivery of the Underwritten Securities and any
Warrant Securities issuable upon exercise of Debt Warrants to the Underwriters,
(iii) the fees and disbursements of the Companys counsel and accountants,
(iv) the qualification of the Underwritten Securities and any Warrant
Securities issuable upon exercise of Debt Warrants under securities laws in
accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f), including filing fees and
the fee and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection
therewith and in connection with the preparation of any Blue Sky Surveys and Legal
Investment Surveys, (v) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters in
quantities as hereinabove stated of copies of the Registration Statement, each
Preliminary Prospectus, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and the
Prospectus and, in each case, any amendments or supplements thereto, (vi) the
delivery by the Underwriters of the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus and, in each case, any amendments or supplements thereto in
connection with solicitations or confirmations of sales of the Underwritten
Securities, (vii) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies
of the Indenture, the Warrant Agreement, if any, and any Blue Sky Surveys and
Legal Investment Surveys, (viii) the fees, if any, of rating agencies and (ix) the
fees and expenses, if any, incurred in connection with the listing of the
Underwritten Securities or any Warrant Securities on any national securities
exchange.
If this Agreement is
terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 4
or Section 9(i), the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters named in
such Terms
A-15
Agreement
for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.
SECTION 6. Indemnification. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act as follows:
(i) against any and all
loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever arising out of any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) including the Rule 430B
Information, or any omission or alleged omission therefrom, of a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
thereto), any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the General Disclosure
Package, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom, of a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, unless such untrue
statement or omission or such alleged untrue statement or omission was made in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives
expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or
the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, or was made in reliance
upon the Form T-1 of the Trustee under the Indenture;
(ii) against any and all
loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever to the extent of the
aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or
proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of
any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any
such alleged untrue statement or omission, if such settlement is effected with
the written consent of the Company; and
(iii) against any and all
expense whatsoever reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending
against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental
agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any
such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or
omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii)
above.
In no case shall the Company
be liable under this indemnity agreement with respect to any claim made against
any Underwriter or any such controlling person unless the Company shall be
notified in writing of the nature of the claim within a reasonable time after
the assertion
A-16
thereof,
but failure so to notify the Company shall not relieve it from any liability
which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. The Company shall be entitled to participate
at its own expense in the defense, or if it so elects within a reasonable time
after receipt of such notice, to assume the defense for any suit brought to
enforce any such claim, but if the Company elects to assume the defense, such
defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and satisfactory to the
Underwriter or Underwriters or controlling person or persons, defendant or
defendants in any suit so brought. In
the event that the Company elects to assume the defense of any such suit and
retains such counsel, the Underwriter or Underwriters or controlling person or
persons, defendant or defendants in the suit shall bear the fees and expenses
of any additional counsel thereafter retained by them. In the event that the parties to any such
action (including impleaded parties) include both the Company and one or more
Underwriters and any such Underwriter shall have been advised by counsel chosen
by it and satisfactory to the Company that there may be one or more legal
defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those
available to the Company, the Company shall not have the right to assume the
defense of such action on behalf of such Underwriter and will reimburse such
Underwriter and any person controlling such Underwriter as aforesaid for the
reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them, it being
understood that the Company shall not, in connection with any one action or
separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of
the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the reasonable
fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys for all such
Underwriters and controlling persons, which firm shall be designated in writing
by the Representatives. The Company
agrees to notify the Representatives within a reasonable time of the assertion
of any claim against it, any of its officers or directors or any person, if
any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933
Act, in connection with the sale of the Underwritten Securities.
(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees that it will indemnify
and hold harmless the Company and each of its officers who signs the
Registration Statement and each of its directors and each person, if any, who
controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act to
the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company, but only with
respect to statements or omissions made in the Prospectus (or any amendment or
supplement thereto), a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, the Registration
Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information
or the General Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter
through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or
any amendment thereto) or in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
thereto) or a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the General Disclosure
Package. In case any action shall be
brought against the Company or any person so indemnified based on the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
thereto) or a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the General Disclosure
Package and in respect of which indemnity may be sought against any
Underwriter, such Underwriter shall have the rights and duties given to the
Company, and the Company and each person so indemnified shall have the rights
and duties given to the Underwriters, by the provisions of subsection (a) of
this Section.
SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provisions provided in
Section 6 above should under applicable law be unenforceable in respect of
any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or actions in respect
thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to
the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such
A-17
losses, liabilities, claims, damages or
expenses (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate
to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Underwriters
from the offering of the Underwritten Securities and also the relative fault of
the Company and the Underwriters in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or
actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative benefits
received by the Company and the Underwriters shall be deemed to be in the same
proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting
expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and
commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the
Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Underwritten
Securities. The relative fault shall be
determined by reference to, among other things, whether the indemnified party
failed to give the notice required under Section 6 above including the
consequences of such failure, and whether the untrue or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a
material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the
Underwriters and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information
and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission of the Company
and the Underwriters, directly or through the Representatives. The Company and the Underwriters agree that
it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7
were determined by per capita allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated
as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does
not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified
party as a result of the losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or
actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this Section 7 shall be
deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such
indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action
or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions
of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any
amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the
Underwritten Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were
offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter
has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission.
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of
the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
The Underwriters obligations in this Section 7 to contribute are
several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not
joint.
The obligations of the
Company under this Section 7 shall be in addition to any liability which
the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and
conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the
meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act; and the obligations of the
Underwriters under this Section 7 shall be in addition to any liability
which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the
same terms and conditions, to each officer who signs the Registration Statement
and each director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the
Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act.
SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and
Agreements to Survive Delivery. All
representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement, or
contained in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto,
shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any
termination of this Agreement, or any investigation made
A-18
by or on behalf of any Underwriter or
controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, and shall survive
delivery of any Underwritten Securities to the Underwriters.
SECTION 9. Termination. The Representatives may terminate this
Agreement, immediately upon notice to the Company, at any time prior to the
applicable Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the date of the Terms
Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any
material adverse change in the financial condition of the Company and its
subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, or in the results of operations or
business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if
there has occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other calamity
or crisis the effect of which on the financial markets of the United States is
such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable to
market the Underwritten Securities or enforce contracts for the sale of the
Underwritten Securities, or (iii) if trading in the Common Stock of the
Company has been suspended by the Commission or a national securities exchange
or if trading on either the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock
Exchange has been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been
fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities have been required, by
either of said exchanges or by order of the Commission or any other
governmental authority, or if a banking moratorium has been declared by either
Federal or New York authorities. In the event of any such termination, (x) the
covenants set forth in Section 3 with respect to any offering of
Underwritten Securities shall remain in effect so long as any Underwriter
retains beneficial ownership of any such Underwritten Securities purchased from
the Company pursuant to the applicable Terms Agreement and (y) the
covenant set forth in Section 3(e), the provisions of Section 5, the
indemnity agreement set forth in Section 6, the contribution provisions
set forth in Section 7 and the provisions of Sections 8 and 13 shall
remain in effect.
SECTION 10. Default. If one or more of the Underwriters
participating in an offering of Securities shall fail at the applicable Closing
Time to purchase the Underwritten Securities which it or they are obligated to
purchase under the applicable Terms Agreement (the Defaulted Securities),
then the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to
make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any
other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted
Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set
forth. If, however, during such 24 hours
the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements for the purchase
of all of the Defaulted Securities, then:
(a) if the aggregate
principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate
principal amount of the Underwritten Securities to be purchased pursuant to the
Terms Agreement, the non-defaulting Underwriters named in such Terms Agreement
shall be obligated to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that
their respective underwriting obligations thereunder bear to the underwriting obligations
of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the aggregate
principal amount of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the aggregate principal
amount of the Underwritten Securities to be purchased pursuant to
A-19
such
Terms Agreement, the Terms Agreement shall terminate without any liability on
the part of any non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company.
As used in this Section only,
the aggregate amount or aggregate principal amount of Defaulted Securities or
of Underwritten Securities shall mean the aggregate principal amount of any
Senior Securities or Subordinated Securities, or both, plus the public offering
price of any Debt Warrants included in the relevant Underwritten Securities.
No action taken pursuant to
this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in
respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement and the Terms
Agreement.
In the event of a default by
any Underwriter or Underwriters as set forth in this Section, either the
Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the applicable
Closing Time for a period not exceeding seven days in order that any required
changes in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package or Prospectus
or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected.
SECTION 11. Notices. All notices and other communications
hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if
mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed
to the Representatives; notices to the Company shall be directed to it at One
John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois 61265-8098, Attention: Treasurer.
SECTION 12. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of
and be binding upon the Company and any Underwriter who becomes a party hereto,
and their respective successors. Nothing
expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to
give any person, firm or corporation, other than the parties hereto or thereto
and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and
directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal
Representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in
respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and
provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the
parties and their respective successors and said controlling persons and
officers and directors and their heirs and legal Representatives, and for the
benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Underwritten Securities from
any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such
purchase.
SECTION 13. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to
agreements made and to be performed in said State.
SECTION 14. Counterparts. The Terms Agreement may be executed in one or
more counterparts, and if executed in more than one counterpart the executed
counterparts shall constitute a single instrument.
A-20
EXHIBIT A
DEERE &
COMPANY
(a Delaware corporation)
[Title
of Securities]
DELAYED
DELIVERY CONTRACT
, 20[·]
DEERE &
COMPANY
One
John Deere Place
Moline,
Illinois 61265
Attention:
Dear Sirs:
The undersigned hereby
agrees to purchase from Deere & Company (the Company), and the
Company agrees to sell to the undersigned on, [·] 20[·] (the
Delivery Date),
principal amount of the
Companys [insert title of security] (the Securities), offered by the
Companys Prospectus dated , 20[·], as
supplemented by its Prospectus Supplement dated [·], 20[·], receipt of
which is hereby acknowledged at a purchase price of [[·]% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued
interest from [·], 20[·],] [and $[·] per Warrant,
respectively] to the Delivery Date, and on the further terms and conditions set
forth in this contract.
Payment for the Securities
which the undersigned has agreed to purchase on the Delivery Date shall be made
to the Company or its order by certified or official bank check in New York
Clearing House funds at the office of [·], on the
Delivery Date, upon delivery to the undersigned of the Securities to be
purchased by the undersigned in definitive form and in such denominations and
registered in such names as the undersigned may designate by written or
telegraphic communication addressed to the Company not less than five full
business days prior to the Delivery Date.
The obligation of the
undersigned to take delivery of and make payment for Securities on the Delivery
Date shall be subject only to the conditions that (1) the purchase of
Securities to be made by the undersigned shall not on the Delivery Date be
prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which the undersigned is
subject and (2) the Company, on or before [·], 20[·], shall have
sold to the Underwriters of the Securities (the Underwriters) such principal
amount of the Securities as is to be sold to them pursuant to the Terms
Agreement dated [·],20[·] between the Company and the Underwriters. The
obligation of the undersigned to take delivery of and make payment for
Securities shall not be affected by the failure of any purchaser to take delivery
of and make payments for Securities pursuant to other contracts similar to this
contract. The undersigned represents and warrants to you that its investment in
the Securities is not, as of the date hereof; prohibited under the laws of any
jurisdiction to which the undersigned is subject and which govern such
investment.
A-1
Promptly after completion of
the sale to the Underwriters, the Company will mail or deliver to the
undersigned at its address set forth below notice to such effect, accompanied
by a copy of the opinion of counsel for the Company delivered to the
Underwriters in connection therewith.
By the execution hereof the
undersigned represents and warrants to the Company that all necessary corporate
action for the due execution and delivery of this contract and the payment for
and purchase of the Securities has been taken by it and no further
authorization or approval of any governmental or other regulatory authority is
required for such execution, delivery, payment or purchase, and that, upon
acceptance hereof by the Company and mailing or delivery of a copy as provided
below, this contract will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the
undersigned in accordance with its terms.
This contract will inure to
the benefit of and binding upon the parties hereto and their respective
successors, but will not be assignable by either party hereto without the
written consent of the other.
It is understood that the
Company will not accept Delayed Delivery Contracts for an aggregate principal
amount of Securities in excess of $[·] and that the
acceptance of any Delayed Delivery Contract is in the Companys sole discretion
and, without limiting the foregoing, need not be on a first-come, first-served
basis. If this contract is acceptable to the Company, it is requested that the
Company sign the form of acceptance on a copy hereof and mail or deliver a
signed copy hereof to the undersigned at its address set forth below. This will
become a binding contract between the Company and the undersigned when such
copy is so mailed or delivered.
This Agreement shall be
governed by the laws of the State of New York.
|
|
|
Yours very truly,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Name of Purchaser)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Title)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Address)
|
A-2
|
|
Accepted as of the date first above written.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEERE & COMPANY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Name)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Title)
|
|
A-3
PURCHASER-PLEASE
COMPLETE AT TIME OF SIGNING
The name and telephone
number of the Representatives of the Purchaser with whom details of delivery on
the Delivery Date may be discussed are as follows: (Please print.)
|
Name
|
|
Telephone No.
(including
Area Code)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A-4