Attached files

file filename
8-K - FORM 8-K - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCd8k.htm
EX-4.5 - BASE WARRANTS - JP MORGAN - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCdex45.htm
EX-4.4 - BASE CALL OPTION TRANSACTION - BANK OF AMERICA - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCdex44.htm
EX-4.3 - BASE CALL OPTION TRANSACTION - JP MORGAN CHASE BANK - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCdex43.htm
EX-4.2 - INDENTURE - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCdex42.htm
EX-4.1 - PURCHASE AGREEMENT - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCdex41.htm
EX-99.1 - PRESS RELEASE OF GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC., DATED AS OF MARCH 22, 2010. - GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INCdex991.htm

Exhibit 4.6

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Bank of America, N.A.

c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

One Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

 

Attn:    John Servidio
Telephone:    646-855-8900
Facsimile:    704-208-2869

March 16, 2010

To: Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

800 Gessner, Suite 500

Houston, TX 77024

Attention: Michael Welch

Telephone No.:    (713) 647-5742
Facsimile No.:    (713) 647-5858

 

Re: Base Warrants

(Transaction Reference Number: NY-40019)

The purpose of this letter agreement (this “Confirmation”) is to confirm the terms and conditions of the Warrants issued by Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (“Company”) to Bank of America, N.A. (“Dealer”) on the Trade Date specified below (the “Transaction”). This letter agreement constitutes a “Confirmation” as referred to in the ISDA Master Agreement specified below. This Confirmation shall replace any previous agreements and serve as the final documentation for this Transaction.

The definitions and provisions contained in the 2002 ISDA Equity Derivatives Definitions (the “Equity Definitions”), as published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”), are incorporated into this Confirmation. In the event of any inconsistency between the Equity Definitions and this Confirmation, this Confirmation shall govern. This Transaction shall be deemed to be a Share Option Transaction within the meaning set forth in the Equity Definitions.

Each party is hereby advised, and each such party acknowledges, that the other party has engaged in, or refrained from engaging in, substantial financial transactions and has taken other material actions in reliance upon the parties’ entry into the Transaction to which this Confirmation relates on the terms and conditions set forth below.

1. This Confirmation evidences a complete and binding agreement between Dealer and Company as to the terms of the Transaction to which this Confirmation relates. This Confirmation shall supplement, form a part of, and be subject to an agreement in the form of the 2002 ISDA Master Agreement (the “Agreement”) as if Dealer and Company had executed an agreement in such form (but without any Schedule except for the election of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law and United States dollars as the Termination Currency) on the Trade Date. In the event of any inconsistency between provisions of that Agreement and this Confirmation, this Confirmation will prevail for the purpose of the Transaction to which this Confirmation relates. The parties hereby agree that no Transaction other than the Transaction to which this Confirmation relates shall be governed by the Agreement.


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2. The Transaction is a Warrant Transaction, which shall be considered a Share Option Transaction for purposes of the Equity Definitions. The terms of the particular Transaction to which this Confirmation relates are as follows:

 

General Terms:   

Trade Date:

   March 16, 2010

Warrants:

   Equity call warrants, each giving the holder the right to purchase one Share at the Strike Price, subject to the Settlement Terms set forth below. For the purposes of the Equity Definitions, each reference to a Warrant shall be deemed to be a reference to a Call Option.

Warrant Style:

   European

Buyer:

   Dealer

Seller:

   Company

Shares:

   The common stock of Company, par value USD 0.01 per Share (Exchange symbol “GPI”)

Number of Warrants:

   1,294,935, subject to adjustments provided herein. For the avoidance of doubt, the Number of Warrants shall be reduced by any Options exercised by Dealer. In no event will the Number of Warrants be less than zero.

Daily Number of Warrants:

   For any Expiration Date, the Number of Warrants that have not expired or been exercised as of such day, divided by the remaining number of Expiration Dates (including such day), rounded down to the nearest whole number, subject to adjustment pursuant to the provisos to “Expiration Date(s)”.

Warrant Entitlement:

   One Share per Warrant

Strike Price:

   USD 56.7360

Premium:

   USD 12,743,000.00

Premium Payment Date:

   March 22, 2010

Exchange:

   The New York Stock Exchange

Related Exchange(s):

   All Exchanges

Exercise and Valuation:

  

Expiration Time:

   The Valuation Time

Expiration Date(s):

   Each Scheduled Trading Day in the period beginning on, and including, the First Expiration Date and ending on and including, the 74th Scheduled Trading Day following the First Expiration Date shall be an “Expiration Date” for a number of Warrants equal to the Daily Number of Warrants on such date.
   Notwithstanding the foregoing and anything to the contrary in the Equity Definitions, if any such date is a Disrupted Day, the Calculation Agent shall make adjustments, if applicable, to the Daily Number of Warrants for which such day shall be an

 

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   Expiration Date or shall reduce such Daily Number of Warrants to zero and shall designate a Scheduled Trading Day or a number of Scheduled Trading Days as the Expiration Date(s) for the remaining Daily Number of Warrants or a portion thereof for the originally scheduled Expiration Date; and provided further that if such Expiration Date has not occurred pursuant to this clause as of the eighth Scheduled Trading Day following the last scheduled Expiration Date under this Transaction, the Calculation Agent shall have the right to declare such Scheduled Trading Day to be the final Expiration Date and the Calculation Agent shall determine its good faith estimate of the fair market value for the Shares as of the Valuation Time on that eighth Scheduled Trading Day or on any subsequent Scheduled Trading Day, as the Calculation Agent shall determine using commercially reasonable means.

First Expiration Date:

   June 15, 2020 (or if such day is not a Scheduled Trading Day, the next following Scheduled Trading Day), subject to Market Disruption Event below.

Automatic Exercise:

   Applicable; and means that, unless all Warrants have been previously exercised hereunder, a number of Warrants for each Expiration Date equal to the Daily Number of Warrants (as adjusted pursuant to the terms hereof) for such Expiration Date will be deemed to be automatically exercised.

Market Disruption Event:

   Section 6.3(a)(ii) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by replacing clause (ii) in its entirety with “(ii) an Exchange Disruption, or” and inserting immediately following clause (iii) the phrase “; in each case that the Calculation Agent determines is material.”

Valuation applicable to each Warrant:

  

Valuation Time:

   Scheduled Closing Time; provided that if the principal trading session is extended, the Calculation Agent shall determine the Valuation Time in its reasonable discretion.

Valuation Date:

   Each Exercise Date.

Settlement Terms applicable to the Transaction:

  

Method of Settlement:

   Net Share Settlement; and means that, on each Settlement Date, Company shall deliver to Dealer, the Share Delivery Quantity of Shares for such Settlement Date to the account specified hereto free of payment through the Clearance System.

Share Delivery Quantity:

   For any Settlement Date, a number of Shares, as calculated by the Calculation Agent, equal to the Net Share Settlement Amount for such Settlement Date divided by the Settlement Price on the Valuation Date in respect of such Settlement Date, rounded down to the nearest whole number, plus any Fractional Share Amount.

 

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Net Share Settlement Amount:

   For any Settlement Date, an amount equal to the product of (i) the Number of Warrants exercised or deemed exercised on the relevant Exercise Date, (ii) the Strike Price Differential in respect of the relevant Valuation Date and (iii) the Warrant Entitlement.

Settlement Price:

   For any Valuation Date, the per Share volume-weighted average price for such Valuation Date as displayed under the heading “Bloomberg VWAP” on Bloomberg page GPI.N <equity> AQR (or any successor thereto) in respect of the period from the scheduled opening time of the Exchange to the Scheduled Closing Time on such Valuation Date (or if such volume-weighted average price is unavailable, the market value of one Share on such Valuation Date, as determined by the Calculation Agent). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (i) any Expiration Date is a Disrupted Day and (ii) the Calculation Agent determines that such Expiration Date shall be an Expiration Date for fewer than the Daily Number of Warrants, as described above, then the Settlement Price for the relevant Valuation Date shall be the volume-weighted average price per Share on such Valuation Date on the Exchange, as determined by the Calculation Agent based on such sources as it deems appropriate using a volume-weighted methodology, for the portion of such Valuation Date for which the Calculation Agent determines there is no Market Disruption Event.

Settlement Date:

   For any Exercise Date, the date defined as such in Section 9.4 of the Equity Definitions, subject to Section 9(n)(i) hereof.

Failure to Deliver:

   Inapplicable

Other Applicable Provisions:

   The provisions of Sections 9.1(c), 9.8, 9.9, 9.11, 9.12 and 10.5 of the Equity Definitions will be applicable, except that all references in such provisions to “Physically-settled” shall be read as references to “Net Share Settled.” “Net Share Settled” in relation to any Warrant means that Net Share Settlement is applicable to that Warrant.

Representation and Agreement:

   Notwithstanding Section 9.11 of the Equity Definitions, the parties acknowledge that any Shares delivered to Dealer may be, upon delivery, subject to restrictions and limitations arising from Company’s status as issuer of the Shares under applicable securities laws.
3. Additional Terms applicable to the Transaction:   

Adjustments applicable to the Warrants:

  

Method of Adjustment:

   Calculation Agent Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, in making any adjustments under the Equity Definitions, the Calculation Agent may make adjustments, if any, to any one or more of the Strike Price, the Number of Warrants, the Daily Number of Warrants and the Warrant Entitlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any cash dividends or distributions on the Shares, whether or not extraordinary, shall be governed by Section 9(i) of this Confirmation and not by Article 10 or Section 9.1(c) of the Equity Definitions.

 

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Extraordinary Events applicable to the Transaction:   

New Shares:

   Section 12.1(i) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended (a) by deleting the text in clause (i) thereof in its entirety (including the word “and” following clause (i)) and replacing it with the phrase “publicly quoted, traded or listed (or whose related depositary receipts are publicly quoted, traded or listed) on any of the New York Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ Global Select Market or The NASDAQ Global Market (or their respective successors)” and (b) by inserting immediately prior to the period the phrase “and (iii) of an entity or person organized under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia that also becomes Company under the Transaction following such Merger Event or Tender Offer”.

Consequence of Merger Events:

  

Merger Event:

   Applicable; provided that if an event occurs that constitutes both a Merger Event under Section 12.1(b) of the Equity Definitions and an Additional Termination Event under Section 9(k)(ii)(B) of this Confirmation, Dealer may elect, in its commercially reasonable judgment, whether the provisions of Section 12.1(b) of the Equity Definitions or Section 9(k)(ii)(B) will apply.

(a) Share-for-Share:

   Modified Calculation Agent Adjustment

(b) Share-for-Other:

   Cancellation and Payment (Calculation Agent Determination)

(c) Share-for-Combined:

   Cancellation and Payment (Calculation Agent Determination); provided that Dealer may elect, in its commercially reasonable judgment, Component Adjustment (Calculation Agent Determination).

Consequence of Tender Offers:

  

Tender Offer:

   Applicable; provided however that if an event occurs that constitutes both a Tender Offer under Section 12.1(d) of the Equity Definitions and Additional Termination Event under Section 9(k)(ii)(A) of this Confirmation, Dealer may elect, in its commercially reasonable judgment, whether the provisions of Section 12.3 of the Equity Definitions or Section 9(k)(ii)(A) will apply.

(a) Share-for-Share:

   Modified Calculation Agent Adjustment

(b) Share-for-Other:

   Modified Calculation Agent Adjustment

(c) Share-for-Combined:

   Modified Calculation Agent Adjustment

Nationalization, Insolvency or Delisting:

   Cancellation and Payment (Calculation Agent Determination); provided that, in addition to the provisions of Section 12.6(a)(iii) of the Equity Definitions, it will also constitute a Delisting if the Exchange is located in the United States and the Shares are not immediately re-listed, re-traded or re-quoted on any of the New York

 

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   Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ Global Select Market or The NASDAQ Global Market (or their respective successors); if the Shares are immediately re-listed, re-traded or re-quoted on any of the New York Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ Global Select Market or The NASDAQ Global Market (or their respective successors), such exchange or quotation system shall thereafter be deemed to be the Exchange.

Additional Disruption Events:

  

Change in Law:

   Applicable; provided that Section 12.9(a)(ii)(X) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by replacing the word “Shares” with the phrase “Relevant Hedge Positions” and adding in the last line after “on its tax position)” the following: “; provided that such party has undertaken, and was unable after using commercially reasonable efforts, to utilize alternative Relevant Hedge Positions in respect of which (i) it is not illegal to hold, acquire or dispose of such alternative Relevant Hedge Positions or the Shares and (ii) such party would not incur a materially increased cost in performing its obligations under such Transaction or entering into and performing such alternative Relevant Hedge Positions (including, without limitation, any tax, duty, expense or fee, or any increase in tax liability, decrease in tax benefit or other adverse effect on its tax position), in each case regardless of whether the circumstances set forth in clause (A) or (B) apply to such alternative Relevant Hedge Positions.” “Relevant Hedge Position” means any Hedge Position that the Hedging Party deems necessary to hedge the equity price risk (including, without limitation, stock price and volatility risk) of entering into and performing its obligations with respect to the Transaction.

Insolvency Filing:

   Applicable

Hedging Disruption:

   Applicable; provided that Section 12.9(a)(v) of the Equity Definitions is hereby modified by inserting the following two phrases at the end of such Section:
   “For the avoidance of doubt, the term “equity price risk” shall be deemed to include, but shall not be limited to, stock price and volatility risk. And, for the further avoidance of doubt, any such transactions or assets referred to in phrases (A) or (B) above must be available on commercially reasonable pricing terms.”

Increased Cost of Hedging:

   Not Applicable

Loss of Stock Borrow:

   Applicable

Maximum Stock Loan Rate:

   200 basis points

Increased Cost of Stock Borrow:

   Applicable

Initial Stock Loan Rate:

   25 basis points

 

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Hedging Party:

   For all applicable Additional Disruption Events, Dealer.

Determining Party:

   For all applicable Extraordinary Events, Dealer.

Agreements and Acknowledgments Regarding Hedging Activities:

   Applicable

Additional Acknowledgments:

   Applicable
4. Calculation Agent:    Dealer.

5. Account Details:

 

  (a) Account for payments to Company:

Bank of America

9000 Southside Blvd

Jacksonville, FL 32256

Contact: Stacy Flye

904-987-7025

Wire ABA: 026009593

ACH ABA: 063100277

For the Account of: Group 1 Automotive

Acct No.: 2290423783

Account for delivery of Shares to Company:

Mr. Cory McQuillen

Broker/Dealer Services

Mellon Investor Services, LLC

85 Challenger Rd.

Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

CUSIP 398905109

Mellon Securities DTC# 0352

 

  (b) Account for payments to Dealer:

Bank of America, N.A.

New York, NY

SWIFT: BOFAUS3N

Bank Routing: 026-009-593

Account Name: Bank of America

Account No. : 0012333-34172

Account for delivery of Shares from Dealer:

DTC 0773

Acct Name: Bank of America NA

Acct #: 116-00777

 

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6. Offices:

The Office of Company for the Transaction is: Inapplicable, Company is not a Multibranch Party.

The Office of Dealer for the Transaction is: New York

Bank of America, N.A.

c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

One Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

7. Notices: For purposes of this Confirmation:

 

  (a) Address for notices or communications to Company:

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

800 Gessner, Suite 500

Houston, TX 77024

Attention: Michael Welch

Telephone No.:    (713) 647-5742
Facsimile No.:    (713) 647-5858

 

  (b) Address for notices or communications to Dealer:

Bank of America, N.A.

c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

One Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

Attention: John Servidio

Telephone No.:    646-855-7127
Facsimile No.:    704-208-2869

8. Representations and Warranties of Company

The representations and warranties of Company set forth in Section 4 of the Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) dated as of the Trade Date between Company and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as representatives of the Initial Purchasers party thereto (the “Initial Purchasers”), are true and correct and are hereby deemed to be made directly to Dealer as if set forth herein. Company hereby further represents and warrants to Dealer that on the date hereof, on and as of the Premium Payment Date and, in the case of the representations in Section 8(d), at all times until termination of the Transaction, that:

 

  (a) Company has all necessary corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations in respect of this Transaction; such execution, delivery and performance have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on Company’s part; and this Confirmation has been duly and validly executed and delivered by Company and constitutes its valid and binding obligation, enforceable against Company in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally, and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity, including principles of commercial reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding at law or in equity) and except that rights to indemnification and contribution hereunder may be limited by federal or state securities laws or public policy relating thereto.

 

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  (b) Neither the execution and delivery of this Confirmation nor the incurrence or performance of obligations of Company hereunder will conflict with or result in a breach of the certificate of incorporation or by-laws (or any equivalent documents) of Company, or any applicable law or regulation, or any order, writ, injunction or decree of any court or governmental authority or agency, or any agreement or instrument to which Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (other than any conflict or breach that is not material), or constitute a default under, or result in the creation of any lien under, any such agreement or instrument (other than any default or lien that is not material), or breach or constitute a default under any agreements and contracts of Counterparty and its significant subsidiaries filed as exhibits to Counterparty’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 (other than any breach or default that is not material), incorporated by reference in the Offering Memorandum.

 

  (c) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of, or filing with, any governmental agency or body or any court is required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by Company of this Confirmation, except such as have been obtained or made and such as may be required under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or state securities laws.

 

  (d) A number of Shares equal to the Maximum Amount (the “Warrant Shares”) have been reserved for issuance by all required corporate action of Company. The Warrant Shares have been duly authorized and, when delivered against payment therefor (which may include Net Share Settlement in lieu of cash) and otherwise as contemplated by the terms of the Warrants following the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Warrants, will be validly issued, fully-paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of the Warrant Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

 

  (e) Company is not and will not be required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

  (f) Company is an “eligible contract participant” (as such term is defined in Section 1a(12) of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “CEA”) because one or more of the following is true:

Company is a corporation, partnership, proprietorship, organization, trust or other entity and:

 

  (A) Company has total assets in excess of USD 10,000,000;

 

  (B) the obligations of Company hereunder are guaranteed, or otherwise supported by a letter of credit or keepwell, support or other agreement, by an entity of the type described in Section 1a(12)(A)(i) through (iv), 1a(12)(A)(v)(I), 1a(12)(A)(vii) or 1a(12)(C) of the CEA; or

 

  (C) Company has a net worth in excess of USD 1,000,000 and has entered into this Agreement in connection with the conduct of Company’s business or to manage the risk associated with an asset or liability owned or incurred or reasonably likely to be owned or incurred by Company in the conduct of Company’s business.

 

  (g) Company and each of its affiliates is not, on the date hereof, in possession of any material non-public information with respect to Company or the Shares.

9. Other Provisions:

 

  (a) Opinions. Company shall deliver an opinion of counsel in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Dealer, dated as of the Trade Date, to Dealer with respect to the matters set forth in Sections 8(a) through (d) of this Confirmation. Delivery of such opinion to Dealer shall be a condition precedent for the purpose of Section 2(a)(iii) of the Agreement with respect to each obligation of Dealer under Section 2(a)(i) of the Agreement.

 

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  (b) No Reliance, etc. Each party represents that (i) it is entering into the Transaction evidenced hereby as principal (and not as agent or in any other capacity); (ii) neither the other party or parties nor any of its or their agents are acting as a fiduciary for it; (iii) it is not relying upon any representations except those expressly set forth in the Agreement or this Confirmation; (iv) it has not relied on the other party or parties for any legal, regulatory, tax, business, investment, financial, and accounting advice, and it has made its own investment, hedging, and trading decisions based upon its own judgment and not upon any view expressed by the other party or parties or any of its or their agents; and (v) it is entering into this Transaction with a full understanding of the terms, conditions and risks thereof and it is capable of and willing to assume those risks.

 

  (c) Repurchase Notices. Company shall, on any day on which Company effects any repurchase of Shares, promptly give Dealer a written notice of such repurchase (a “Repurchase Notice”) on such day if following such repurchase, the number of outstanding Shares on such day, subject to any adjustments provided herein, is (i) less than 23.8 million (in the case of the first such notice) or (ii) thereafter more than 628,000 less than the number of Shares included in the immediately preceding Repurchase Notice. Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Dealer and its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees, affiliates, advisors, agents and controlling persons (each, an “Indemnified Person”) from and against any and all losses (including losses relating to Dealer’s hedging activities as a consequence of becoming, or of the risk of becoming, a Section 16 “insider”, including without limitation, any forbearance from hedging activities or cessation of hedging activities and any losses in connection therewith with respect to this Transaction), claims, damages, judgments, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees), joint or several, which an Indemnified Person actually may become subject to, as a result of Company’s failure to provide Dealer with a Repurchase Notice on the day and in the manner specified in this paragraph, and to reimburse, within 30 days, upon written request, each of such Indemnified Persons for any reasonable legal or other expenses incurred in connection with investigating, preparing for, providing testimony or other evidence in connection with or defending any of the foregoing. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against the Indemnified Person, such Indemnified Person shall promptly notify Company in writing, and Company, upon request of the Indemnified Person, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person and any others Company may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding. Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, Company agrees to indemnify any Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding on terms reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person. If the indemnification provided for in this paragraph is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then Company under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities. The remedies provided for in this paragraph are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this paragraph shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of the termination of this Transaction.

 

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  (d) Regulation M. Counterparty is not on the Trade Date engaged in a distribution, as such term is used in Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of any securities of Counterparty, other than a distribution meeting the requirements of the exception set forth in Rules 101(b)(10) and 102(b)(7) of Regulation M. Counterparty shall not, until the second Scheduled Trading Day immediately following the Trade Date, engage in any such distribution, except as permitted pursuant to the preceding sentence.

 

  (e) No Manipulation. Company is not entering into this Transaction to create actual or apparent trading activity in the Shares (or any security convertible into or exchangeable for the Shares) or to raise or depress or otherwise manipulate the price of the Shares (or any security convertible into or exchangeable for the Shares).

 

  (f) Board Authorization. Company represents that it is entering into the Transaction, solely for the purposes stated in the board resolution authorizing this Transaction and in its public disclosure. Company further represents that there is no internal policy, whether written or oral, of Company that would prohibit Company from entering into any aspect of this Transaction, including, but not limited to, the issuance of Shares to hereunder.

 

  (g)

Transfer or Assignment. Company may not transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Transaction without the prior written consent of Dealer. Dealer may, after payment in full of the Premium, without Company’s consent, transfer or assign all or any part of its rights or obligations under this Transaction to any third party (an “Assignee”) with a rating for its long term, unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of A- or better by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service or its successor (“S&P”), or A3 or better by Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) or, if either S&P or Moody’s ceases to rate such debt, at least an equivalent rating or better by a substitute rating agency mutually agreed by Company and Dealer, so long as such Assignee makes to Company the representations set forth in paragraph (z) below. If at any time at which (A) the Section 16 Percentage exceeds 8.0%, (B) the Warrant Equity Percentage exceeds 14.5%, or (C) the Share Amount exceeds the Applicable Share Limit (if any applies) (any such condition described in clauses (A), (B) or (C), an “Excess Ownership Position”), Dealer is unable after using its commercially reasonable efforts to effect a transfer or assignment of Warrants to a third party meeting the requirements set forth in the preceding sentence on pricing terms reasonably acceptable to Dealer and within a time period reasonably acceptable to Dealer such that no Excess Ownership Position exists, then Dealer may designate any Exchange Business Day as an Early Termination Date with respect to a portion of the Transaction (the “Terminated Portion”), such that following such partial termination the Section 16 Percentage is no less than 7.0%, the Option Equity Percentage is no less than 13.5%, and the Share Amount is no less than the Applicable Share Limit minus 2%, as the case may be. In the event that Dealer so designates an Early Termination Date with respect to a Terminated Portion, a payment shall be made pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement as if (1) an Early Termination Date had been designated in respect of a Transaction having terms identical to this Transaction and a Number of Warrants equal to the number of Warrants underlying the Terminated Portion, (2) Company were the sole Affected Party with respect to such partial termination and (3) the Terminated Portion were the sole Affected Transaction (and, for the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Section 9(m) shall apply to any amount that is payable by Company to Dealer pursuant to this sentence as if Company was not the Affected Party). The “Section 16 Percentage” as of any day is the fraction, expressed as a percentage, (A) the numerator of which is the number of Shares that Dealer and each person subject to aggregation of Shares with Dealer under Section 13 or Section 16 of the Exchange Act and rules promulgated thereunder (the “Dealer Group”) directly or indirectly beneficially own (as defined under Section 13 or Section 16 of the Exchange Act and rules promulgated thereunder) and (B) the denominator of which is the number of Shares outstanding. The “Warrant Equity Percentage” as of any day is the fraction, expressed as a percentage, (A) the numerator of which is the sum of (1) the product of the Number of Warrants and the Warrant Entitlement and (2) the aggregate number of Shares underlying any other warrants purchased by Dealer from Company, and (B) the denominator of which is the number of Shares outstanding. The “Share Amount” as

 

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of any day is the number of Shares that Dealer and any person whose ownership position would be aggregated with that of Dealer (Dealer or any such person, a “Dealer Person”) under any law, rule, regulation, regulatory order or organizational documents or contracts of Company that are, in each case, applicable to ownership of Shares (“Applicable Restrictions”), owns, beneficially owns, constructively owns, controls, holds the power to vote or otherwise meets a relevant definition of ownership under any Applicable Restriction, as determined by Dealer in its reasonable discretion. The “Applicable Share Limit” means a number of Shares equal to (A) the minimum number of Shares that could give rise to reporting or registration obligations or other requirements (including obtaining prior approval from any person or entity) of a Dealer Person, or could result in an adverse effect on a Dealer Person, under any Applicable Restriction, as determined by Dealer in its reasonable discretion, minus (B) 1% of the number of Shares outstanding. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Confirmation to the contrary requiring or allowing Dealer to purchase, sell, receive or deliver any Shares or other securities, or make or receive any payment in cash, to or from Company, Dealer may designate any of its affiliates to purchase, sell, receive or deliver such Shares or other securities, or make or receive such payment in cash, and otherwise to perform Dealer’s obligations in respect of this Transaction and any such designee may assume such obligations. Dealer shall be discharged of its obligations to Company to the extent of any such performance.

 

  (h) Early Unwind. In the event the sale of Convertible Notes is not consummated with the Initial Purchasers for any reason by the close of business in New York on March 29, 2010 (or such later date as agreed upon by the parties) (March 29, 2010 or such later date as agreed upon being the “Early Unwind Date”), this Transaction shall automatically terminate (the “Early Unwind”), on the Early Unwind Date and, if Counterparty has then received the Premium from Dealer, Counterparty shall refund such Premium to Dealer, whereupon (i) the Transaction and all of the respective rights and obligations of Dealer and Company under the Transaction shall be cancelled and terminated and (ii) each party shall be released and discharged by the other party from and agrees not to make any claim against the other party with respect to any obligations or liabilities of the other party arising out of and to be performed in connection with the Transaction either prior to or after the Early Unwind Date; provided that, except to the extent the Early Unwind Date occurred as a result of a breach of the Purchase Agreement by the Initial Purchasers, if the sale of the Convertible Notes is not consummated with the Initial Purchasers by the close of business in New York on the Early Unwind Date as a result of a failure by Company to satisfy any condition to closing contained in Section 6 of the Purchase Agreement, Company shall reimburse Dealer for any costs or expenses (including market losses) relating to the unwinding of its hedging activities in connection with the Transaction (including any loss or cost incurred as a result of terminating, liquidating, obtaining or reestablishing any hedge or related trading position of Dealer or one or more of its affiliates in connection with the Transaction). The amount of any such reimbursement shall be determined by Dealer in its good faith and commercially reasonable discretion. Dealer shall notify Company of such amount and, subject to paragraph (m) below, Company shall pay such amount in immediately available funds on the Currency Business Day immediately following the Early Unwind Date. Dealer and Company represent and acknowledge to the other that, subject to the proviso included in this paragraph, upon an Early Unwind, all obligations with respect to the Transaction shall be deemed fully and finally discharged.

 

  (i) Dividends. If at any time during the period from and including the Trade Date, to and including the Expiration Date, an ex-dividend date for a cash dividend occurs with respect to the Shares (an “Ex-Dividend Date”), then the Calculation Agent will adjust any of the Strike Price, the Number of Warrants, the Daily Number of Warrants and the Warrant Entitlement to preserve the fair value of the Warrants to Dealer after taking into account such dividend.

 

  (j) Designation by Dealer. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Confirmation to the contrary requiring or allowing Dealer to purchase, sell, receive or deliver any Shares or other securities to or from Counterparty, Dealer may designate any of its affiliates to purchase, sell, receive or deliver such shares or other securities and otherwise to perform Dealer obligations in respect of the Transaction and any such designee may assume such obligations. Dealer shall be discharged of its obligations to Counterparty to the extent of any such performance.

 

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  (k) Additional Provisions.

 

  (i) Amendments to the Equity Definitions:

 

  (A) Section 11.2(a) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by deleting the words “a diluting or concentrative” and replacing them with the words “an”; and adding the phrase “or Warrants” at the end of the sentence.

 

  (B) Section 11.2(c) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by (x) adding the phrase “or a material effect on the theoretical value of the Warrants” after the words “the relevant Shares” in the same sentence and (y) deleting the phrase “(provided that no adjustments will be made to account solely for changes in volatility, expected dividends, stock loan rate or liquidity relative to the relevant Shares)” and replacing it with the phrase “(and, for the avoidance of doubt, adjustments may be made to account solely for changes in volatility, expected dividends, stock loan rate or liquidity relative to the relevant Shares).”

 

  (C) Section 11.2(e)(vii) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by (I) replacing the words “other event” with the words “action by the Issuer” and (II) deleting the words “a diluting or concentrative” and replacing them with the words “a material”; and adding the phrase “or Warrants” at the end of the sentence.

 

  (D) Section 12.7(b)(ii) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by replacing “the amount” with “the Cancellation Amount”.

 

  (ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Confirmation, upon the occurrence of one of the following events, with respect to this Transaction, (1) Dealer shall have the right to designate such event an Additional Termination Event and designate an Early Termination Date pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Agreement, and (2) Company shall be deemed the sole Affected Party and the Transaction shall be deemed the sole Affected Transaction:

 

  (A) A “person” or “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, other than Company, its subsidiaries or its and their employee benefit plans, files a Schedule TO or any schedule, form or report under the Exchange Act disclosing that such person or group has become the “beneficial owner,” as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, of the common equity of Company representing more than 50% of the voting power of such common equity.

 

  (B)

Consummation of (I) any recapitalization, reclassification or change of the Shares (other than changes resulting from a subdivision or combination) as a result of which the Shares would be converted into, or exchanged for, stock, other securities, other property or assets or (II) any share exchange, consolidation or merger of Company pursuant to which the Shares will be converted into cash, securities or other property or any sale, lease or other transfer in one transaction or a series of transactions of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any person other than one of Company’s subsidiaries; provided, however, that a transaction where the holders of all classes of Company’s common equity immediately prior to such transaction that is a share exchange, consolidation or merger own, directly or indirectly, more than

 

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50% of all classes of common equity of the continuing or surviving corporation or transferee or the parent thereof immediately after such event shall not constitute an Additional Termination Event. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any event set forth in this clause (B) shall not constitute an Additional Termination Event, however, if 100% of the consideration received or to be received by holders of the Shares, excluding cash payments for fractional Shares, in connection with such event consists of shares of common stock that are listed or quoted on any of the New York Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ Global Select Market or The NASDAQ Global Market (or any of their respective successors) or will be so listed or quoted when issued or exchanged in connection with such event.

 

  (C) If (I) the directors who were members of Company’s board of directors on the Trade Date or (II) the directors who become members of Company’s board of directors subsequent to that date and whose election, appointment or nomination for election by Company stockholders, is duly approved by a majority of the continuing directors on Company’s board of directors at the time of such approval, either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement issued by Company on behalf of its entire board of directors in which such individual is named as nominee for director, cease to constitute at least a majority of Company’s board of directors.

 

  (D) Company or any subsidiary of Company defaults in the payment of the principal or interest on any mortgage, agreement or other instrument under which there may be outstanding, or by which there may be secured or evidenced any indebtedness for money borrowed in excess of $25 million in the aggregate of Company and/or any subsidiary of Company, whether such indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created resulting in such indebtedness becoming or being declared due and payable, and such acceleration shall not have been rescinded or annulled within 10 days after written notice of such acceleration has been received by Company or such subsidiary.

 

  (l) No Collateral or Setoff. Notwithstanding any provision of the Agreement or any other agreement between the parties to the contrary, the obligations of Company hereunder are not secured by any collateral. Obligations under the Transaction shall not be set off against any other obligations of the parties, whether arising under the Agreement, this Confirmation, under any other agreement between the parties hereto, by operation of law or otherwise, and no other obligations of the parties shall be set off against obligations under the Transaction, whether arising under the Agreement, this Confirmation, under any other agreement between the parties hereto, by operation of law or otherwise, and each party hereby waives any such right of setoff.

 

  (m)

Alternative Calculations and Payment on Early Termination and on Certain Extraordinary Events. If, in respect of this Transaction, an amount is payable by Company to Dealer, (i) pursuant to Section 12.7 or Section 12.9 of the Equity Definitions, (ii) pursuant to Section 6(d)(ii) of the Agreement or (iii) pursuant to paragraph (h) above (a “Payment Obligation”), Company shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to satisfy any such Payment Obligation by the Share Termination Alternative (as defined below) (except that Company shall not make such an election in the event of a Nationalization, Insolvency, Merger Event or Tender Offer, in each case, in which the consideration to be paid to holders of Shares consists solely of cash or an Event of Default in which Company is the Defaulting Party or a Termination Event in which Company is the Affected Party, other than an Event of Default of the type described in Section 5(a)(iii), (v), (vi), (vii) or (viii) of the Agreement or a Termination Event of the type described in Section 5(b) of the Agreement in each case that resulted from an event or events outside Company’s control) and shall give irrevocable telephonic notice to Dealer, confirmed in writing within one Scheduled

 

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Trading Day, no later than 12:00 p.m. New York local time on the Merger Date, Tender Offer Date, Announcement Date (in the case of a Nationalization, Insolvency or Delisting), Early Termination Date or date of cancellation, or no later than 6:00 p.m. New York local time on the Early Unwind Date, as applicable; provided that if Company does not validly elect to satisfy its Payment Obligation by the Share Termination Alternative, Dealer shall have the right to require Company to satisfy its Payment Obligation by the Share Termination Alternative, notwithstanding Company’s election to satisfy its Payment Obligation by cash. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Company’s or Dealer’s right to elect satisfaction of a Payment Obligation in the Share Termination Alternative as set forth in this clause shall only apply to Transactions under this Confirmation.

 

Share Termination Alternative:

   If applicable, Company shall deliver to Dealer the Share Termination Delivery Property on the date (the “Share Termination Payment Date”) when the Payment Obligation would otherwise be due pursuant to Section 12.7 or Section 12.9 of the Equity Definitions or Section 6(d)(ii) of the Agreement, or on the Exchange Business Day immediately following the date on which the Payment Obligation would otherwise be due pursuant to paragraph (h) above, as applicable, subject to paragraph (n)(i) below, in satisfaction, subject to paragraph (n)(ii) below, of the Payment Obligation in the manner reasonably requested by Dealer free of payment.

Share Termination Delivery Property:

   A number of Share Termination Delivery Units, as calculated by the Calculation Agent, equal to the Payment Obligation divided by the Share Termination Unit Price. The Calculation Agent shall adjust the amount of Share Termination Delivery Property by replacing any fractional portion of a security therein with an amount of cash equal to the value of such fractional security based on the values used to calculate the Share Termination Unit Price.

Share Termination Unit Price:

   The value to Dealer of property contained in one Share Termination Delivery Unit on the date such Share Termination Delivery Units are to be delivered as Share Termination Delivery Property, as determined by the Calculation Agent in its discretion by commercially reasonable means and notified by the Calculation Agent to Company at the time of notification of the Payment Obligation. In the case of a Private Placement of Share Termination Delivery Units that are Restricted Shares (as defined below) as set forth in paragraph (n)(i) below, the Share Termination Unit Price shall be determined by the discounted price applicable to such Share Termination Delivery Units. In the case of a Registration Settlement of Share Termination Delivery Units that are Restricted Shares (as defined below) as set forth in paragraph (n)(ii) below, the Share Termination Unit Price shall be the Settlement Price, as discounted, on the Merger Date, the Tender Offer Date, the Announcement Date (in the case of a Nationalization, Insolvency or Delisting), the date of cancellation, the Early Termination Date or the Early Unwind Date, as applicable.

 

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Share Termination Delivery Unit:

   In the case of a Termination Event, Event of Default or Additional Disruption Event or Delisting, one Share or, in the case of Nationalization, Insolvency, Tender Offer or Merger Event, a unit consisting of the number or amount of each type of property received by a holder of one Share (without consideration of any requirement to pay cash or other consideration in lieu of fractional amounts of any securities) in such Nationalization, Insolvency, Tender Offer or Merger Event. If such Nationalization, Insolvency, Tender Offer or Merger Event involves a choice of consideration to be received by holders, such holder shall be deemed to have elected to receive the maximum possible amount of cash.

Failure to Deliver:

   Inapplicable

Other applicable provisions:

   If Share Termination Alternative is applicable, the provisions of Sections 9.8, 9.9, 9.11, 9.12 and 10.5 (as modified above) of the Equity Definitions will be applicable, except that all references in such provisions to “Physically-settled” shall be read as references to “Share Termination Settled” and all references to “Shares” shall be read as references to “Share Termination Delivery Units”. “Share Termination Settled” in relation to this Transaction means that Share Termination Alternative is applicable to this Transaction.

 

  (n) Registration/Private Placement Procedures. If based on the advice of its counsel, Dealer determines that, following any delivery of Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property to Dealer hereunder, such Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property would be in the hands of Dealer subject to any applicable restrictions with respect to any registration or qualification requirement or prospectus delivery requirement for such Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property pursuant to any applicable federal or state securities law (including, without limitation, any such requirement arising under Section 5 of the Securities Act as a result of such Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property being “restricted securities”, as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or as a result of the sale of such Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property being subject to paragraph (c) of Rule 145 under the Securities Act) (such Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property, “Restricted Shares”), then delivery of such Restricted Shares shall be effected pursuant to either clause (i) or (ii) below at the election of Company, unless waived by Dealer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, solely in respect of any Daily Number of Warrants exercised or deemed exercised on any Expiration Date, Company shall elect, prior to the first Settlement Date for the First Expiration Date, a Private Placement Settlement or Registration Settlement for all deliveries of Restricted Shares for all such Expiration Dates which election shall be applicable to all Settlement Dates for such Daily Number of Warrants and the procedures in clause (i) or clause (ii) below shall apply for all such delivered Restricted Shares on an aggregate basis commencing after the final Settlement Date for such Daily Number of Warrants. The Calculation Agent shall make reasonable adjustments to settlement terms and provisions under this Confirmation to reflect a single Private Placement or Registration Settlement for such aggregate Restricted Shares delivered hereunder.

 

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  (i) If Company elects to settle the Transaction pursuant to this clause (i) (a “Private Placement Settlement”), then delivery of Restricted Shares by Company shall be effected in customary private placement procedures with respect to such Restricted Shares reasonably acceptable to Dealer; provided that Company may not elect a Private Placement Settlement if, on the date of its election, it has taken, or caused to be taken, any action that would make unavailable either the exemption pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act for the sale by Company to Dealer (or any affiliate designated by Dealer) of the Restricted Shares or the exemption pursuant to Section 4(1) or Section 4(3) of the Securities Act for resales of the Restricted Shares by Dealer (or any such affiliate of Dealer). The Private Placement Settlement of such Restricted Shares shall include customary representations, covenants, blue sky and other governmental filings and/or registrations, indemnities to Dealer, due diligence rights (for Dealer or any designated buyer of the Restricted Shares by Dealer), opinions and certificates, and such other documentation as is customary for private placement agreements, all reasonably acceptable to Dealer. In the case of a Private Placement Settlement, Dealer shall determine the appropriate discount to the Share Termination Unit Price (in the case of settlement of Share Termination Delivery Units pursuant to paragraph (m) above) or any Settlement Price (in the case of settlement of Shares pursuant to Section 2 above) applicable to such Restricted Shares in a commercially reasonable manner and appropriately adjust the number of such Restricted Shares to be delivered to Dealer hereunder; provided that in no event shall Company deliver a number of Restricted Shares greater than 1.79 times the Number of Shares (the “Maximum Amount”). Notwithstanding the Agreement or this Confirmation, the date of delivery of such Restricted Shares shall be the Exchange Business Day following notice by Dealer to Company, of such applicable discount and the number of Restricted Shares to be delivered pursuant to this clause (i). For the avoidance of doubt, delivery of Restricted Shares shall be due as set forth in the previous sentence and not be due on the Share Termination Payment Date (in the case of settlement of Share Termination Delivery Units pursuant to paragraph (m) above) or on the Settlement Date for such Restricted Shares (in the case of settlement in Shares pursuant to Section 2 above).

In the event Company shall not have delivered the full number of Restricted Shares required to be delivered pursuant to the immediately preceding paragraph (subject to, for the avoidance of doubt, the proviso above relating to the Maximum Amount) because it has insufficient authorized but unissued Shares (such deficit, the “Deficit Restricted Shares”), Company shall be continually obligated to deliver, from time to time until the full number of Deficit Restricted Shares have been delivered pursuant to this paragraph, Restricted Shares when, and to the extent, that (i) Shares are repurchased, acquired or otherwise received by Company or any of its subsidiaries after the Trade Date (whether or not in exchange for cash, fair value or any other consideration), (ii) authorized and unissued Shares reserved for issuance in respect of other transactions prior to such date which prior to the relevant date become no longer so reserved, and (iii) Company additionally authorizes any unissued Shares that are not reserved for other transactions. Company shall immediately notify Dealer of the occurrence of any of the foregoing events (including the number of Shares subject to clause (i), (ii) or (iii) and the corresponding number of Restricted Shares to be delivered) and promptly deliver such Restricted Shares thereafter.

 

  (ii)

If Company elects to settle the Transaction pursuant to this clause (ii) (a “Registration Settlement”), then Company shall promptly (but in any event no later than the beginning of the Resale Period) file and use its reasonable best efforts to make effective under the Securities Act a registration statement or supplement or amend an outstanding registration statement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Dealer, to cover

 

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the resale of such Restricted Shares in accordance with customary resale registration procedures, including covenants, conditions, representations, underwriting discounts (if applicable), commissions (if applicable), indemnities, due diligence rights, opinions and certificates, and such other documentation as is customary for equity resale underwriting agreements, all reasonably acceptable to Dealer. If Dealer, in its sole reasonable discretion, is not satisfied with such procedures and documentation Private Placement Settlement shall apply. If Dealer is satisfied with such procedures and documentation, it shall sell the Restricted Shares pursuant to such registration statement during a period (the “Resale Period”) commencing on the Exchange Business Day following delivery of such Restricted Shares (which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be (x) the Share Termination Payment Date in case of settlement in Share Termination Delivery Units pursuant to paragraph (m) above or (y) the Settlement Date in respect of the final Expiration Date for all Daily Number of Warrants) and ending on the earliest of (i) the Exchange Business Day on which Dealer completes the sale of all Restricted Shares or, in the case of settlement of Share Termination Delivery Units, a sufficient number of Restricted Shares so that the realized net proceeds of such sales exceed the Payment Obligation (as defined above), (ii) the date upon which all Restricted Shares have been sold or transferred pursuant to Rule 144 (or similar provisions then in force) or Rule 145(d) (or any similar provision then in force) under the Securities Act and (iii) the date upon which all Restricted Shares may be sold or transferred by a non-affiliate pursuant to Rule 144 (or any similar provision then in force) or Rule 145(d)(2) (or any similar provision then in force) under the Securities Act. If the Payment Obligation exceeds the realized net proceeds from such resale, Company shall transfer to Dealer by the open of the regular trading session on the Exchange on the Exchange Business Day immediately following the last day of the Resale Period the amount of such excess (the “Additional Amount”) in cash or in a number of Shares (“Make-whole Shares”) in an amount that, based on the Settlement Price on the last day of the Resale Period (as if such day was the “Valuation Date” for purposes of computing such Settlement Price), has a dollar value equal to the Additional Amount. The Resale Period shall continue to enable the sale of the Make-whole Shares. If Company elects to pay the Additional Amount in Shares, the requirements and provisions for Registration Settlement shall apply. This provision shall be applied successively until the Additional Amount is equal to zero. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Agreement or this Confirmation, in no event shall Company be required to deliver a number of Restricted Shares greater than the Maximum Amount.

If the Private Placement Settlement or the Registration Settlement shall not be effected as set forth in clauses (i) or (ii), as applicable, then failure to effect such Private Placement Settlement or such Registration Settlement shall constitute an Additional Termination Event with respect to which Company shall be the sole Affected Party.

 

  (o)

Limit on Beneficial Ownership. Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, Dealer may not exercise any Warrant hereunder, have the “right to acquire” (within the meaning of NYSE Rule 312.04(g)) Shares upon exercise of any Warrant hereunder or be entitled to take delivery of any Shares deliverable hereunder, and Automatic Exercise shall not apply with respect to any Warrant hereunder, to the extent (but only to the extent) that, after such receipt of any Shares upon the exercise of such Warrant or otherwise hereunder, (i) the Share Amount would exceed the Applicable Share Limit, or (ii) Dealer Group would directly or indirectly beneficially own (as such term is defined for purposes of Section 13 or Section 16 of the Exchange Act and rules promulgated thereunder) in excess of the lesser of (A) 7.5% of the then outstanding Shares or (B) 1,199,942 Shares (the “Threshold Number of Shares”). Any purported delivery hereunder shall be void and have no effect to the extent (but only to the extent) that, after such delivery, (i) the Share Amount would exceed the Applicable Share Limit, or (ii) Dealer Group would directly or indirectly so beneficially own in excess of the Threshold Number of Shares. If any delivery owed to Dealer hereunder is not made, in whole or in part, as a result of this provision, Company’s

 

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obligation to make such delivery shall not be extinguished and Company shall make such delivery as promptly as practicable after, but in no event later than one Business Day after, Dealer gives notice to Company that, after such delivery, (i) the Share Amount would not exceed the Applicable Share Limit, and (ii) Dealer Group would not directly or indirectly so beneficially own in excess of the Threshold Number of Shares.

 

  (p) Share Deliveries.

 

  (i) The Company agrees that any Shares (including Restricted Shares) or Share Termination Delivery Property delivered to Dealer, as purchaser of Shares or holder of this Warrant, (i) may be transferred by and among Dealer and its affiliates and Company shall effect such transfer without any further action by Dealer and (ii) to the extent Dealer or the affiliate of Dealer to whom Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property have been transferred is not then an affiliate and has not been an affiliate for 90 days (it being understood that Dealer or its affiliate will not be considered an affiliate under this paragraph solely by reason of its receipt of Shares pursuant to this Transaction), and otherwise satisfies all holding period and other requirements of Rule 144 of the Securities Act applicable to it, any delivery of Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property hereunder at any time after 6 months from the Applicable Date (or 1 year from the Applicable Date if, at such time, informational requirements of Rule 144(c) are not satisfied with respect to Company or the issuer of securities comprised in the Share Termination Delivery Property, as applicable) shall be eligible for resale under Rule 144 of the Securities Act and Company agrees to promptly remove, or cause the transfer agent for such Shares or, to the extent within the Company’s control, the transfer agent for such Share Termination Delivery Property, to remove, any legends referring to any restrictions on resale under the Securities Act from the Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property upon request by Dealer (or such affiliate of Dealer) to Company or such transfer agent, without any requirement for the delivery of any certificate, consent, agreement, opinion of counsel, notice or any other document, any transfer tax stamps or payment of any other amount or any other action by Dealer (or such affiliate of Dealer). “Applicable Date” means (A) in the case of settlement in Shares (as defined as of the Trade Date) other than Restricted Shares pursuant to Section 2 above, the Trade Date, (B) in the case of settlement in Share Termination Delivery Property pursuant to paragraph (m) above, the Share Termination Payment Date, and (C) in the case of Restricted Shares or other Shares not described in clause (A), the Settlement Date for such Shares or Restricted Shares pursuant to Section 2 or paragraph (m)(i) above.

 

  (ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Company agrees that any delivery of Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property shall be effected by book-entry transfer through the facilities of DTC, or any successor depositary, if at the time of delivery, such class of Shares or class of Share Termination Delivery Property is in book-entry form at DTC or such successor depositary. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, to the extent the provisions of Rule 144 of the Securities Act or any successor rule are amended, or the applicable interpretation thereof by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a Division thereof or any court change after the Trade Date, the agreements of Company herein shall be deemed modified to the extent necessary, in the opinion of outside counsel of Company, to comply with Rule 144 of the Securities Act, as in effect at the time of delivery of the relevant Shares or Share Termination Delivery Property.

 

  (q) Governing Law. New York law (without reference to choice of law doctrine).

 

  (r) Waiver of Jury Trial. Each party waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any suit, action or proceeding relating to this Transaction. Each party (i) certifies that no representative, agent or attorney of the other party has represented, expressly or otherwise, that such other party would not, in the event of such a suit, action or proceeding, seek to enforce the foregoing waiver and (ii) acknowledges that it and the other party have been induced to enter into this Transaction, as applicable, by, among other things, the mutual waivers and certifications provided herein.

 

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  (s) Tax Disclosure. Effective from the date of commencement of discussions concerning the Transaction, Company and each of its employees, representatives, or other agents may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure of the Transaction and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to Company relating to such tax treatment and tax structure.

 

  (t) Maximum Share Delivery. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Confirmation or the Agreement, in no event will Company be required to deliver more than the Maximum Amount of Shares to Dealer in connection with this Transaction, subject to the provisions regarding Deficit Restricted Shares.

 

  (u) Right to Extend. Dealer may postpone, in whole or in part, any Expiration Date or any other date of valuation or delivery with respect to some or all of the relevant Warrants (in which event the Calculation Agent shall make appropriate adjustments to the Daily Number of Warrants with respect to one or more Expiration Dates) if Dealer determines, in its commercially reasonable judgment, that such extension is reasonably necessary or appropriate to preserve Dealer’s hedging or hedge unwind activity hereunder in light of existing liquidity conditions or to enable Dealer to effect purchases of Shares in connection with its hedging, hedge unwind or settlement activity hereunder in a manner that would, if Dealer were Company or an affiliated purchaser of Company, be in compliance with applicable legal, regulatory or self-regulatory requirements, or with related policies and procedures applicable to Dealer.

 

  (v) Status of Claims in Bankruptcy. Dealer acknowledges and agrees that this Confirmation is not intended to convey to Dealer rights against Company with respect to the Transaction that are senior to the claims of common stockholders of Company in any U.S. bankruptcy proceedings of Company; provided that nothing herein shall limit or shall be deemed to limit Dealer’s right to pursue remedies in the event of a breach by Company of its obligations and agreements with respect to the Transaction; provided, further, that nothing herein shall limit or shall be deemed to limit Dealer’s rights in respect of any transactions other than the Transaction.

 

  (w) Securities Contract; Swap Agreement. The parties hereto intend for (i) the Transaction to be a “securities contract” and a “swap agreement” as defined in the Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) (the “Bankruptcy Code”), and the parties hereto to be entitled to the protections afforded by, among other Sections, Sections 362(b)(6), 362(b)(17), 546(e), 546(g), 555 and 560 of the Bankruptcy Code, (ii) a party’s right to liquidate the Transaction and to exercise any other remedies upon the occurrence of any Event of Default under the Agreement with respect to the other party to constitute a “contractual right” as described in the Bankruptcy Code, and (iii) each payment and delivery of cash, securities or other property hereunder to constitute a “margin payment” or “settlement payment” and a “transfer” as defined in the Bankruptcy Code.

 

  (x) Payment by Dealer. In the event that (i) an Early Termination Date occurs or is designated with respect to the Transaction as a result of a Termination Event or an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default arising under Section 5(a)(ii) or 5(a)(iv) of the Agreement) and, as a result, Dealer owes to Company an amount calculated under Section 6(e) of the Agreement, or (ii) Dealer owes to Company, pursuant to Section 12.7 or Section 12.9 of the Equity Definitions, an amount calculated under Section 12.8 of the Equity Definitions, such amount shall be deemed to be zero.

 

  (y) Determinations of Close-out or Cancellation Amounts. Following any determination of any such amount by a party hereunder, if requested in writing by the other party, the party making such determination shall provide such other party a written explanation of such determination including, where applicable, a description of the methodology and the basis for such determination in reasonable detail, it being understood that the party making such determination shall not be obligated to disclose any proprietary models used by it for such determination.

 

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  (z) Additional Acknowledgment. Each party acknowledges that the offer and sale of the Transaction to it is intended to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act by virtue of Section 4(2) thereof. Accordingly, each party represents and warrants to the other party that (i) it has the financial ability to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Transaction and is able to bear a total loss of its investment, (ii) it is an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Regulation D as promulgated under the Securities Act and (iii) the disposition of the Transaction is restricted under this Confirmation, the Securities Act and state securities laws.

 

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Company hereby agrees (a) to check this Confirmation carefully and immediately upon receipt so that errors or discrepancies can be promptly identified and rectified and (b) to confirm that the foregoing (in the exact form provided by Dealer) correctly sets forth the terms of the agreement between Dealer and Company with respect to the Transaction, by manually signing this Confirmation or this page hereof as evidence of agreement to such terms and providing the other information requested herein and immediately returning an executed copy to Chris Hutmaker, Facsimile No. 212-326-9882.

 

Very truly yours,
Bank of America, N.A.
By:  

/s/ Christopher A. Hutmaker

Authorized Signatory
Name: Christopher A. Hutmaker

 

Accepted and confirmed

as of the Trade Date:

GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
By:  

/s/ John C. Rickel

Authorized Signatory
Name: John C. Rickel