Phillips Edison & Company, Inc S-3ASR, filed Feb 7, 2025
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (PECO)
Table of Contents
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 7, 2025
Registration Nos. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
PHILLIPS EDISON GROCERY CENTER OPERATING PARTNERSHIP I, L.P.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Maryland (Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) Delaware (Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.) |
27-1106076 (Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) 27-1449019 (Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.) | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
(513) 554-1110
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Jeffrey S. Edison
Chief Executive Officer
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
(513) 554-1110
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Julian T.H. Kleindorfer
Lewis W. Kneib
Latham & Watkins LLP
355 South Grand Avenue, Suite 100
Los Angeles, California 90071-1560
(213) 485-1234
APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective on filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. ☐
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P. ☐
Table of Contents
PROSPECTUS
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Rights
Units
Guarantees of Debt Securities
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
Debt Securities
We may offer and sell the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P. may offer from time to time debt securities in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.
Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities to be offered, which may include limitations on actual or constructive ownership and restrictions on transfer of the securities, in each case as may be appropriate to preserve the status of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.
We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution,” respectively, for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.
INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ AND CONSIDER THE SECTION ENTITLED “RISK FACTORS” BEGINNING ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the ticker symbol “PECO.” On February 6, 2025, the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq was $36.61 per share.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is February 7, 2025
Table of Contents
| Page | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE |
6 | |||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 15 | ||||
| 25 | ||||
| 26 | ||||
| DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AND THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT |
30 | |||
| MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS |
35 | |||
| 41 | ||||
| 69 | ||||
| 70 | ||||
| 71 | ||||
Table of Contents
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings as described in this prospectus. Each time that we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectuses), together with the additional information described in the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.
When we refer to “PECO,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (our “operating partnership”), unless otherwise specified; provided, however, that in statements relating to qualification as a REIT, such terms refer solely to Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. We are a limited partner of our operating partnership, and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC, is the sole general partner of our operating partnership. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of the applicable class or series of securities.
Table of Contents
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus other than historical facts may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively with the Securities Act, and the Exchange Act, the “Acts”). These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate, and beliefs of, and assumptions made by, management of our company and involve uncertainties that could significantly affect our financial results.
We intend for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the applicable safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Acts. Such forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “can,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “possible,” “initiatives,” “focus,” “seek,” “objective,” “goal,” “strategy,” “plan,” “potential,” “potentially,” “preparing,” “projected,” “future,” “long-term,” “once,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “uncertainty,” or other similar words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date this report is filed with the SEC.
Such statements include, but are not limited to: (i) statements about our plans, strategies, initiatives, and prospects; (ii) statements about our underwritten incremental yields; and (iii) statements about our future results of operations, capital expenditures, and liquidity. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including, without limitation:
| • | changes in national, regional, or local economic climates; |
| • | local market conditions, including an oversupply of space in, or a reduction in demand for, properties similar to those in our portfolio; |
| • | use of proceeds from any future offering pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus; |
| • | vacancies, changes in market rental rates, and the need to periodically repair, renovate, and re-let space; |
| • | competition from other available shopping centers and the attractiveness of properties in our portfolio to our tenants; |
| • | the financial stability of our tenants, including, without limitation, their ability to pay rent; |
| • | our ability to pay down, refinance, restructure, or extend our indebtedness as it becomes due; |
| • | increases in our borrowing costs as a result of changes in interest rates and other factors; |
| • | potential liability for environmental matters; |
| • | damage to our properties from catastrophic weather and other natural events, and the physical effects of climate change; |
| • | our ability and willingness to maintain our qualification as a REIT in light of economic, market, legal, tax, and other considerations; |
| • | changes in tax, real estate, environmental, and zoning laws; |
| • | information technology security breaches; |
| • | our corporate responsibility initiatives; |
| • | loss of key executives; |
| • | the concentration of our portfolio in a limited number of industries, geographies, or investments; |
2
Table of Contents
| • | the economic, political, and social impact of, and uncertainty relating to, pandemics or other health crises; |
| • | our ability to re-lease our properties on the same or better terms, or at all, in the event of non-renewal or in the event we exercise our right to replace an existing tenant; |
| • | the loss or bankruptcy of our tenants; |
| • | to the extent we are seeking to dispose of properties, our ability to do so at attractive prices or at all; |
| • | the impact of inflation on us and on our tenants; and |
| • | the risk factors and other risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus under the heading “Risk Factors,” the additional risk factors set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. |
Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described above or elsewhere in this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference herein occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus or the date of such incorporated documents.
All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that the Company or persons acting on their behalf may issue.
Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
3
Table of Contents
We are a REIT and one of the nation’s largest owners and operators of omni-channel grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers. Our business model is founded on owning and operating omni-channel grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers that provide necessity-based goods and services to the average American household. Grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers have been our primary focus since we started our business in 1991, and we believe this focus has generated superior growth and attractive risk-adjusted returns over time.
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. was formed as a Maryland corporation in October 2009. Our principal executive office is located at 11501 Northlake Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249. Our telephone number is (513) 554-1110. We maintain a website at http://www.phillipsedison.com. Information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference into and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
4
Table of Contents
Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities. There may be other unknown or unpredictable economic, business, competitive, regulatory or other factors that could have material adverse effects on our future results. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our securities to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. Please also carefully read the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K.
5
Table of Contents
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
Available Information
We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.
Our website address is http://www.phillipsedison.com. The information on our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.
Incorporation by Reference
The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the following documents that have previously been filed with the SEC:
| • | the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 12, 2024; |
| • | The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on March 21, 2024. |
| • | the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on April 26, 2024; |
| • | the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, filed with the SEC on July 26, 2024; |
| • | the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024; |
| • | the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 16, 2024; February 13, 2024; April 30, 2024 (except for information furnished in Item 7.01 therein and all exhibits related thereto); May 13, 2024; July 1, 2024 (except for information furnished in Item 7.01 therein and all exhibits related thereto); July 25, 2024 (except for information furnished in Item 2.02 and Item 7.01 therein and all exhibits); September 12, 2024; January 10, 2025; and February 7, 2025; and |
| • | the description of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on July 12, 2021, as amended by any subsequent amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating the description. |
6
Table of Contents
All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC (including any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K), will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.
You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
(513) 554-1110
Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.
7
Table of Contents
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. may guarantee debt securities of our operating partnership as described in the section entitled “Description of Debt Securities.” Any such guarantees by Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. will be full, irrevocable, unconditional and absolute joint and several guarantees to the holders of each series of such outstanding guaranteed debt securities. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. owns all of its assets and conducts all of its operations through our operating partnership, and our operating partnership is consolidated into its financial statements.
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. and our operating partnership have filed this prospectus with the SEC registering, among other securities, debt securities of our operating partnership, which will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. Under Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X, subsidiary issuers of obligations guaranteed by the parent are not required to provide separate financial statements, provided that the subsidiary obligor is consolidated into the parent company’s consolidated financial statements, the parent guarantee is “full and unconditional” and, subject to certain exceptions as set forth below, the alternative disclosure required by Rule 13-01 of Regulation S-X is provided, which includes narrative disclosure and summarized financial information. Accordingly, separate consolidated financial statements of our operating partnership have not been presented.
Furthermore, as permitted under Rule 13-01(a)(4)(vi) of Regulation S-X, we have excluded the summarized financial information for our operating partnership because the assets, liabilities and results of operations of our operating partnership are not materially different than the corresponding amounts in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.’s consolidated financial statements incorporated by reference herein, and management believes such summarized financial information would be repetitive and would not provide incremental value to investors.
8
Table of Contents
Unless we indicate otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to contribute the net proceeds from any sale of offered securities by us to our operating partnership. Our operating partnership will use the net proceeds from us or from any sale of offered securities by it as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
9
Table of Contents
The following is a summary of the general terms of our capital stock. You should read our charter and bylaws and the applicable provisions of Maryland law for complete information on our capital stock. Accordingly, for a description of the terms of any class or series of common stock or preferred stock, you must refer to both the prospectus supplement relating to that class or series and the description of our stock in this prospectus. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. See “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”
General
Our charter provides that we may issue up to 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share and up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share. Our charter authorizes our board of directors (our “Board”) without stockholder approval, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock that we are authorized to issue or the number of authorized shares of any class or series. As of February 3, 2025, 125,176,757 shares of our common stock and no shares of our preferred stock were issued and outstanding. Under Maryland law, our stockholders generally are not liable for our debts or obligations solely as a result of the stockholder’s status as a stockholder.
Common Stock
All of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus will, upon issuance in exchange for the consideration therefor, be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. Subject to the preferential rights, if any, of holders of any other class or series of our stock and to the provisions of our charter relating to the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as and if authorized by our Board and declared by us out of assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders, and will be entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, after payment of or adequate provision for all of our known debts and liabilities.
Subject to the specific class voting rights, if any, of holders of any other class or series of our stock, and to the provisions of our charter relating to the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including the election of directors. Except as provided with respect to any other class or series of our stock, the holders of our common stock will possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our directors. In uncontested elections, directors are elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of all the votes cast “for” and “against” each director nominee. In contested elections, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast. See “Material Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws—Election and Removal of Directors; Board of Directors.”
Holders of shares of our common stock have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund or redemption rights, nor do they have any preemptive rights to subscribe for any securities of PECO. Holders of our common stock generally also have no appraisal rights unless our Board determines that appraisal rights apply, with respect to all or any classes or series of common stock, to one or more transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which stockholders would otherwise be entitled to exercise appraisal rights. Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of its stock, shares of common stock will have equal distribution, liquidation and other rights.
Under Maryland law and our charter, we generally cannot amend our charter, consolidate, convert, merge, sell all or substantially all of our assets, engage in a statutory share exchange or dissolve unless the action is advised by our Board and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast majority of all of the
10
Table of Contents
votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Maryland law also permits a Maryland corporation to transfer all or substantially all of its assets without the approval of its stockholders to an entity owned, directly or indirectly, by the corporation. Because our operating assets may be held by our wholly-owned subsidiaries, these subsidiaries may be able to merge or transfer all or substantially all of their assets without the approval of our stockholders.
Tender Offers
Our charter provides that any tender offer made by any person, including any “mini-tender” offer, must comply with the provisions of Regulation 14D of the Exchange Act, including the notice and disclosure requirements. Among other things, the offeror must provide us notice of such tender offer at least ten business days before initiating the tender offer. If a person makes a tender offer that does not comply with such provisions, our charter provides that we will have the right to redeem that person’s shares and any shares acquired in such tender offer. The redemption price of the shares in connection with a non-compliant tender offer will be the lesser of (i) the price then being paid per share purchased in our latest offering at full purchase price (not discounted for commission reductions or for reductions in sale price permitted pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan), (ii) the fair market value of our shares as determined by an independent valuation obtained by us or (iii) the lowest tender offer price offered in such non-compliant tender offer. In addition, the non-complying offeror will be responsible for all of our expenses in connection with that offeror’s noncompliance.
Preferred Stock
Under our charter, our Board, without common stockholder approval, is authorized to approve the issuance of shares of preferred stock in one or more classes or series, to establish the number of shares in each class or series, and to fix the terms thereof. Our Board could authorize the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction that holders of common stock might believe to be in their best interests or in which holders of some, or a majority, of the shares of common stock might receive a premium for their shares over the then-market price of such shares of common stock.
Power to Reclassify and Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Stock
Our Board may, without common stockholder approval, classify any unissued shares of our preferred stock and reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or previously-classified shares of our preferred stock into other classes or series of stock. Before authorizing the issuance of shares of any new class or series, our Board must set, subject to the provisions of our charter relating to the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series of stock. In addition, our charter authorizes our Board, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board and without stockholder approval, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock, or the number of shares of any class or series of stock, that we are authorized to issue. These actions can be taken without stockholder approval, unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of our stock, or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
In order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), our stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons or entities during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of our stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities such as qualified pension plans) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made).
11
Table of Contents
Our charter contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of common stock, preferred stock and other capital stock that are intended to assist us in complying with these requirements and continuing to qualify as a REIT. The relevant sections of our charter provide that, subject to the exceptions described below, no person or entity may beneficially own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions of the Code, more than 9.8% (by value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of common stock, or more than 9.8% of the value of our outstanding capital stock. We refer to these restrictions as the “common stock ownership limit” and the “aggregate stock ownership limit,” respectively, and as the “ownership limits” collectively. A person or entity that becomes subject to one or both of the ownership limits by virtue of a violative transfer that results in a transfer to a trust, as set forth below, is referred to as a “prohibited owner” if, had the violative transfer been effective, the person or entity would have been a record owner and beneficial owner or solely a beneficial owner of common stock or our capital stock, as applicable.
The constructive ownership rules under the Code are complex and may cause stock owned actually or constructively by a group of related individuals and/or entities to be owned constructively by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% of common stock or less than 9.8% of the value of our outstanding capital stock (or the acquisition of an interest in an entity that owns, actually or constructively, our capital stock) by an individual or entity could, nevertheless, cause that individual or entity, or another individual or entity, to own constructively more than 9.8% of outstanding common stock or capital stock, as applicable, and thereby subject such stock to the applicable ownership limit.
Our Board, in its sole discretion, may exempt (prospectively or retroactively) a person or entity from the aggregate stock ownership limit and the common stock ownership limit, as the case may be, and may establish or increase an excepted holder limit for such person if our Board obtains certain agreements, representations and undertakings from such person or entity required by our charter, if such exemption and/or excepted holder limit will not result in us being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT.
Our Board may increase the common stock ownership limit and the aggregate stock ownership limit for one or more persons or entities and decrease the applicable ownership limit for all other persons and entities if the new common stock ownership limit and/or aggregate stock ownership limit would not allow five or fewer persons or entities to beneficially own more than 49.9% in value of our outstanding capital stock or result in us being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT. Any decreased common stock ownership limit and/or aggregate stock ownership limit will not be effective for any person or entity whose percentage ownership in shares of our stock exceeds the decreased common stock ownership limit and/or aggregate stock ownership limit until such time as such person’s or entity’s percentage of shares of stock equals or falls below the decreased common stock ownership limit and/or aggregate stock ownership limit, but any further acquisition of shares of our stock in excess of such percentage ownership of shares of stock will be in violation of the common stock ownership limit and/or aggregate stock ownership limit.
In addition to the ownership limits, our charter prohibits:
| • | any person from beneficially or constructively owning shares of our stock that would result in us being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the stockholder’s interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT; and |
| • | any person from beneficially or constructively owning shares of our stock to the extent that such beneficial ownership or constructive ownership would cause us to recognize income that would otherwise qualify as “rents from real property” for purposes of Section 856(d) of the Code to fail to qualify as such (including, but not limited to, as a result of causing any entity that we intend to treat as an “eligible independent contractor” within the meaning of Section 856(d)(9)(A) of the Code to fail to qualify as such); and |
12
Table of Contents
| • | any person from transferring shares of our stock if the transfer would result in shares of our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons. |
Any person or entity who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial ownership or constructive ownership of shares of our stock that will or may violate any of these restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock must give written notice immediately to us of such event or, in the case of such a proposed or attempted transaction, give at least 15 days prior written notice and provide to us such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such transfer on our status as a REIT.
Our charter provides that any attempted transfer of shares of our stock that, if effective, would result in our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons will be void and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in the shares. Our charter provides that any attempted transfer of our stock or any other event that, if effective, would otherwise result in any person or entity violating the other restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock described above (including the ownership limits) will cause the number of shares causing the violation (rounded to the nearest whole share) automatically to be transferred to a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable organizations selected by us and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. The automatic transfer will be effective as of the close of business on the business day before the purported transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the trust. Shares of our stock held in the trust will be issued and outstanding shares. Our charter provides that the proposed transferee will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares of our stock held in the trust and will have no rights to dividends and no rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares of our stock held in the trust. Our charter provides that the trustee of the trust will exercise all voting rights and receive all dividends and other distributions with respect to shares held in the trust for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary of the trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid before we discover that the shares have been transferred to a trust as described above must be repaid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date that the shares have been transferred to the trust, our charter provides that the trustee will have the authority to rescind as void any vote cast by a proposed transferee before our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust and to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee. However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee may not rescind and recast the vote.
Within 20 days of receiving notice of the transfer of shares to the trust, the trustee of the trust must sell the shares to a person or entity selected by the trustee whose ownership of the shares would not violate the ownership limits or the other restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock. Upon such sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee must distribute the net proceeds of the sale, and any other amounts held in the trust with respect to such shares, to the prohibited owner and to the charitable beneficiary. The prohibited owner will receive the lesser of (i) the price paid by the prohibited owner for the shares or, if the prohibited owner did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., in the case of a gift, devise or other such transaction), the market price (as defined in our charter) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (ii) the price per share received by the trust from the sale or other disposition of the shares held in the trust. The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the prohibited owner by the amount of any distributions which have been paid to the prohibited owner and are owed by the prohibited owner to the trust. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the prohibited owner will be immediately paid to the charitable beneficiary. If, before we discover that shares of stock have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by a prohibited owner, then (i) the shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (ii) to the extent that the prohibited owner received an amount for such shares that exceeds the amount that the prohibited owner was entitled to receive, the excess must be paid to the trust upon demand.
Shares of our stock held in the trust will be deemed to be offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust or, if the prohibited owner did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust, the market price of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust
13
Table of Contents
and (ii) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept the offer. We may reduce the amount so payable by the amount of any dividends or other distributions that we paid to the prohibited owner before we discovered that the shares had been transferred to the trust and that is owed by the prohibited to the trust as described above, and we may pay such amount to the trust for distribution to the charitable beneficiary. We may accept the offer until the trustee has otherwise sold the shares of our stock held in the trust. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee must distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee and distribute any dividends or other distributions held by the trustee with respect to the shares to the charitable beneficiary.
In addition, if our Board determines in good faith that a transfer or other event would violate the restrictions on ownership and transfer set forth in our charter, our Board or a committee thereof may take such action as it deems advisable to refuse to give effect to or to prevent such transfer or other event, including, but not limited to, causing us to redeem shares, refusing to give effect to such transfer on our books or instituting proceedings to enjoin the transfer or other event.
Any beneficial owner or constructive owner of shares of our stock and each person or entity (including the stockholder of record) who is holding shares of our stock for a beneficial owner must provide us such information as we may request, in good faith, in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.
The foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock will not apply if our Board determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions and limitations on beneficial ownership, constructive ownership and transfers of shares of our stock is no longer required in order for us to qualify as a REIT.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for shares of our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
14
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
As used in this section only, references to “we,” “our” and “us” refer either to Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. or Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P. as the case may be, as the issuer of the applicable series of debt securities and not to any subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise. The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus, including the terms of any related guarantees. We will also indicate in the prospectus supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.
We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined in this prospectus have the meanings specified in the indenture.
General
The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of the board of directors of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (with respect to debt securities of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) or the board of directors of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., as the sole member of the sole general partner of Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P. (with respect to debt securities of Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.), and set forth or determined in the manner provided in such resolution, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the indenture will designate U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association as the trustee for the indenture with respect to one or more series of our debt securities. U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, or any other specified trustee, may resign or be removed with respect to one or more series of our debt securities, and a successor trustee may be appointed to act with respect to that series.
We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:
| • | whether the issuer of the debt securities is Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. or Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.; |
| • | the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions); |
15
Table of Contents
| • | the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities; |
| • | any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities; |
| • | the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable; |
| • | the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date; |
| • | the place or places where principal of, and any premium and interest on, the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered; |
| • | the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities; |
| • | any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation; |
| • | the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations; |
| • | the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof; |
| • | whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities; |
| • | the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount; |
| • | the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency; |
| • | the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, and any premium and interest on, the debt securities will be made; |
| • | if payments of principal of, or any premium or interest on, the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined; |
| • | the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, or any premium or interest on, the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies other than that in which the debt securities are denominated or designated to be payable or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index; |
| • | any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities or any guarantees; |
| • | any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default (as defined below) described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities; |
16
Table of Contents
| • | any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities; |
| • | a discussion of any additional material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in the debt securities; |
| • | any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities; |
| • | the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange; |
| • | any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; |
| • | whether the debt securities are entitled to the benefits of the guarantee of any guarantor, and whether any such guarantee is made on a senior or subordinated basis and, if applicable, a description of the subordination terms of any such guarantee; |
| • | whether a person other than U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association is to act as trustee; |
| • | the securities exchange, if any, on which the debt securities may be listed; and |
| • | any change in the right of the trustee or the right of the requisite holders to declare the principal amount of debt securities due and payable. |
We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on any special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.
If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Transfer and Exchange
Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”), or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth below in the section entitled “Description of Debt Securities—Transfer and Exchange—Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System,” book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.
Certificated Debt Securities.
You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange.
17
Table of Contents
You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, and any premium and interest on, certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.
Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System.
Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see the section entitled “Global Securities.”
Covenants
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities.
No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions that may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) that could adversely affect holders of debt securities.
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:
| • | we are the surviving entity or the successor person (if other than Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. or Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.) is an entity organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and |
| • | immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing. |
Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us.
Guarantees
Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities issued by Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P. will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. These guarantees will be joint and several obligations of the guarantor. If a series of debt securities is so guaranteed, an indenture, or a supplemental indenture thereto, will be executed by the guarantor. The obligations of the guarantor under the guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. The terms of the guarantee will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
18
Table of Contents
Events of Default
“Event of Default” means the occurrence of any of the following events, unless otherwise provided by resolution of the board of directors of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., supplemental indenture or officer’s certificate:
| • | default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period); |
| • | default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity; |
| • | default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty by us in the debt security of that series or the indenture (other than defaults pursuant to the first or second bullet of this paragraph or pursuant to a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or we and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture; |
| • | certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of us, or any guarantor; or |
| • | any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement. |
“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.
No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.
If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then in every such case the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may declare the principal amount (or, if any securities of that series are discount securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such debt securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of the debt securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or specified amount) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, will become immediately due and payable. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal amount (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice in writing to our operating partnership and the trustee, may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.
19
Table of Contents
The indenture provides that the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense that might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series.
No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:
| • | that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; |
| • | the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities have made written request to the trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as trustee; |
| • | such holder or holders have offered to the trustee indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to the trustee against the costs, claims, expenses and liabilities that might be incurred by the trustee in compliance with such request; |
| • | the trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and |
| • | no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the trustee during such 60 day period by the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities. |
Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment.
The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities.
Modification and Waiver
We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:
| • | to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency; |
| • | to comply with covenants in the indenture described in the section entitled “Description of Debt Securities—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”; |
| • | to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities; |
| • | to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture; |
20
Table of Contents
| • | to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series; |
| • | to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary; |
| • | to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities; |
| • | to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture; |
| • | to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; |
| • | to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; |
| • | to reflect the release of a guarantor of the debt securities in accordance with the terms of the indenture; or |
| • | to add guarantors with respect to any or all of the debt securities or to secure any or all of the debt securities or the guarantees. |
We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:
| • | reduce the principal amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver; |
| • | reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security; |
| • | reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities; |
| • | reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity; |
| • | waive a default in the payment of the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration); |
| • | make the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any debt security payable in any currency other than that stated in the debt security; |
| • | make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, or any premium or interest on, those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; |
| • | waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security, provided that such redemption is made at our option; or |
| • | if the debt securities of that series are entitled to the benefit of a guarantee, release any guarantor of such series other than as provided in the indenture or modify the guarantee in any manner adverse to the holders. |
Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding
21
Table of Contents
debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all of the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration.
Regarding the Trustee
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association will initially act as the trustee, registrar and paying agent for the debt securities, subject to replacement at our option as provided in the indenture.
If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will be required to use the same degree of care and skill a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of its own affairs. The trustee will become obligated to exercise any of its powers under the indenture at the request of any of the holders of the required percentage under the indenture only after those holders have offered, and, if requested, provided the trustee indemnity satisfactory to it.
If the trustee becomes one of our creditors, it will be subject to limitations on its rights to obtain payment of claims or to realize on some property received for any such claim, as security or otherwise. The trustee is permitted to engage in other transactions with us. If, however, it acquires any conflicting interest, it must eliminate that conflict or resign.
Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances
Legal Defeasance.
The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, money and/or Foreign Government Obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.
This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred.
Defeasance of Certain Covenants.
The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:
| • | we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Merger, Consolidation or Sale” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants that may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and |
22
Table of Contents
| • | any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series, or covenant defeasance. |
The conditions include:
| • | depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, money and/or Foreign Government Obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities, and |
| • | delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. |
Covenant Defeasance and Events of Default.
In the event we exercise our option to effect covenant defeasance with respect to any series of debt securities and the debt securities of that series are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any Event of Default, the amount of money and/or U.S. government obligations or money and/or Foreign Government Obligations on deposit with the trustee will be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of their stated maturity but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of the acceleration resulting from the Event of Default. In such a case, we would remain liable for those payments.
“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to debt securities of any series that are denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.
Satisfaction and Discharge
The indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect (except as to surviving rights or registration of transfer or exchange of the debt securities, as expressly provided for in the indenture) as to all outstanding debt securities when:
| • | either: |
| • | all the debt securities theretofore authenticated and delivered (except lost, stolen or destroyed debt securities which have been replaced or paid) have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation; or |
| • | all debt securities not theretofore delivered to the trustee for cancellation have become due and payable or will become due and payable at their maturity within one year, have been called for redemption or are to be called for redemption within one year, or are deemed paid and discharged pursuant to the legal defeasance provisions of the indenture, and we have irrevocably deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited with the trustee as trust funds in trust cash or noncallable U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such debt securities not theretofore delivered to the trustee for cancellation, for principal and interest to the date of such deposit (in the case of debt securities which have become due and payable) or to the maturity date or redemption date, as the case may be; |
23
Table of Contents
| • | we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable under the indenture by us; and |
| • | we have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for in the indenture relating to the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture have been complied with. |
No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders
No director, officer, employee, or stockholder will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities, the indenture, any guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each holder of debt securities by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability.
The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the debt securities. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.
Governing Law
The indenture, the debt securities and any guarantees will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
24
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Book-Entry, Delivery and Form
Unless we indicate differently in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities (collectively, “global securities”). The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.
DTC has advised us that it is:
| • | a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law; |
| • | a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law; |
| • | a member of the Federal Reserve System; |
| • | a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and |
| • | a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. |
DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (the “DTCC”). DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.
Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.
To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.
26
Table of Contents
So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.
Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.
Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.
Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.
So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below and unless if otherwise provided in the description of the applicable securities herein or in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.
Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.
Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.
The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.
DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.
27
Table of Contents
As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:
| • | DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be; |
| • | we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or |
| • | an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities, |
we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.
Euroclear and Clearstream.
If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, you may hold interests in a global security through Clearstream Banking S.A., which we refer to as “Clearstream,” or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, which we refer to as “Euroclear,” either directly if you are a participant in Clearstream or Euroclear or indirectly through organizations which are participants in Clearstream or Euroclear. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their respective participants through customers’ securities accounts in the names of Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in such depositaries’ names on DTC’s books.
Clearstream and Euroclear are securities clearance systems in Europe. Clearstream and Euroclear hold securities for their respective participating organizations and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between those participants through electronic book-entry changes in their accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.
Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global securities owned through Euroclear or Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those systems. Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on one hand, and other participants in DTC, on the other hand, are also subject to DTC’s rules and procedures.
Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers and other transactions involving any beneficial interests in global securities held through those systems only on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business in the United States.
Cross-market transfers between participants in DTC, on the one hand, and participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with the DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by their respective U.S. depositaries; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the global securities through DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement. Participants in Euroclear or Clearstream may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. depositaries.
28
Table of Contents
Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream purchasing an interest in a global security from a direct participant in DTC will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant participant in Euroclear or Clearstream, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global security by or through a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream to a direct participant in DTC will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.
Other.
The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC, Clearstream, Euroclear and their respective book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information. This information has been provided solely as a matter of convenience. The rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear are solely within the control of those organizations and could change at any time. Neither we nor the trustee nor any agent of ours or of the trustee has any control over those entities and none of us takes any responsibility for their activities. You are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants directly to discuss those matters. In addition, although we expect that DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear will perform the foregoing procedures, none of them is under any obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither we nor any agent of ours will have any responsibility for the performance or nonperformance by DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants of these or any other rules or procedures governing their respective operations.
29
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AND THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
A summary of the material terms and provisions of the Fourth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P., which we refer to as the “partnership agreement,” is set forth below. This summary is not complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable provisions of Delaware law and the partnership agreement. For more detail, please refer to the partnership agreement itself, a copy of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.” For purposes of this section, references to “we,” “our,” and “us” refer solely to Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. and not any of its subsidiaries.
General
Substantially all of our assets are held by, and substantially all of our operations are conducted through, the operating partnership, either directly or through subsidiaries. As of February 3, 2025, 3,122,385 units of limited partnership interest (“OP units”) in our operating partnership were held by third-party limited partners and 9,995,793 OP units were held by our management team, and we directly owned approximately 90.5% of the outstanding OP units. We also indirectly hold the sole general partnership interest in our operating partnership through Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC, our wholly-owned subsidiary, the general partner of our operating partnership.
Purpose, Business, and Management
Our operating partnership is formed for the purpose of conducting any business, enterprise, or activity permitted by or under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act. However, our operating partnership may not take, or refrain from taking, any action which, in the general partner’s judgment, in its sole and absolute discretion:
| • | could adversely affect our ability to continue to qualify as a REIT, unless we otherwise cease to qualify as a REIT; |
| • | could subject us to any additional taxes under Section 857 or Section 4981 of the Code; or |
| • | could violate any law or regulation of any governmental body or agency having jurisdiction over us or our securities, unless we have specifically consented to such action (or inaction) in writing. |
In general, our Board manages the business and affairs of our operating partnership through control of the general partner, which directs our operating partnership’s business and affairs. If there is a conflict in the fiduciary duties owed by us (as the sole member of the general partner) to our stockholders on one hand and by the general partner to any limited partners on the other, we will endeavor in good faith to resolve the conflict in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or any limited partners; provided, however, to the extent that any such conflict cannot be resolved in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or any limited partners, we shall be entitled to resolve such conflict in favor of our stockholders. The partnership agreement also provides that the general partner will not be liable to our operating partnership, its partners, or any other person bound by the partnership agreement for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred, or benefits not derived by our operating partnership or any limited partner, except for liability for the general partner’s intentional harm or gross negligence. Moreover, the partnership agreement provides that our operating partnership is required to indemnify the general partner and its members, managers, managing members, officers, employees, agents, and designees from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of our operating partnership, except: (i) if the act or omission of the person was material to the matter giving rise to the action and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active or deliberate dishonesty; (ii) for any transaction for which the indemnified party received an improper personal benefit, in money, property, or services or otherwise in violation or breach of any provision of the partnership agreement; or (iii) in the case of a criminal proceeding, if the indemnified person had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
30
Table of Contents
Except as otherwise expressly provided in the partnership agreement and subject to the rights of future holders of any class or series of partnership interests, all management powers over the business and affairs of our operating partnership are exclusively vested in Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC, in its capacity as the sole general partner of our operating partnership. No limited partner, in its capacity as a limited partner, has any right to participate in or exercise management power over our operating partnership’s business, transact any business in our operating partnership’s name, or sign documents for or otherwise bind our operating partnership. Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC may not be removed as the general partner of our operating partnership, with or without cause, by the limited partners. In addition to the powers granted to the general partner under applicable law or any provision of the partnership agreement, but subject to certain other provisions of the partnership agreement and the rights of future holders of any class or series of partnership interest, Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC, in its capacity as the general partner of our operating partnership, has the full and exclusive power and authority to do all things that it deems necessary or desirable to conduct the business and affairs of our operating partnership, to exercise or direct the exercise of all of the powers of our operating partnership, and to effectuate the purposes of our operating partnership without the approval or consent of any limited partner. The general partner may authorize our operating partnership to incur debt and enter into credit, guarantee, financing, or refinancing arrangements for any purpose, including, without limitation, in connection with any acquisition of shopping centers, on such terms as it determines to be appropriate, and to acquire or dispose of any, all, or substantially all of its assets (including goodwill), dissolve, merge, consolidate, reorganize or otherwise combine with another entity, without the approval or consent of any limited partner. Subject to the exceptions described below, the general partner may execute, deliver, and perform agreements and transactions on behalf of our operating partnership without the approval or consent of any limited partner.
Redemption Rights of Qualifying Parties
Beginning 12 months after first acquiring such OP units, each limited partner and some assignees of limited partners will have the right, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the partnership agreement, to require our operating partnership to redeem all or a portion of the OP units held by such limited partner or assignee in exchange for a cash amount per OP unit equal to the value of one share of our common stock, determined in accordance with and subject to adjustment under the partnership agreement. Our operating partnership’s obligation to redeem OP units does not arise and is not binding against our operating partnership until the fourth business day after the general partner receives the holder’s notice of redemption or, if earlier, the day the general partner notifies the holder seeking redemption that the general partner has declined to require us to acquire some or all of the OP units tendered for redemption. If the general partner does not elect to require us to acquire the OP units tendered for redemption in exchange for shares of our common stock (as described below), our operating partnership must deliver the cash redemption amount, subject to certain exceptions, on or before the sixth business day after the general partner receives the holder’s notice of redemption. In the event the general partner elects not to require us to acquire any OP units that are tendered for redemption, our operating partnership may elect to raise funds for the payment of the cash redemption pursuant to the terms further described in the partnership agreement. Among other limitations, a limited partner or qualifying assignee may not require our operating partnership to redeem its OP units if the exchange of such OP units for shares of our common stock would cause any person to violate the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock or violate certain limitations intended to prevent our operating partnership from being treated as a “publicly traded partnership” under the Code.
On or before the close of business on the third business day after a holder of OP units gives notice of redemption to us, the general partner may, in its sole and absolute discretion but subject to the restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our stock set forth in our charter and described in “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer,” elect to require us to acquire some or all of the OP units tendered for redemption from the tendering party in exchange for shares of our common stock, based on an exchange ratio of one share of common stock for each OP unit, subject to adjustment as provided in the partnership agreement. The partnership agreement does not require us to register, qualify, or list any shares of common stock issued in
31
Table of Contents
exchange for OP units with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with any state securities commissioner, department, or agency, under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or with any stock exchange.
Transferability of Operating Partnership Units; Extraordinary Transactions
Generally, prior to the first 12-month anniversary of acquiring their OP units, limited partners in our operating partnership cannot transfer all or any portion of their partnership interest without the written consent of the general partner. Beginning 12 months after first acquiring OP units, a limited partner (other than us) may, without the consent of the general partner, transfer all or any portion of its partnership interest or any of such limited partner’s economic right as a limited partner, subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
| • | General Partner Right of First Refusal. The transferring partner is required to give written notice of the proposed transfer to the general partner, upon which the general partner may elect to purchase such partnership units on the same terms as the proposed transfer described in the written notice. |
| • | Qualified Transferee. Transfers of partnership interests shall be made only to an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501 promulgated under the Securities Act. |
| • | Opinion of Counsel. The transferring partner shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the general partner an opinion of counsel reasonably satisfactory to it that the proposed transfer will not require a registration under the Securities Act or violation any applicable securities laws. |
| • | Minimum Transfer Restriction. Any transferring partner may not transfer less than the lesser of (i) 500 OP units or (ii) all of the remaining OP units owned by such transferring partner. |
Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC, the general partner of our operating partnership, generally is not able to withdraw voluntarily from our operating partnership or transfer any of its interest in our operating partnership unless the withdrawal or transfer is: (i) to us; (ii) to a subsidiary that is wholly-owned by us or the general partner and is a “qualified REIT subsidiary” (as defined in Section 856(i) of the Code); or (iii) with the consent of the limited partners holding percentage interests in our operating partnership greater than 66 2/3% of the aggregate percentage interests of all limited partners.
The partnership agreement provides that we may not, without the approval of 66 2/3% of the aggregate interests of the outside limited partners in our operating partnership (which excludes us and our subsidiaries), engage in any merger, consolidation, or other combination of us or our operating partnership with or into another entity or sale of all or substantially all of our or our operating partnership’s assets, or any reclassification, recapitalization, or change of any outstanding shares of our capital stock or other equity interests (other than a change in par value, or from par value to no par value, or as a result of a subdivision or combination of our common stock), unless:
| • | in connection with such a transaction, all limited partners (other than us), will receive, or will have the right to elect to receive on substantially identical terms as holders of our common stock, for each OP unit an amount of cash, securities, or other property equal in value to the greatest amount of cash, securities, or other property paid in the transaction to a holder of shares of our common stock, provided that if, in connection with the transaction, a purchase, tender, or exchange offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the outstanding shares of our common stock, each holder of OP units shall be given the option to exchange its OP units for the greatest amount of cash, securities, or other property that a limited partner would have received had it exercised its redemption right and received shares of our common stock in exchange for its partnership units immediately prior to the expiration of such purchase, tender, or exchange offer and had thereupon accepted such purchase, tender, or exchange offer; or |
| • | all the following conditions are met: (i) substantially all of the assets directly or indirectly owned by the surviving partnership are owned directly or indirectly by our operating partnership or another limited partnership or limited liability company, which we refer to as the surviving partnership; (ii) the |
32
Table of Contents
| limited partners that held OP units immediately prior to the transaction own a percentage interest of the Surviving Partnership based on the relative fair market value of the net assets of our operating partnership and the other net assets of the surviving partnership immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction; (iii) the rights, preferences, and privileges of such limited partners in the surviving partnership are at least as favorable as those in the partnership agreement and as those applicable to any other limited partners or non-managing members of the surviving partnership; and (iv) the rights of the limited partners include at least the following: (A) the right to redeem their interests in the surviving partnership for consideration paid in the transaction to a holder of shares of our common stock; or (B) the right to redeem their interests in the surviving partnership for cash on terms substantially equivalent to those in effect prior to consummation of such transaction, or, if the ultimate controlling person of the surviving partnership has publicly traded common equity securities, such common equity securities, with an exchange ratio based on the relative fair market value of such securities and the shares of our common stock as of the time of the transaction. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the partnership agreement requires the general partner or us, as the parent of the general partner, to obtain the approval of the limited partners in our operating partnership (including us and our subsidiaries) in connection with the consummation by us or our operating partnership of (i) a merger, consolidation, or other change of control (as defined below) transaction, (ii) any merger involving our operating partnership, (iii) the sale of all or substantially all of our assets or the assets of our operating partnership to any person, or (iv) any OP unit issuance in respect of a transaction required to be submitted for approval of our stockholders, unless:
| • | the general partner provides the limited partners with advance notice; |
| • | in connection with such advance notice, the general partner provides the limited partners with written materials describing the proposed transaction; and |
| • | the transaction is approved by the holders of the partnership interests issued under the partnership agreement at the same level of approval as required for the approval of the holders of shares of our common stock. For this purpose, approval is obtained when the sum of (i) the number of OP units consenting to the transaction that are held by the limited partners (other than us and our subsidiaries) plus (ii) the product of (A) the number of OP units held by us and our subsidiaries multiplied by (B) the percentage of the votes that were cast in favor of the transaction by the holders of shares of our common stock, exceeds the level of approval required for holders of shares of our common stock to approve the transaction. |
Under the partnership agreement, a “change of control” means (i) any “person” or “group” of related persons (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) (A) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, by way of purchase, exchange, merger, consolidation, recapitalization, reorganization, reclassification, business combination, or other similar transaction of more than 50% of the total voting power of (1) us or (2) any of our direct or indirect parent entities (or its or their successors by merger, consolidation, or purchase of all or substantially all of its or their assets); or (B) becomes entitled, either alone or together with its affiliates or group members, to nominate, designate, or elect a majority of our Board; or (ii) our stockholders (or the stockholders of our successors by merger, consolidation, reorganization, business combination, or other similar transaction) adopt a plan or proposal for liquidation or dissolution of us or our operating partnership.
Additional Limited Partners
We may cause our operating partnership to issue additional units or other partnership interests and to admit additional limited partners to our operating partnership from time to time, on such terms and conditions and for such capital contributions as we may establish in our sole and absolute discretion, without the approval or consent of any limited partner. The net capital contribution need not be equal for all limited partners. Each person
33
Table of Contents
admitted as an additional limited partner must make certain representations to each other partner relating to, among other matters, such person’s ownership of any Neighbor or our operating partnership. No person may be admitted as an additional limited partner without our consent, which we may give or withhold in our sole and absolute discretion, and no approval or consent of any limited partner will be required in connection with the admission of any additional limited partner.
Our operating partnership may issue additional partnership interests in one or more series or classes, or in one or more series of any such class senior, on a parity with, or junior to the OP Units to any persons at any time or from time to time, on such terms and conditions as the general partner shall establish in each case in its sole and absolute discretion subject to Delaware law, without the approval of any limited partner or any other person. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we may specify, as to any such class or series of partnership interest:
| • | the allocations of items of partnership income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit to each such class or series of partnership interest; |
| • | the right of each such class or series of partnership interest to share in partnership distributions; and |
| • | the rights of each such class or series of partnership interest upon dissolution and liquidation of our operating partnership. |
Ability to Engage in Other Businesses; Conflicts of Interest
We may not conduct any business other than in connection with the ownership, acquisition and disposition of partnership interests, the management of the business and affairs of our operating partnership and its general partner, our operation as a reporting company with a class (or classes) of securities registered under the Exchange Act, our operations as a REIT, the offering, sale, syndication, private placement or public offering of stock, bonds, securities or other interests, financing or refinancing of any type related to our operating partnership or its assets or activities, and such activities as are incidental to those activities discussed above. In general, we must contribute any assets or funds that we acquire to our operating partnership in exchange for additional partnership interests. We may, however, in our sole and absolute discretion, from time to time hold or acquire assets in our own name or otherwise other than through our operating partnership so long as we take commercially reasonable measures to ensure that the economic benefits and burdens of such property are otherwise vested in our operating partnership.
34
Table of Contents
MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS
The following is a summary of some of the general terms of our charter and bylaws and of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”). You should read our charter and bylaws and the applicable provisions of the MGCL for complete information. The following summary is not complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the provisions of our charter and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and the applicable provisions of the MGCL. See “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”
Election and Removal of Directors; Board of Directors
Our charter provides that the number of our directors may be established pursuant to our bylaws but may not be fewer than three nor more than 15. Our charter requires that, so long as a class of our stock is listed for trading on a national securities exchange, a majority of our directors be “independent” in accordance with the rules and regulations of such exchange.
At each annual meeting of our stockholders, our stockholders will elect each of our directors to serve until the next annual meeting of our stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Holders of shares of our common stock will have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors. In uncontested elections, directors are elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of all the votes cast “for” and “against” each director nominee. In contested elections, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast. An election will be considered to be contested if: (i) our secretary has received notice that a stockholder has nominated or proposes to nominate one or more persons for election as a director, which notice complies or purports to comply with the requirements for advance notice of stockholder nominations set forth in our bylaws; and (ii) the nomination or proposed nomination has not been withdrawn at least 10 days prior to the date that our proxy statement with respect to the meeting at which such nomination or proposed nomination would be made is first released to stockholders and would thereby cause the number of nominees and proposed nominees to exceed the number of directors to be elected at the meeting, irrespective of whether such notice delivered to our secretary actually complies with the requirements for advance notice of stockholder nominations set forth in our bylaws or such nomination or proposed nomination is thereafter withdrawn by such stockholder.
A director may be removed at any meeting of stockholders called expressly for such purpose with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors.
We have elected to be subject to a provision of Maryland law requiring that, except as otherwise provided in the terms of any class or series of our stock, vacancies on our Board may be filled only by the remaining directors, and that any individual elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.
Business Combinations
Under Maryland law, certain “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested stockholder is defined as:
| • | any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock; or |
| • | an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period before the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then-outstanding voting stock of the corporation. |
35
Table of Contents
A person is not an interested stockholder if the Board approved in advance the transaction by which he or she otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the Board may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board.
After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the Board of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:
| • | 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; and |
| • | two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, other than the interested stockholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder. |
These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation’s common stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares.
The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the Board before the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. As permitted by statute, our Board has adopted a resolution exempting any business combination between us and any other person. There can be no assurance that our Board will not amend or revoke this resolution, without stockholder approval, at any time in the future.
Control Share Acquisitions
Maryland law provides that a holder of control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition has no voting rights with respect to the control shares except to the extent approved by at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, excluding votes entitled to be cast by the acquiror, officers and employees who are directors of the corporation. Control shares are voting shares of stock that, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquiror or in respect of which the acquiror is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would cause the acquiror to be entitled to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:
| • | one-tenth or more but less than one-third, |
| • | one-third or more but less than a majority, or |
| • | a majority or more. |
Control shares do not include shares that the acquiror is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval or shares acquired directly from the corporation. A control share acquisition means the acquisition of issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition may, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses), compel the corporation to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders meeting.
If voting rights of control shares are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiror does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then the corporation may, subject to certain limitations and conditions, redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have
36
Table of Contents
previously been approved. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquiror or, if a meeting of stockholders is held at which the voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved, as of the date of the meeting. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquiror becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights, unless the corporation’s charter or bylaws provide otherwise. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquiror in the control share acquisition.
The control share acquisition statute does not apply to: (i) shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction; or (ii) acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.
Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock. There can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated, without stockholder approval, at any time in the future.
Subtitle 8
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act, and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions of the MGCL which provide, respectively, that:
| • | the corporation’s board of directors will be divided into three classes; |
| • | the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast in the election of directors generally is required to remove a director; |
| • | the number of directors may be fixed only by vote of the directors; |
| • | a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and that directors elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and |
| • | the request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes entitled to be cast at a special meeting is required for stockholders to require the calling of a special meeting of stockholders. |
Through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we already require the request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of votes entitled to be cast at the meeting to call a special meeting, unless called by the chair of our Board, our President, our Chief Executive Officer, or our Board. We have elected to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 that requires that vacancies on our Board may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, and directors elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred. Our Board is not currently classified, and we have not elected to be subject to any of the other provisions of Subtitle 8, including the provisions that would permit us to classify our Board without stockholder approval. Moreover, our charter provides that, without the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, we may not elect to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 that would permit us to classify our Board without stockholder approval.
Stockholder Rights Plan
We do not currently have a stockholder rights plan, and we will not adopt a stockholder rights plan in the future without (i) the approval of our stockholders by a majority of the votes cast on the matter or (ii) seeking
37
Table of Contents
ratification from our stockholders by a majority of the votes cast on the matter within 12 months of adoption of the plan if our Board determines, in the exercise of its duties under applicable law, that it is in our best interest to adopt a rights plan without the delay of seeking prior stockholder approval.
Special Meetings of Stockholders
Our President, Chief Executive Officer, the chair of our Board or our Board may call special meetings of our stockholders. A special meeting of our stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of our stockholders must also be called by our secretary upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at the meeting and containing the information required by our bylaws. Our secretary will inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice of meeting (including our proxy materials), and the requesting stockholder must pay such estimated cost before our secretary may prepare and mail the notice of the special meeting.
Advance Notice of Director Nomination and New Business
Our bylaws provide that nominations of individuals for election to our Board and proposals of business to be considered by stockholders at any annual meeting of our stockholders may be made only (i) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (ii) by our Board, or (iii) by any stockholder who (A) was a stockholder of record as of the record date for the meeting, at the time the stockholder provides the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the annual meeting, (B) is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of the individuals so nominated or on such other proposed business, and (C) has complied with the advance notice requirements of, and provided the information and other materials required by, our bylaws. Stockholders generally must provide notice to our secretary not before the 150th day or after the 120th day before the first anniversary of the date of the mailing of our proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies for the election of directors at the preceding year’s annual meeting.
Only the business specified in our notice of the meeting may be brought before a special meeting of our stockholders. Nominations of individuals for election to our Board at a special meeting of stockholders may be made only (i) by or at the direction of our Board, or (ii) if the special meeting has been called in accordance with our bylaws for the purpose of electing directors, by any stockholder who (A) was a stockholder of record as of the record date for the meeting, at the time the stockholder provides the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the special meeting, (B) is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and (C) has complied with the advance notice requirements of, and provided the information and other materials required by, our bylaws. Stockholders generally must provide notice to our secretary not before the 120th day before such special meeting and not after the later of the 90th day before the special meeting or the tenth day after public announcement of the date of the special meeting and the nominees of our Board to be elected at the meeting.
Exclusive Forum
Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, will be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any Internal Corporate Claim, as such term is defined in the MGCL; (ii) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf (other than actions arising under federal securities laws); (iii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other associates to us or to our stockholders; (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other associates arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our charter or bylaws; or (v) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other associates that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. These choice of forum provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
38
Table of Contents
Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and our Charter and Bylaws
The restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock discussed under the caption “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” prevent any person from acquiring more than 9.8% of our outstanding common stock or 9.8% of our outstanding stock without the prior approval of our Board. These provisions, as well as the business combination statute, the provisions of Subtitle 8 and the control share statute discussed above under the captions “—Business Combinations,” “—Subtitle 8” and “—Control Share Acquisitions,” as well as the mini-tender provisions discussed under the caption “Description of Capital Stock—Tender Offers,” may delay, defer or prevent a change in control of us. Our Board has the power to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares and to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock into other classes or series of stock, and to authorize us to issue the newly-classified shares, as discussed under the captions “Description of Capital Stock—General” and “Description of Capital Stock—Power to Reclassify and Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Stock,” and could authorize the issuance of shares of common stock or a series of preferred stock that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us. We believe that the power to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of common or preferred stock, without stockholder approval, provides us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs that might arise.
The provisions of our bylaws discussed above under the captions “—Special Meetings of Stockholders” and “—Advance Notice of Director Nomination and New Business” require stockholders seeking to call a special meeting, nominate an individual for election as a director or propose other business at an annual meeting to comply with certain notice and information requirements. We believe that these provisions will help to assure the continuity and stability of our business strategies and policies as determined by our Board and promote good corporate governance by providing us with clear procedures for calling special meetings, information about a stockholder proponent’s interest in us and adequate time to consider stockholder nominees and other business proposals. However, these provisions, alone or in combination, could make it more difficult for our stockholders to remove incumbent directors or fill vacancies on our Board with their own nominees and could delay, defer or prevent a change in control, including a proxy contest or tender offer that might involve a premium price for our common stockholders or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.
Amendment of our Bylaws
Our bylaws provide that our Board shall have the power to adopt, alter, or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new bylaws. Our bylaws further provide that our stockholders that meet certain ownership and eligibility requirements under the Exchange Act may alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and adopt new bylaws if any such alteration, repeal, or adoption is approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision eliminating the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from:
| • | actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property, or services; or |
| • | active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. |
Our charter contains a provision that eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
39
Table of Contents
Maryland law requires a Maryland corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements, and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
| • | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
| • | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property, or services; or |
| • | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation also may not indemnify a director or officer in a suit by or on behalf of the corporation in which the director or officer was adjudged liable to the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. A court may order indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct; however, indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by us or on our behalf, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses.
In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of:
| • | a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and |
| • | a written undertaking by the director or officer or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that he or she did not meet the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation. |
To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, our charter requires us to indemnify any present or former director or officer for any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative) relating to any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity as a director or officer, and to pay or reimburse all reasonable expenses incurred by such a person in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law. Our charter also permits us to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served a predecessor of our Company in any of the capacities described above and any employee or agent of our Company or a predecessor of our Company.
Our Board has approved, and we entered into, indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification and advance of expenses to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
We have purchased and intend to maintain insurance on behalf of all of our directors and executive officers against liability asserted against or incurred by them in their official capacities, whether or not we are required or have the power to indemnify them against the same liability.
Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of directors, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
40
Table of Contents
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a general summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations regarding our election to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), and the purchase, ownership or disposition of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities. Supplemental U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the ownership of the securities offered by this prospectus may be provided in the prospectus supplement that relates to those securities. For purposes of this discussion, references to “we,” “our” and “us” mean only Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. and do not include any of its subsidiaries, except as otherwise indicated. This summary is for general information only and is not tax advice. The information in this summary is based on:
| • | the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”); |
| • | current, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code (the “Treasury Regulations”); |
| • | the legislative history of the Code; administrative interpretations and practices of the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”); and |
| • | court decisions; |
in each case, as of the date of this prospectus. In addition, the administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS include its practices and policies as expressed in private letter rulings that are not binding on the IRS except with respect to the particular taxpayers who requested and received those rulings. The sections of the Code and the corresponding Treasury Regulations that relate to qualification and taxation as a REIT are highly technical and complex. The following discussion sets forth certain material aspects of the sections of the Code that govern the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a REIT and its stockholders. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the applicable Code provisions, Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Code, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof. Potential tax reforms may result in significant changes to the rules governing U.S. federal income taxation. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations and practices and/or court decisions may significantly and adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities, including those described in this discussion. Moreover, the law relating to the tax treatment of other entities, or an investment in other entities, could change, making an investment in such other entities more attractive relative to an investment in a REIT. Any such changes could apply retroactively to transactions preceding the date of the change. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, any rulings from the IRS that we qualify as a REIT, and the statements in this prospectus are not binding on the IRS or any court. Thus, we can provide no assurance that the tax considerations contained in this discussion will not be challenged by the IRS or will be sustained by a court if challenged by the IRS. This summary does not discuss any state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences, or any tax consequences arising under any U.S. federal tax laws other than U.S. federal income tax laws, associated with the purchase, ownership or disposition of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities, or our election to be taxed as a REIT.
You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the tax consequences to you of:
| • | the purchase, ownership and disposition of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities, including the U.S. federal, state, local, non-U.S. and other tax consequences; |
| • | our election to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and |
| • | potential changes in applicable tax laws. |
41
Table of Contents
Taxation of Our Company
General
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2010. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in a manner that has allowed us to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code commencing with such taxable year, and we intend to continue to be organized and operate in this manner. However, qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet the various qualification tests imposed under the Code, including through actual operating results, asset composition, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that we have been organized and have operated, or will continue to be organized and operate, in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT. See “—Failure to Qualify” for potential tax consequences if we fail to qualify as a REIT.
Latham & Watkins LLP has acted as our tax counsel in connection with this prospectus and our election to be taxed as a REIT. Latham & Watkins LLP has rendered an opinion to us, as of the date of this prospectus, to the effect that, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2010, we have been organized and have operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and our proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. It must be emphasized that this opinion is based on various assumptions and representations as to factual matters, including representations made by us in a factual certificate provided by one or more of our officers. In addition, this opinion is based upon our factual representations set forth in this prospectus. Moreover, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet the various qualification tests imposed under the Code, which are discussed below, including through actual operating results, asset composition, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership, the results of which have not been and will not be reviewed by Latham & Watkins LLP. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that our actual results of operations for any particular taxable year have satisfied or will satisfy those requirements. Further, the anticipated U.S. federal income tax treatment described herein may be changed, perhaps retroactively, by legislative, administrative or judicial action at any time. Latham & Watkins LLP has no obligation to update its opinion subsequent to the date of such opinion.
Provided we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will not be required to pay U.S. federal corporate income taxes on our REIT taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” that ordinarily results from investment in a C corporation. A C corporation is a corporation that generally is required to pay tax at the corporate level. Double taxation means taxation once at the corporate level when income is earned and once again at the stockholder level when the income is distributed. We will, however, be required to pay U.S. federal income tax as follows:
| • | First, we will be required to pay regular U.S. federal corporate income tax on any undistributed REIT taxable income, including undistributed capital gain. |
| • | Second, if we have (1) net income from the sale or other disposition of “foreclosure property” held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business or (2) other nonqualifying income from foreclosure property, we will be required to pay regular U.S. federal corporate income tax on this income. To the extent that income from foreclosure property is otherwise qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, this tax is not applicable. Subject to certain other requirements, foreclosure property generally is defined as property we acquired through foreclosure or after a default on a loan secured by the property or a lease of the property. See “—Foreclosure Property.” |
| • | Third, we will be required to pay a 100% tax on any net income from prohibited transactions. Prohibited transactions are, in general, sales or other taxable dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. |
42
Table of Contents
| • | Fourth, if we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as described below, but have otherwise maintained our qualification as a REIT because certain other requirements are met, we will be required to pay a tax equal to (1) the greater of (A) the amount by which we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test and (B) the amount by which we fail to satisfy the 95% gross income test, multiplied by (2) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. |
| • | Fifth, if we fail to satisfy any of the asset tests (other than a de minimis failure of the 5% or 10% asset test), as described below, due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, and we nonetheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we will be required to pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the product of (1) the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate and (2) the net income generated by the nonqualifying assets that caused us to fail such test. |
| • | Sixth, if we fail to satisfy any provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT (other than a violation of the gross income tests or certain violations of the asset tests, as described below) and the violation is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, we may retain our REIT qualification but we will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. |
| • | Seventh, we will be required to pay a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of amounts actually distributed and amounts retained for which U.S. federal income tax was paid if we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our ordinary income for the year, (2) 95% of our capital gain net income for the year, and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods. |
| • | Eighth, if we acquire any asset from a corporation that is or has been a C corporation in a transaction in which our tax basis in the asset is less than the fair market value of the asset, in each case determined as of the date on which we acquired the asset, and we subsequently recognize gain on the disposition of the asset during the five-year period beginning on the date on which we acquired the asset, then we generally will be required to pay regular U.S. federal corporate income tax on this gain to the extent of the excess of (1) the fair market value of the asset over (2) our adjusted tax basis in the asset, in each case determined as of the date on which we acquired the asset. The results described in this paragraph with respect to the recognition of gain assume that the C corporation will refrain from making an election to receive different treatment under applicable Treasury Regulations on its tax return for the year in which we acquire the asset from the C corporation. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, any gain from the sale of property we acquired in an exchange under Section 1031 (a like-kind exchange) or Section 1033 (an involuntary conversion) of the Code generally is excluded from the application of this built-in gains tax. |
| • | Ninth, our subsidiaries that are C corporations and are not qualified REIT subsidiaries, including our “taxable REIT subsidiaries” described below, generally will be required to pay regular U.S. federal corporate income tax on their earnings. |
| • | Tenth, we will be required to pay a 100% tax on any “redetermined rents,” “redetermined deductions,” “excess interest” or “redetermined TRS service income,” as described below under “—Penalty Tax.” In general, redetermined rents are rents from real property that are overstated as a result of services furnished to any of our tenants by our taxable REIT subsidiaries. Redetermined deductions and excess interest generally represent amounts that are deducted by our taxable REIT subsidiaries for amounts paid to us that are in excess of the amounts that would have been deducted based on arm’s length negotiations. Redetermined TRS service income generally represents income of a taxable REIT subsidiary that is understated as a result of services provided to us or on our behalf. |
| • | Eleventh, we may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net capital gain. In that case, a stockholder would include its proportionate share of our undistributed capital gain (to the extent we make a timely designation of such gain to the stockholder) in its income, would be deemed to have paid the tax that we paid on such gain, and would be allowed a credit for its proportionate share of the tax deemed to have been paid, and an adjustment would be made to increase the tax basis of the stockholder in our |
43
Table of Contents
| capital stock by the difference between (1) the amount of capital gain included in income and (2) the amount of tax deemed paid by the stockholder. |
| • | Twelfth, if we fail to comply with the requirement to send annual letters to our stockholders holding at least a certain percentage of our stock, as determined under applicable Treasury Regulations, requesting information regarding the actual ownership of our stock, and the failure is not due to reasonable cause or is due to willful neglect, we will be subject to a $25,000 penalty, or if the failure is intentional, a $50,000 penalty. |
We and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes other than U.S. federal income tax, including payroll taxes and state and local income, property and other taxes on our assets and operations.
Requirements for Qualification as a REIT
The Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
| 1. | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
| 2. | that issues transferable shares or transferable certificates to evidence its beneficial ownership; |
| 3. | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation, but for Sections 856 through 860 of the Code; |
| 4. | that is not a financial institution or an insurance company within the meaning of certain provisions of the Code; |
| 5. | that is beneficially owned by 100 or more persons; |
| 6. | not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock of which is owned, actually or constructively, by five or fewer individuals, including certain specified entities, during the last half of each taxable year; and |
| 7. | that meets other tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions. |
The Code provides that conditions (1) to (4), inclusive, must be met during the entire taxable year and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. Conditions (5) and (6) do not apply until after the first taxable year for which an election is made to be taxed as a REIT. For purposes of condition (6), the term “individual” includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefit plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes, but generally does not include a qualified pension plan or profit sharing trust.
We believe that we have been organized and have operated in a manner that has allowed us, and will continue to allow us, to satisfy conditions (1) through (7), inclusive, during the relevant time periods. In addition, our charter provides for restrictions regarding ownership and transfer of our shares that are intended to assist us in continuing to satisfy the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above. A description of the share ownership and transfer restrictions relating to our capital stock is contained in the discussion in this prospectus under the heading “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.” These restrictions, however, do not ensure that we have previously satisfied, and may not ensure that we will, in all cases, be able to continue to satisfy, the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above. If we fail to satisfy these share ownership requirements, then except as provided in the next sentence, our status as a REIT will terminate. If, however, we comply with the rules contained in applicable Treasury Regulations that require us to ascertain the actual ownership of our shares and we do not know, or would not have known through the exercise of reasonable diligence, that we failed to meet the requirement described in condition (6) above, we will be treated as having met this requirement. See “—Failure to Qualify.”
In addition, we may not maintain our status as a REIT unless our taxable year is the calendar year. We have and will continue to have a calendar taxable year.
44
Table of Contents
Ownership of Interests in Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies and Qualified REIT Subsidiaries
In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership (for purposes of this discussion, references to “partnership” include a limited liability company treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and references to “partner” include a member in such a limited liability company), Treasury Regulations provide that the REIT will be deemed to own its proportionate share of the assets of the partnership based on its interest in partnership capital, subject to special rules relating to the 10% asset test described below. Also, the REIT will be deemed to be entitled to its proportionate share of the income of that entity. The assets and gross income of the partnership retain the same character in the hands of the REIT for purposes of Section 856 of the Code, including satisfying the gross income tests and the asset tests. Thus, our pro rata share of the assets and items of income of our operating partnership, including our operating partnership’s share of these items of any partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes in which it owns an interest, is treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the requirements described in this discussion, including the gross income and asset tests described below. A brief summary of the rules governing the U.S. federal income taxation of partnerships is set forth below in “—Tax Aspects of Our Operating Partnership and the Subsidiary Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies.”
We have control of our operating partnership and generally indirectly own the manager or managing member of the subsidiary partnerships and intend to operate them in a manner consistent with the requirements for our qualification as a REIT. If we are or become a limited partner or non-managing member in any partnership and such entity takes or expects to take actions that could jeopardize our status as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. In addition, it is possible that a partnership could take an action which could cause us to fail a gross income or asset test, and that we would not become aware of such action in time to dispose of our interest in the partnership or take other corrective action on a timely basis. In such a case, we could fail to qualify as a REIT unless we were entitled to relief, as described below.
We may from time to time own and operate certain properties through wholly-owned subsidiaries that we intend to be treated as “qualified REIT subsidiaries” under the Code. A corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) will qualify as our qualified REIT subsidiary if we own 100% of the corporation’s outstanding stock (either directly or through other disregarded subsidiaries) and do not elect with the subsidiary to treat it as a “taxable REIT subsidiary,” as described below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not treated as a separate corporation, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of a qualified REIT subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the parent REIT for all purposes under the Code, including all REIT qualification tests. Thus, in applying the U.S. federal income tax requirements described in this discussion, any qualified REIT subsidiaries we own are ignored, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of such corporations are treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not subject to U.S. federal income tax, and our ownership of the stock of a qualified REIT subsidiary will not violate the restrictions on ownership of securities, as described below under “—Asset Tests.”
Ownership of Interests in Taxable REIT Subsidiaries
We and our operating partnership own interests in companies that have elected, together with us, to be treated as our taxable REIT subsidiaries, and we may acquire securities in additional taxable REIT subsidiaries in the future. A taxable REIT subsidiary is a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) other than a REIT in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds stock, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. If a taxable REIT subsidiary owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a taxable REIT subsidiary may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of its parent REIT. A taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to
45
Table of Contents
U.S. federal income tax, and state and local income tax, where applicable, as a regular C corporation. A REIT is not treated as holding the assets of a taxable REIT subsidiary or as receiving any income that the taxable REIT subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by the taxable REIT subsidiary is an asset in the hands of the REIT, and the REIT generally recognizes as income the dividends, if any, that it receives from the taxable REIT subsidiary. A REIT’s ownership of securities of a taxable REIT subsidiary is not subject to the 5% or 10% asset test described below. See “—Asset Tests.” However, no more than 20% (25% for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018) of the value of a REIT’s total assets may be represented by securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries (as discussed below). One or more of our taxable REIT subsidiaries may perform certain services for our tenants, receive management fee income and/or hold interests in joint ventures and private equity real estate funds that might hold assets or generate income that could otherwise cause us to fail the REIT income or asset tests or subject us to the 100% penalty tax on prohibited transactions (discussed below) if we performed such services, derived such income or held such assets directly, as applicable. Taxpayers are subject to a limitation on their ability to deduct net business interest generally equal to 30% of adjusted taxable income, subject to certain exceptions. See “—Annual Distribution Requirements.” While not certain, this provision may limit the ability of our taxable REIT subsidiaries to deduct interest, which could increase their taxable income.
Ownership of Interests in Subsidiary REITs
We own and may acquire direct or indirect interests in one or more entities that have elected or will elect to be taxed as REITs under the Code (“Subsidiary REITs”). A Subsidiary REIT is subject to the various REIT qualification requirements and other limitations described herein that are applicable to us. If a Subsidiary REIT were to fail to qualify as a REIT, then (i) that Subsidiary REIT would become subject to U.S. federal income tax and (ii) the Subsidiary REIT’s failure to qualify could have an adverse effect on our ability to comply with the REIT income and asset tests, and thus could impair our ability to qualify as a REIT unless we could avail ourselves of certain relief provisions.
Income Tests
We must satisfy two gross income requirements annually to maintain our qualification as a REIT. First, in each taxable year we must derive directly or indirectly at least 75% of our gross income (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions, certain hedging transactions and certain foreign currency gains) from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including “rents from real property,” dividends from other REITs and, in certain circumstances, interest, or certain types of temporary investments. Second, in each taxable year we must derive at least 95% of our gross income (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions, certain hedging transactions and certain foreign currency gains) from the real property investments described above or dividends, interest and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities that are not assets held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our trade or business, or from any combination of the foregoing. For these purposes, the term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination of all or some of the amount depends in any way on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from the term “interest” solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.
Rents we receive from a tenant will qualify as “rents from real property” for the purpose of satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT described above only if all of the following conditions are met:
| • | The amount of rent is not based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount we receive or accrue generally will not be excluded from the term “rents from real property” solely because it is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales or if it is based on the net income of a tenant which derives substantially all of its income with respect to such property from subleasing of substantially all of such property, to the extent that the rents paid by the subtenants would qualify as rents from real property if we earned such amounts directly; |
46
Table of Contents
| • | Neither we nor an actual or constructive owner of 10% or more of our capital stock actually or constructively owns 10% or more of the interests in the assets or net profits of a non-corporate tenant, or, if the tenant is a corporation, 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote or 10% or more of the total value of all classes of stock of the tenant. Rents we receive from such a tenant that is a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours, however, will not be excluded from the definition of “rents from real property” as a result of this condition if at least 90% of the total leased space at the property to which the rents relate is leased to third parties, and the rents paid by the taxable REIT subsidiary are substantially comparable to rents paid by our other tenants for comparable space. Whether rents paid by a taxable REIT subsidiary are substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenants is determined at the time the lease with the taxable REIT subsidiary is entered into, extended, and modified, if such modification increases the rents due under such lease. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, if a lease with a “controlled taxable REIT subsidiary” is modified and such modification results in an increase in the rents payable by such taxable REIT subsidiary, any such increase will not qualify as “rents from real property.” For purposes of this rule, a “controlled taxable REIT subsidiary” is a taxable REIT subsidiary in which the parent REIT owns stock possessing more than 50% of the voting power or more than 50% of the total value of the outstanding stock of such taxable REIT subsidiary; |
| • | Rent attributable to personal property, leased in connection with a lease of real property, is not greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease. If this condition is not met, then the portion of the rent attributable to personal property will not qualify as “rents from real property.” To the extent that rent attributable to personal property, leased in connection with a lease of real property, exceeds 15% of the total rent received under the lease, we may transfer a portion of such personal property to a taxable REIT subsidiary; and |
| • | We generally may not operate or manage the property or furnish or render certain “impermissible tenant services” to our tenants, subject to a 1% de minimis exception and except as provided below. If the income derived from the services exceeds 1% of the total amount received by that REIT with respect to the property, then no amount received by the REIT with respect to the property will qualify as “rents from real property.” For these purposes, the income that a REIT is considered to receive from the provision of “impermissible tenant services” will not be less than 150% of the direct cost of providing the service. If the amount so received is 1% or less of the total amount received by us with respect to the property, then only the income from the impermissible tenant services will not qualify as “rents from real property.” We are permitted, however, to perform services that are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not otherwise considered “rendered to the occupant” of the property. Examples of these services include the provision of light, heat, or other utilities, trash removal and general maintenance of common areas. In addition, we may employ an independent contractor from whom we derive no revenue to provide customary services to our tenants, or a taxable REIT subsidiary (which may be wholly or partially owned by us) to provide both customary and non-customary services to our tenants, without causing the rent we receive from those tenants to fail to qualify as “rents from real property.” |
We generally do not intend, and, as the sole owner of the general partner of our operating partnership, we do not intend to permit our operating partnership, to take actions we believe will cause us to fail to satisfy the rental conditions described above. However, we may intentionally fail to satisfy some of these conditions to the extent we determine, based on the advice of our tax counsel, that the failure will not jeopardize our tax status as a REIT. In addition, with respect to the limitation on the rental of personal property, we generally have not obtained appraisals of the real property and personal property leased to tenants. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not disagree with our determinations of value.
From time to time, we may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Our hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps, and floors, options to purchase these items, and futures and forward contracts. Income from a hedging transaction, including gain from
47
Table of Contents
the sale or disposition of such a transaction, that is clearly identified as a hedging transaction as specified in the Code will not constitute gross income under, and thus will be exempt from, the 75% and 95% gross income tests. The term “hedging transaction,” as used above, generally means (A) any transaction we enter into in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of (1) interest rate changes or fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made by us to acquire or carry real estate assets, or (2) currency fluctuations with respect to an item of qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income test or any property which generates such income and (B) new transactions entered into to hedge the income or loss from prior hedging transactions, where the property or indebtedness which was the subject of the prior hedging transaction was extinguished or disposed of. To the extent that we do not properly identify such transactions as hedges or we hedge with other types of financial instruments, the income from those transactions is not likely to be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our status as a REIT.
To the extent our taxable REIT subsidiaries pay dividends or interest, our allocable share of such dividend or interest income will qualify under the 95%, but not the 75%, gross income test (except that our allocable share of such interest would also qualify under the 75% gross income test to the extent the interest is paid on a loan that is adequately secured by real property).
We will monitor the amount of the dividend and other income from our taxable REIT subsidiaries and will take actions intended to keep this income, and any other nonqualifying income, within the limitations of the gross income tests. Although we expect these actions will be sufficient to prevent a violation of the gross income tests, we cannot guarantee that such actions will in all cases prevent such a violation.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless qualify as a REIT for the year if we are entitled to relief under certain provisions of the Code. We generally may make use of the relief provisions if:
| • | following our identification of the failure to meet the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we file a schedule with the IRS setting forth a description of each item of our gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for such taxable year in accordance with Treasury Regulations to be issued; and |
| • | our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect. |
It is not possible, however, to state whether in all circumstances we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions. For example, if we fail to satisfy the gross income tests because nonqualifying income that we intentionally accrue or receive exceeds the limits on nonqualifying income, the IRS could conclude that our failure to satisfy the tests was not due to reasonable cause. If these relief provisions do not apply to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT. See “—Failure to Qualify” below. As discussed above in “—General,” even if these relief provisions apply, and we retain our status as a REIT, a tax would be imposed with respect to our nonqualifying income. We may not always be able to comply with the gross income tests for REIT qualification despite periodic monitoring of our income.
Prohibited Transaction Income
Any gain that we realize on the sale of property (other than any foreclosure property) held as inventory or otherwise held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, including our share of any such gain realized by our operating partnership, either directly or through its subsidiary partnerships, will be treated as income from a prohibited transaction that is subject to a 100% tax, unless certain safe harbor exceptions apply. This prohibited transaction income may also adversely affect our ability to satisfy the gross income tests for qualification as a REIT. Under existing law, whether property is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business is a question of fact that depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction. As the sole owner of the general partner of our operating
48
Table of Contents
partnership, we intend to cause our operating partnership to hold its properties for investment with a view to long-term appreciation, to engage in the business of acquiring, developing and owning its properties and to make occasional sales of the properties as are consistent with our investment objectives. We do not intend, and do not intend to permit our operating partnership or its subsidiary partnerships, to enter into any sales that are prohibited transactions. However, the IRS may successfully contend that some or all of the sales made by our operating partnership or its subsidiary partnerships are prohibited transactions. We would be required to pay the 100% tax on our allocable share of the gains resulting from any such sales. The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of assets that are held through a taxable REIT subsidiary, but such income will be subject to regular U.S. federal corporate income tax.
Penalty Tax
Any redetermined rents, redetermined deductions, excess interest or redetermined TRS service income we generate will be subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, redetermined rents are rents from real property that are overstated as a result of any services furnished to any of our tenants by a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours, redetermined deductions and excess interest represent any amounts that are deducted by a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours for amounts paid to us that are in excess of the amounts that would have been deducted based on arm’s length negotiations, and redetermined TRS service income is income of a taxable REIT subsidiary that is understated as a result of services provided to us or on our behalf. Rents we receive will not constitute redetermined rents if they qualify for certain safe harbor provisions contained in the Code.
We do not believe we have been, and do not expect to be, subject to this penalty tax, although any rental or service arrangements we enter into from time to time may not satisfy the safe-harbor provisions referenced above. These determinations are inherently factual, and the IRS has broad discretion to assert that amounts paid between related parties should be reallocated to clearly reflect their respective incomes. If the IRS successfully made such an assertion, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on any overstated rents paid to us, or any excess deductions or understated income of our taxable REIT subsidiaries.
One or more of our taxable REIT subsidiaries may provide services to certain of our tenants and, from time to time, we may enter into leases with our taxable REIT subsidiaries that also provide services to our tenants. We believe we have set, and we intend to set in the future, any fees paid to our taxable REIT subsidiaries for such services, and any rent payable to us by our taxable REIT subsidiaries, at arm’s length rates, although the amounts paid may not satisfy the safe-harbor provisions referenced above. These determinations are inherently factual, and the IRS has broad discretion to assert that amounts paid between related parties should be reallocated to clearly reflect their respective incomes. If the IRS successfully made such an assertion, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on any overstated rents paid to us, or any excess deductions or understated income of our taxable REIT subsidiaries.
Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter of our taxable year, we must also satisfy certain tests relating to the nature and diversification of our assets. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by real estate assets, cash, cash items and U.S. government securities. For purposes of this test, the term “real estate assets” generally means real property (including interests in real property and interests in mortgages on real property or on both real property and, to a limited extent, personal property), shares (or transferable certificates of beneficial interest) in other REITs, any stock or debt instrument attributable to the investment of the proceeds of a stock offering or a public offering of debt with a term of at least five years (but only for the one-year period beginning on the date the REIT receives such proceeds), debt instruments of publicly offered REITs, and personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property for which the rent attributable to personal property is not greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease.
Second, not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by securities (including securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries), other than those securities includable in the 75% asset test.
49
Table of Contents
Third, of the investments included in the 25% asset class, and except for certain investments in other REITs, our qualified REIT subsidiaries and taxable REIT subsidiaries, the value of any one issuer’s securities may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets, and we may not own more than 10% of the total vote or value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. Certain types of securities we may own are disregarded as securities solely for purposes of the 10% value test, including, but not limited to, securities satisfying the “straight debt” safe harbor, securities issued by a partnership that itself would satisfy the 75% income test if it were a REIT, any loan to an individual or an estate, any obligation to pay rents from real property and any security issued by a REIT. In addition, solely for purposes of the 10% value test, the determination of our interest in the assets of a partnership in which we own an interest will be based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, excluding for this purpose certain securities described in the Code. From time to time we may own securities (including debt securities) of issuers that do not qualify as a REIT, a qualified REIT subsidiary or a taxable REIT subsidiary. We intend that our ownership of any such securities will be structured in a manner that allows us to comply with the asset tests described above.
Fourth, not more than 20% (25% for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018) of the value of our total assets may be represented by the securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. We and our operating partnership own interests in companies that have elected, together with us, to be treated as our taxable REIT subsidiaries, and we may acquire securities in additional taxable REIT subsidiaries in the future. So long as each of these companies qualifies as a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours, we will not be subject to the 5% asset test, the 10% voting power limitation or the 10% value limitation with respect to our ownership of the securities of such companies. We believe that the aggregate value of our taxable REIT subsidiaries has not exceeded, and in the future will not exceed, 20% (25% for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018) of the aggregate value of our gross assets. We generally do not obtain independent appraisals to support these conclusions. In addition, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not disagree with our determinations of value.
Fifth, not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by debt instruments of publicly offered REITs to the extent those debt instruments would not be real estate assets but for the inclusion of debt instruments of publicly offered REITs in the meaning of real estate assets, as described above (e.g., a debt instrument issued by a publicly offered REIT that is not secured by a mortgage on real property).
In addition, we may acquire certain mezzanine loans secured by equity interests in pass-through entities that directly or indirectly own real property. Revenue Procedure 2003-65 (the “Revenue Procedure”) provides a safe harbor pursuant to which mezzanine loans meeting the requirements of the safe harbor will be treated by the IRS as real estate assets for purposes of the REIT asset tests. In addition, any interest derived from such mezzanine loans will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test (described above). Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. The mezzanine loans that we acquire may not meet all of the requirements of the safe harbor. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge the qualification of such assets as real estate assets or the interest generated by these loans as qualifying income under the 75% gross income test (described above).
The asset tests must be satisfied at the close of each calendar quarter of our taxable year in which we (directly or through any partnership or qualified REIT subsidiary) acquire securities in the applicable issuer, and also at the close of each calendar quarter in which we increase our ownership of securities of such issuer (including as a result of an increase in our interest in any partnership that owns such securities). For example, our indirect ownership of securities of each issuer will increase as a result of our capital contributions to our operating partnership or as limited partners exercise any redemption/exchange rights. Also, after initially meeting the asset tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our status as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a later quarter solely by reason of changes in the relative values of our assets (including changes in relative values as a result of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates). If we fail to satisfy an asset test because we acquire securities or other property during a quarter (including as a result of an increase in our interest in any partnership), we may cure this failure by disposing of sufficient nonqualifying assets within 30
50
Table of Contents
days after the close of that quarter. We believe that we have maintained, and we intend to maintain, adequate records of the value of our assets to ensure compliance with the asset tests. If we fail to cure any noncompliance with the asset tests within the 30-day cure period, we would cease to qualify as a REIT unless we are eligible for certain relief provisions discussed below.
Certain relief provisions may be available to us if we discover a failure to satisfy the asset tests described above after the 30-day cure period. Under these provisions, we will be deemed to have met the 5% and 10% asset tests if the value of our nonqualifying assets (i) does not exceed the lesser of (a) 1% of the total value of our assets at the end of the applicable quarter or (b) $10,000,000, and (ii) we dispose of the nonqualifying assets or otherwise satisfy such tests within (a) six months after the last day of the quarter in which the failure to satisfy the asset tests is discovered or (b) the period of time prescribed by Treasury Regulations to be issued. For violations of any of the asset tests due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and that are, in the case of the 5% and 10% asset tests, in excess of the de minimis exception described above, we may avoid disqualification as a REIT after the 30-day cure period by taking steps including (i) the disposition of sufficient nonqualifying assets, or the taking of other actions, which allow us to meet the asset tests within (a) six months after the last day of the quarter in which the failure to satisfy the asset tests is discovered or (b) the period of time prescribed by Treasury Regulations to be issued, (ii) paying a tax equal to the greater of (a) $50,000 or (b) the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate multiplied by the net income generated by the nonqualifying assets, and (iii) disclosing certain information to the IRS.
Although we believe we have satisfied the asset tests described above and plan to take steps to ensure that we satisfy such tests for any quarter with respect to which retesting is to occur, there can be no assurance that we will always be successful, or will not require a reduction in our operating partnership’s overall interest in an issuer (including in a taxable REIT subsidiary). If we fail to cure any noncompliance with the asset tests in a timely manner, and the relief provisions described above are not available, we would cease to qualify as a REIT.
Annual Distribution Requirements
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders each year in an amount at least equal to the sum of:
| • | 90% of our REIT taxable income; and |
| • | 90% of our after-tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property; minus |
| • | the excess of the sum of certain items of non-cash income over 5% of our REIT taxable income. |
For these purposes, our REIT taxable income is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain. In addition, for purposes of this test, non-cash income generally means income attributable to leveled stepped rents, original issue discount, cancellation of indebtedness, or a like-kind exchange that is later determined to be taxable.
In addition, our REIT taxable income will be reduced by any taxes we are required to pay on any gain we recognize from the disposition of any asset we acquired from a corporation that is or has been a C corporation in a transaction in which our tax basis in the asset is less than the fair market value of the asset, in each case determined as of the date on which we acquired the asset, within the five-year period following our acquisition of such asset, as described above under “—General.”
Subject to certain exceptions, a taxpayer’s deduction for net business interest expense will generally be limited to 30% of its taxable income, as adjusted for certain items of income, gain, deduction or loss. Any business interest deduction that is disallowed due to this limitation may be carried forward to future taxable years, subject to special rules applicable to partnerships. If we or any of our subsidiary partnerships (including our operating partnership) are subject to this interest expense limitation, our REIT taxable income for a taxable
51
Table of Contents
year may be increased. Taxpayers that conduct certain real estate businesses may elect not to have this interest expense limitation apply to them, provided that they use the alternative depreciation system to depreciate certain property. We believe that we or any of our subsidiary partnerships that are subject to this interest expense limitation will be eligible to make this election. If such election is made, although we or such subsidiary partnership, as applicable, would not be subject to the interest expense limitation described above, depreciation deductions may be reduced and, as a result, our REIT taxable income for a taxable year may be increased.
We generally must pay, or be treated as paying, the distributions described above in the taxable year to which they relate. At our election, a distribution will be treated as paid in a taxable year if it is declared before we timely file our tax return for such year and paid on or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration, provided such payment is made during the 12-month period following the close of such year. These distributions are treated as received by our stockholders in the year in which they are paid. This is so even though these distributions relate to the prior year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement. In order to be taken into account for purposes of our distribution requirement, except as provided below, the amount distributed must not be preferential—i.e., every stockholder of the class of stock to which a distribution is made must be treated the same as every other stockholder of that class, and no class of stock may be treated other than according to its dividend rights as a class. This preferential dividend limitation will not apply to distributions made by us, provided we qualify as a “publicly offered REIT.” We believe that we are, and expect we will continue to be, a publicly offered REIT. However, Subsidiary REITs we may own from time to time may not be publicly offered REITs. To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain, or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our REIT taxable income, as adjusted, we will be required to pay regular U.S. federal corporate income tax on the undistributed amount. We believe that we have made, and we intend to continue to make, timely distributions sufficient to satisfy these annual distribution requirements and to minimize our corporate tax obligations. In this regard, the partnership agreement of our operating partnership authorizes us, as the sole owner of the general partner of our operating partnership, to take such steps as may be necessary to cause our operating partnership to distribute to its partners an amount sufficient to permit us to meet these distribution requirements and to minimize our corporate tax obligation.
We expect that our REIT taxable income will be less than our cash flow because of depreciation and other non-cash charges included in computing REIT taxable income. Accordingly, we anticipate that we generally will have sufficient cash or liquid assets to enable us to satisfy the distribution requirements described above. However, from time to time, we may not have sufficient cash or other liquid assets to meet these distribution requirements due to timing differences between the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses, and the inclusion of income and deduction of expenses in determining our taxable income. In addition, we may decide to retain our cash, rather than distribute it, in order to repay debt or for other reasons. If these timing differences occur, we may borrow funds to pay dividends or pay dividends in the form of taxable stock distributions in order to meet the distribution requirements, while preserving our cash.
Under some circumstances, we may be able to rectify an inadvertent failure to meet the 90% distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. In that case, we may be able to avoid being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, subject to the 4% excise tax described below. However, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based upon the amount of any deduction claimed for deficiency dividends. While the payment of a deficiency dividend will apply to a prior year for purposes of our REIT distribution requirements, it will be treated as an additional distribution to our stockholders in the year such dividend is paid.
Furthermore, we will be required to pay a nondeductible 4% excise tax to the extent we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of 85% of our ordinary income for such year, 95% of our capital gain net income for the year and any undistributed taxable income from prior periods. Any ordinary income and net capital gain on which U.S. federal corporate income tax is imposed for any year is treated as an amount distributed during that year for purposes of calculating this excise tax.
52
Table of Contents
For purposes of the 90% distribution requirement and excise tax described above, dividends declared during the last three months of the taxable year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified date during such period and paid during January of the following year, will be treated as paid by us and received by our stockholders on December 31 of the year in which they are declared.
Like-Kind Exchanges
We may dispose of real property that is not held primarily for sale in transactions intended to qualify as like-kind exchanges under the Code. Such like-kind exchanges are intended to result in the deferral of gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The failure of any such transaction to qualify as a like-kind exchange could require us to pay U.S. federal income tax, possibly including the 100% prohibited transaction tax, or deficiency dividends, depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction.
Tax Liabilities and Attributes Inherited in Connection with Acquisitions
From time to time, we or our operating partnership may acquire other corporations or entities and, in connection with such acquisitions, we may succeed to the historical tax attributes and liabilities of such entities. For example, if we acquire a C corporation and subsequently dispose of its assets within five years of the acquisition, we could be required to pay the built-in gain tax described above under “—General.” In addition, in order to qualify as a REIT, at the end of any taxable year, we must not have any earnings and profits accumulated in a non-REIT year. As a result, if we acquire a C corporation, we must distribute the corporation’s earnings and profits accumulated prior to the acquisition before the end of the taxable year in which we acquire the corporation. We also could be required to pay the acquired entity’s unpaid taxes even though such liabilities arose prior to the time we acquired the entity.
Moreover, we or one of our subsidiaries may from time to time acquire other REITs through a merger or acquisition. If any such REIT failed to qualify as a REIT for any of its taxable years, such REIT would be liable for (and we or our subsidiary, as applicable, as the surviving corporation in the merger or acquisition, would be obligated to pay) regular U.S. federal corporate income tax on its taxable income for such taxable years. In addition, if such REIT was a C corporation at the time of the merger or acquisition, the tax consequences described in the preceding paragraph generally would apply. If such REIT failed to qualify as a REIT for any of its taxable years, but qualified as a REIT at the time of such merger or acquisition, and we acquired such REIT’s assets in a transaction in which our tax basis in the assets of such REIT is determined, in whole or in part, by reference to such REIT’s tax basis in such assets, we generally would be subject to tax on the built-in gain on each asset of such REIT as described above if we were to dispose of the asset in a taxable transaction during the five-year period following such REIT’s requalification as a REIT, subject to certain exceptions. Moreover, even if such REIT qualified as a REIT at all relevant times, we would similarly be liable for other unpaid taxes (if any) of such REIT (such as the 100% tax on gains from any sales treated as “prohibited transactions” as described above under “—Prohibited Transaction Income”).
Furthermore, after our acquisition of another corporation or entity, the asset and income tests will apply to all of our assets, including the assets we acquire from such corporation or entity, and to all of our income, including the income derived from the assets we acquire from such corporation or entity. As a result, the nature of the assets that we acquire from such corporation or entity and the income we derive from those assets may have an effect on our tax status as a REIT.
Foreclosure Property
The foreclosure property rules permit us (by our election) to foreclose or repossess properties without being disqualified as a REIT as a result of receiving income that does not qualify under the gross income tests. However, in such a case, we would be subject to the U.S. federal corporate income tax on the net non-qualifying income from “foreclosure property,” and the after-tax amount would increase the dividends we would be required to distribute to stockholders. See “—Annual Distribution Requirements.” This corporate tax would not apply to income that qualifies under the REIT 75% income test.
53
Table of Contents
Foreclosure property treatment is generally available for an initial period of three years and may, in certain circumstances, be extended for an additional three years. However, foreclosure property treatment will end on the first day on which we enter into a lease of the applicable property that will give rise to income that does not qualify under the REIT 75% income test, but will not end if the lease will give rise only to qualifying income under such test. Foreclosure property treatment also will end if any construction takes place on the property (other than completion of a building or other improvement that was more than 10% complete before default became imminent).
Failure to Qualify
If we discover a violation of a provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT, certain specified cure provisions may be available to us. Except with respect to violations of the gross income tests and asset tests (for which the cure provisions are described above), and provided the violation is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, these cure provisions generally impose a $50,000 penalty for each violation in lieu of a loss of REIT status. If we fail to satisfy the requirements for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions do not apply, we will be required to pay regular U.S. federal corporate income tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018, on our taxable income. Distributions to stockholders in any year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT will not be deductible by us. As a result, we anticipate that our failure to qualify as a REIT would reduce the cash available for distribution by us to our stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will not be required to distribute any amounts to our stockholders and all distributions to stockholders will be taxable as regular corporate dividends to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, corporate stockholders may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. In addition, non-corporate stockholders, including individuals, may be eligible for the preferential tax rates on qualified dividend income. Non-corporate stockholders, including individuals, generally may deduct up to 20% of dividends from a REIT, other than capital gain dividends and dividends treated as qualified dividend income, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026 for purposes of determining their U.S. federal income tax (but not for purposes of the 3.8% Medicare tax), subject to certain holding period requirements and other limitations. If we fail to qualify as a REIT, such stockholders may not claim this deduction with respect to dividends paid by us. Unless entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we would also be ineligible to elect to be treated as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year for which we lose our qualification. It is not possible to state whether in all circumstances we would be entitled to this statutory relief.
Tax Aspects of Our Operating Partnership and the Subsidiary Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies
General
All of our investments are held indirectly through our operating partnership. In addition, our operating partnership holds certain of its investments indirectly through subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies that we believe are and will continue to be treated as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In general, entities that are treated as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes are “pass-through” entities which are not required to pay U.S. federal income tax. Rather, partners of such partnerships are allocated their shares of the items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the partnership, and are potentially required to pay tax on this income, without regard to whether they receive a distribution from the partnership. We will include in our income our share of these partnership items for purposes of the various gross income tests, the computation of our REIT taxable income, and the REIT distribution requirements. Moreover, for purposes of the asset tests, we will include our pro rata share of assets held by our operating partnership, including its share of the assets of its subsidiary partnerships, based on our capital interests in each such entity. See “—Taxation of Our Company—Ownership of Interests in Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies and Qualified REIT Subsidiaries.” A disregarded entity is not treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction
54
Table of Contents
and credit of a disregarded entity are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of its parent that is not a disregarded entity (e.g., our operating partnership) for all purposes under the Code, including all REIT qualification tests.
Entity Classification
Our interests in our operating partnership and the subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies involve special tax considerations, including the possibility that the IRS might challenge the status of these entities as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For example, an entity that would otherwise be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes may nonetheless be taxable as a corporation if it is a “publicly traded partnership” and certain other requirements are met. A partnership would be treated as a publicly traded partnership if its interests are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or a substantial equivalent thereof, within the meaning of applicable Treasury Regulations. We do not anticipate that our operating partnership or any subsidiary partnership will be treated as a publicly traded partnership that is taxable as a corporation. However, if any such entity were treated as a corporation, it would be required to pay an entity-level tax on its income. In this situation, the character of our assets and items of gross income would change and could prevent us from satisfying the REIT asset tests and possibly the REIT income tests. See “—Taxation of Our Company—Asset Tests” and “—Income Tests.” This, in turn, could prevent us from qualifying as a REIT. See “—Taxation of Our Company—Failure to Qualify” for a discussion of the effect of our failure to meet these tests. In addition, a change in the tax status of our operating partnership or a subsidiary treated as a partnership or disregarded entity to a corporation might be treated as a taxable event. If so, we might incur a tax liability without any related cash payment. We believe our operating partnership and each of the subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies are and will continue to be treated as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Allocations of Items of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction
A partnership agreement (or, in the case of a limited liability company treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the limited liability company agreement) generally will determine the allocation of income and loss among partners. These allocations, however, will be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with the provisions of Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder. Generally, Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder require that partnership allocations respect the economic arrangement of the partners. If an allocation of partnership income or loss does not comply with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership. This reallocation will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. The allocations of taxable income and loss of our operating partnership and any subsidiaries that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder.
Tax Allocations with Respect to the Properties
Under Section 704(c) of the Code, items of income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated in a manner so that the contributing partner is charged with the unrealized gain or benefits from the unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution. The amount of the unrealized gain or unrealized loss generally is equal to the difference between the fair market value or book value and the adjusted tax basis of the contributed property at the time of contribution (this difference is referred to as a book-tax difference), as adjusted from time to time. These allocations are solely for U.S. federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the partners.
55
Table of Contents
Our operating partnership may, from time to time, acquire interests in property in exchange for interests in our operating partnership. In that case, the tax basis of these property interests generally will carry over to our operating partnership, notwithstanding their different book (i.e., fair market) value. The partnership agreement requires that income and loss allocations with respect to these properties be made in a manner consistent with Section 704(c) of the Code. Treasury Regulations issued under Section 704(c) of the Code provide partnerships with a choice of several methods of accounting for book-tax differences. Depending on the method we choose in connection with any particular contribution, the carryover basis of each of the contributed interests in the properties in the hands of our operating partnership (1) could cause us to be allocated lower amounts of depreciation deductions for tax purposes than would be allocated to us if any of the contributed properties were to have a tax basis equal to its respective fair market value at the time of the contribution and (2) could cause us to be allocated taxable gain in the event of a sale of such contributed interests or properties in excess of the economic or book income allocated to us as a result of such sale, with a corresponding benefit to the other partners in our operating partnership. An allocation described in clause (2) above might cause us or the other partners to recognize taxable income in excess of cash proceeds in the event of a sale or other disposition of property, which might adversely affect our ability to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “—Taxation of Our Company—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT” and “—Annual Distribution Requirements.”
Any property acquired by our operating partnership in a taxable transaction will initially have a tax basis equal to its fair market value, and Section 704(c) of the Code generally will not apply.
Partnership Audit Rules
Under the current rules applicable to U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships, subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustment to items of income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit of a partnership (and any partner’s distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest, or penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. It is possible that these rules could result in partnerships in which we directly or indirectly invest, including our operating partnership, being required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties as a result of an audit adjustment, and we, as a direct or indirect partner of these partnerships, could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, interest, and penalties even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of the related audit adjustment. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these rules and their potential impact on their investment in our capital stock.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to Holders of Our Capital Stock or Debt Securities or Our Operating Partnership’s Debt Securities
The following discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of purchasing, owning and disposing of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities. This discussion is limited to holders who hold our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities as “capital assets” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a holder’s particular circumstances, including the alternative minimum tax. In addition, except where specifically noted, it does not address consequences relevant to holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:
| • | U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
| • | U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
| • | persons holding our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities as part of a hedge, straddle or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated investment; |
56
Table of Contents
| • | banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions; |
| • | REITs or regulated investment companies; |
| • | brokers, dealers or traders in securities; |
| • | “controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies,” and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; |
| • | S corporations, partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein); |
| • | tax-exempt organizations or governmental organizations; |
| • | persons subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities being taken into account in an applicable financial statement; |
| • | persons deemed to sell our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
| • | persons who hold 10% or more (by vote or value) of our capital stock; |
| • | tax-qualified retirement plans; and |
| • | persons who hold or receive our capital stock pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation. |
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED AS TAX ADVICE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK OR DEBT SECURITIES OR OUR OPERATING PARTNERSHIP’S DEBT SECURITIES ARISING UNDER OTHER U.S. FEDERAL TAX LAWS (INCLUDING ESTATE AND GIFT TAX LAWS), UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY.
For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is or is treated as:
| • | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| • | a corporation created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; |
| • | an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
| • | a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and the control of one or more “United States persons” (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) or (2) has a valid election in effect to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. holder” is any beneficial owner of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities that is neither a U.S. holder nor an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. Accordingly, partnerships holding our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities and the partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them.
57
Table of Contents
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Holders of Our Capital Stock
Distributions Generally
Distributions out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as dividends and, other than with respect to capital gain dividends and certain amounts which have previously been subject to corporate level tax, as discussed below, will be taxable to our taxable U.S. holders as ordinary income when actually or constructively received. See “—Tax Rates” below. As long as we qualify as a REIT, these distributions will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction in the case of U.S. holders that are corporations or, except to the extent described in “—Tax Rates” below, the preferential rates on qualified dividend income applicable to non-corporate U.S. holders, including individuals. For purposes of determining whether distributions to holders of our capital stock are out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, our earnings and profits will be allocated first to our outstanding preferred stock, if any, and then to our outstanding common stock.
To the extent that we make distributions on our capital stock in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to such stock, these distributions will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to a U.S. holder to the extent of the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such shares of stock. This treatment will reduce the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such shares of stock by such amount, but not below zero. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits and in excess of a U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares will be taxable as capital gain. Such gain will be taxable as long-term capital gain if the shares have been held for more than one year. Dividends we declare in October, November, or December of any year and which are payable to a holder of record on a specified date in any of these months will be treated as both paid by us and received by the holder on December 31 of that year, provided we actually pay the dividend on or before January 31 of the following year. U.S. holders may not include in their own income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses.
U.S. holders that receive taxable stock distributions, including distributions partially payable in our capital stock and partially payable in cash, would be required to include the full amount of the distribution (i.e., the cash and the stock portion) as a dividend (subject to limited exceptions) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as described above. The amount of any distribution payable in our capital stock generally is equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of the capital stock. Depending on the circumstances of a U.S. holder, the tax on the distribution may exceed the amount of the distribution received in cash, in which case such U.S. holder would have to pay the tax using cash from other sources. If a U.S. holder sells the capital stock it received in connection with a taxable stock distribution in order to pay this tax and the proceeds of such sale are less than the amount required to be included in income with respect to the stock portion of the distribution, such U.S. holder could have a capital loss with respect to the stock sale that could not be used to offset such income. A U.S. holder that receives capital stock pursuant to such distribution generally has a tax basis in such capital stock equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of such capital stock as described above, and has a holding period in such capital stock that begins on the day immediately following the payment date for the distribution.
Capital Gain Dividends
Dividends that we properly designate as capital gain dividends will generally be taxable to our taxable U.S. holders as a gain from the sale or disposition of a capital asset held for more than one year, to the extent that such gain does not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, and may not exceed our dividends paid for the taxable year, including dividends paid the following year that are treated as paid in the current year. U.S. holders that are corporations may, however, be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain dividends as ordinary income. If we properly designate any portion of a dividend as a capital gain dividend, then, except as otherwise required by law, we presently intend to allocate a portion of the total capital gain dividends paid or made available to holders of all classes of our capital stock for the year to the holders of each class of our capital stock in proportion to the amount that our total dividends, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, paid or made available to the holders of each such class of our capital stock for the year bears to the total
58
Table of Contents
dividends, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, paid or made available to holders of all classes of our capital stock for the year. In addition, except as otherwise required by law, we will make a similar allocation with respect to any undistributed long-term capital gains which are to be included in our stockholders’ long-term capital gains, based on the allocation of the capital gain amount which would have resulted if those undistributed long-term capital gains had been distributed as “capital gain dividends” by us to our stockholders.
Retention of Net Capital Gains
We may elect to retain, rather than distribute as a capital gain dividend, all or a portion of our net capital gains. If we make this election, we would pay tax on our retained net capital gains. In addition, to the extent we so elect, our earnings and profits (determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) would be adjusted accordingly, and a U.S. holder generally would:
| • | include its pro rata share of our undistributed capital gain in computing its long-term capital gains in its U.S. federal income tax return for its taxable year in which the last day of our taxable year falls, subject to certain limitations as to the amount that is includable; |
| • | be deemed to have paid its share of the capital gains tax imposed on us on the designated amounts included in the U.S. holder’s income as long-term capital gain; |
| • | receive a credit or refund for the amount of tax deemed paid by it; |
| • | increase the adjusted tax basis of its capital stock by the difference between the amount of includable gains and the tax deemed to have been paid by it; and |
| • | in the case of a U.S. holder that is a corporation, appropriately adjust its earnings and profits for the retained capital gains in accordance with Treasury Regulations to be promulgated by the IRS. |
Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations
Distributions we make and gain arising from the sale or exchange of our capital stock by a U.S. holder will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, U.S. holders generally will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against this income or gain. A U.S. holder generally may elect to treat capital gain dividends, capital gains from the disposition of our capital stock and income designated as qualified dividend income, as described in “—Tax Rates” below, as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation, but in such case, the holder will be taxed at ordinary income rates on such amount. Other distributions made by us, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital, generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation.
Dispositions of Our Capital Stock
Except as described below under “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Holders of Our Capital Stock—Redemption or Repurchase by Us,” if a U.S. holder sells or disposes of shares of our capital stock, it will recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received on the sale or other disposition and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares. This gain or loss, except as provided below, will be long-term capital gain or loss if the holder has held such capital stock for more than one year. However, if a U.S. holder recognizes a loss upon the sale or other disposition of capital stock that it has held for six months or less, after applying certain holding period rules, the loss recognized will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent the U.S. holder received distributions from us which were required to be treated as long-term capital gains. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Redemption or Repurchase by Us
A redemption or repurchase of shares of our capital stock will be treated under Section 302 of the Code as a distribution (and taxable as a dividend to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits as described above under “—Distributions Generally”) unless the redemption or repurchase satisfies one of the tests
59
Table of Contents
set forth in Section 302(b) of the Code and is therefore treated as a sale or exchange of the redeemed or repurchased shares. The redemption or repurchase generally will be treated as a sale or exchange if it:
| • | is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, |
| • | results in a “complete redemption” of the U.S. holder’s stock interest in us, or |
| • | is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder, |
all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Code.
In determining whether any of these tests has been met, shares of our capital stock, including common stock and other equity interests in us, considered to be owned by the U.S. holder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code, as well as shares of our capital stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, generally must be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Code will be satisfied with respect to the U.S. holder depends upon the facts and circumstances at the time that the determination must be made, U.S. holders are advised to consult their tax advisors to determine such tax treatment.
If a redemption or repurchase of shares of our capital stock is treated as a distribution, the amount of the distribution will be measured by the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received. See “—Distributions Generally.” A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the redeemed or repurchased shares generally will be transferred to the holder’s remaining shares of our capital stock, if any. If a U.S. holder owns no other shares of our capital stock, under certain circumstances, such basis may be transferred to a related person or it may be lost entirely. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a redemption or repurchase of our capital stock.
If a redemption or repurchase of shares of our capital stock is not treated as a distribution, it will be treated as a taxable sale or exchange in the manner described under “—Dispositions of Our Capital Stock.”
Tax Rates
The maximum tax rate for non-corporate taxpayers for (1) long-term capital gains, including certain “capital gain dividends,” generally is 20% (although depending on the characteristics of the assets which produced these gains and on designations which we may make, certain capital gain dividends may be taxed at a 25% rate) and (2) “qualified dividend income” generally is 20%. In general, dividends payable by REITs are not eligible for the reduced tax rate on qualified dividend income, except to the extent that certain holding period requirements have been met and the REIT’s dividends are attributable to dividends received from taxable corporations (such as its taxable REIT subsidiaries) or to income that was subject to tax at the corporate/REIT level (for example, if the REIT distributed taxable income that it retained and paid tax on in the prior taxable year). Capital gain dividends will only be eligible for the rates described above to the extent that they are properly designated by the REIT as “capital gain dividends.” U.S. holders that are corporations may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. In addition, non-corporate U.S. holders, including individuals, generally may deduct up to 20% of dividends from a REIT, other than capital gain dividends and dividends treated as qualified dividend income, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026 for purposes of determining their U.S. federal income tax (but not for purposes of the 3.8% Medicare tax), subject to certain holding period requirements and other limitations.
Taxation of U.S. Tax-Exempt Holders of Our Capital Stock
Dividend income from us and gain arising upon a sale of shares of our capital stock generally should not be unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to a U.S. tax-exempt holder, except as described below. This income or gain will be UBTI, however, to the extent a U.S. tax-exempt holder holds its shares as “debt-financed property” within the meaning of the Code. Generally, “debt-financed property” is property the acquisition or holding of which was financed through a borrowing by the U.S. tax-exempt holder.
60
Table of Contents
For U.S. tax-exempt holders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations or supplemental unemployment benefit trusts exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9) or (c)(17) of the Code, respectively, income from an investment in our shares will constitute UBTI unless the organization is able to properly claim a deduction for amounts set aside or placed in reserve for specific purposes so as to offset the income generated by its investment in our shares. These prospective investors should consult their tax advisors concerning these “set aside” and reserve requirements.
Notwithstanding the above, however, a portion of the dividends paid by a “pension-held REIT” may be treated as UBTI as to certain trusts that hold more than 10%, by value, of the interests in the REIT. A REIT will not be a “pension-held REIT” if it is able to satisfy the “not closely held” requirement without relying on the “look-through” exception with respect to certain trusts or if such REIT is not “predominantly held” by “qualified trusts.” As a result of restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock contained in our charter, we do not expect to be classified as a “pension-held REIT,” and as a result, the tax treatment described above should be inapplicable to our holders. However, because our common stock is publicly traded (and, we anticipate, will continue to be publicly traded), we cannot guarantee that this will always be the case.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders of Our Capital Stock
The following discussion addresses the rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our capital stock by non-U.S. holders. These rules are complex, and no attempt is made herein to provide more than a brief summary of such rules. Accordingly, the discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation and does not address other federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences that may be relevant to a non-U.S. holder in light of its particular circumstances. We urge non-U.S. holders to consult their tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax laws and any applicable tax treaty on the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of our capital stock, including any reporting requirements.
Distributions Generally
Distributions (including any taxable stock distributions) that are neither attributable to gains from sales or exchanges by us of United States real property interests (“USRPIs”) nor designated by us as capital gain dividends (except as described below) will be treated as dividends of ordinary income to the extent that they are made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Such distributions ordinarily will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, unless the distributions are treated as effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. holder of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such dividends are attributable). Under certain treaties, however, lower withholding rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from a REIT. Certain certification and disclosure requirements must be satisfied for a non-U.S. holder to be exempt from withholding under the effectively connected income exemption. Dividends that are treated as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business generally will not be subject to withholding but will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the regular rates, in the same manner as dividends paid to U.S. holders are subject to U.S. federal income tax. Any such dividends received by a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate (applicable after deducting U.S. federal income taxes paid on such effectively connected income) or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.
Except as otherwise provided below, we expect to withhold U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30% on any distributions made to a non-U.S. holder unless:
| 1. | a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. holder furnishes an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) evidencing eligibility for that reduced treaty rate; or |
| 2. | the non-U.S. holder furnishes an IRS Form W-8ECI (or other applicable documentation) claiming that the distribution is income effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s trade or business. |
61
Table of Contents
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to a non-U.S. holder to the extent that such distributions do not exceed the adjusted tax basis of the holder’s capital stock, but rather will reduce the adjusted tax basis of such stock. To the extent that such distributions exceed the non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such capital stock, they generally will give rise to gain from the sale or exchange of such stock, the tax treatment of which is described below. However, such excess distributions may be treated as dividend income for certain non-U.S. holders. For withholding purposes, we expect to treat all distributions as made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. However, amounts withheld may be refundable if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, provided that certain conditions are met.
Capital Gain Dividends and Distributions Attributable to a Sale or Exchange of United States Real Property Interests
Distributions to a non-U.S. holder that we properly designate as capital gain dividends, other than those arising from the disposition of a USRPI, generally should not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation, unless:
| 1. | the investment in our capital stock is treated as effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. holder of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such dividends are attributable), in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. holders with respect to such gain, except that a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to a branch profits tax of up to 30%, as discussed above; or |
| 2. | the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met, in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% on the non-U.S. holder’s capital gains (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of such non-U.S. holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses. |
Pursuant to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (“FIRPTA”), distributions to a non-U.S. holder that are attributable to gain from sales or exchanges by us of USRPIs, whether or not designated as capital gain dividends, will cause the non-U.S. holder to be treated as recognizing such gain as income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. Non-U.S. holders generally would be taxed at the regular rates applicable to U.S. holders, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. We also will be required to withhold and to remit to the IRS 21% of any distribution to non-U.S. holders attributable to gain from sales or exchanges by us of USRPIs. Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation. The amount withheld is creditable against the non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability. However, any distribution with respect to any class of stock that is “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations, on an established securities market located in the United States is not subject to FIRPTA, and therefore, not subject to the 21% U.S. withholding tax described above, if the non-U.S. holder did not own more than 10% of such class of stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. Instead, such distributions generally will be treated as ordinary dividend distributions and subject to withholding in the manner described above with respect to ordinary dividends. In addition, distributions to certain non-U.S. publicly traded shareholders that meet certain record-keeping and other requirements (“qualified shareholders”) are exempt from FIRPTA, except to the extent owners of such qualified shareholders that are not also qualified shareholders own, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our capital stock. Furthermore, distributions to certain “qualified foreign pension funds” or entities all of the interests of which are held by such “qualified foreign pension funds” are exempt from FIRPTA. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
62
Table of Contents
Retention of Net Capital Gains
Although the law is not clear on the matter, it appears that amounts we designate as retained net capital gains in respect of our capital stock should be treated with respect to non-U.S. holders as actual distributions of capital gain dividends. Under this approach, the non-U.S. holders may be able to offset as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability their proportionate share of the tax paid by us on such retained net capital gains and to receive from the IRS a refund to the extent their proportionate share of such tax paid by us exceeds their actual U.S. federal income tax liability. If we were to designate any portion of our net capital gain as retained net capital gain, non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the taxation of such retained net capital gain.
Sale of Our Capital Stock
Except as described below under “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders of Our Capital Stock—Redemption or Repurchase by Us,” gain realized by a non-U.S. holder upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our capital stock generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless such stock constitutes a USRPI. In general, stock of a domestic corporation that constitutes a United States real property holding corporation (“USRPHC”) will constitute a USRPI. We believe that we are a USRPHC. Our capital stock will not, however, constitute a USRPI so long as we are a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” A “domestically controlled qualified investment entity” includes a REIT in which at all times during a five-year testing period less than 50% in value of its stock is held directly or indirectly by non-United States persons, subject to certain ownership rules. For purposes of determining whether a REIT is a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity,” ownership by non-United States persons generally will be determined by looking through certain pass-through entities and U.S. corporations, including non-public REITs and certain non-public foreign-controlled domestic C corporations, and treating a public qualified investment entity as a non-United States person unless such entity is a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” Notwithstanding the foregoing ownership rules, a person who at all applicable times holds less than 5% of a class of a REIT’s stock that is “regularly traded” on an established securities market in the United States is treated as a United States person unless the REIT has actual knowledge that such person is not a United States person or is a foreign-controlled person. We believe, but cannot guarantee, that we are a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” Because our common stock is publicly traded (and, we anticipate, will continue to be publicly traded), no assurance can be given that we will continue to be a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.”
Even if we do not qualify as a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity” at the time a non-U.S. holder sells our capital stock, gain realized from the sale or other taxable disposition by a non-U.S. holder of such capital stock would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax under FIRPTA as a sale of a USRPI if:
| 1. | such class of stock is “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations, on an established securities market such as Nasdaq; and |
| 2. | such non-U.S. holder owned, actually and constructively, 10% or less of such class of stock throughout the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the sale or other taxable disposition or the non-U.S. holder’s holding period. |
In addition, dispositions of our capital stock by qualified shareholders are exempt from FIRPTA, except to the extent owners of such qualified shareholders that are not also qualified shareholders own, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our capital stock. Furthermore, dispositions of our capital stock by certain “qualified foreign pension funds” or entities all of the interests of which are held by such “qualified foreign pension funds” are exempt from FIRPTA. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, gain from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our capital stock not otherwise subject to FIRPTA will be taxable to a non-U.S. holder if either (a) the investment in our capital stock is treated as effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. holder of a trade or business within the
63
Table of Contents
United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such gain is attributable), in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. holders with respect to such gain, except that a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such gain, as adjusted for certain items, or (b) the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met, in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to a 30% tax on the non-U.S. holder’s capital gains derived from sources within the United States (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by capital losses of the non-U.S. holder derived from sources within the United States (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses. In addition, even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, upon disposition of our capital stock, a non-U.S. holder may be treated as having gain from the sale or other taxable disposition of a USRPI if the non-U.S. holder (1) disposes of such stock within a 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of which, but for the disposition, would have been treated as gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI and (2) acquires, or enters into a contract or option to acquire, or is deemed to acquire, other shares of that stock during the 61-day period beginning with the first day of the 30-day period described in clause (1), unless such class of stock is “regularly traded” and the non-U.S. holder did not own more than 10% of such class of stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution described in clause (1).
If gain on the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our capital stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-U.S. holder would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return and would be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax with respect to such gain in the same manner as a taxable U.S. holder (subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals). In addition, if the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our capital stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, and if shares of the applicable class of our capital stock were not “regularly traded” on an established securities market, the purchaser of such capital stock generally would be required to withhold and remit to the IRS 15% of the purchase price.
Redemption or Repurchase by Us
A redemption or repurchase of shares of our capital stock will be treated under Section 302 of the Code as a distribution (and taxable as a dividend to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits) unless the redemption or repurchase satisfies one of the tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Code and is therefore treated as a sale or exchange of the redeemed or repurchased shares. See “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Holders of Our Capital Stock—Redemption or Repurchase by Us.” Qualified shareholders and their owners may be subject to different rules, and should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of such rules. If the redemption or repurchase of shares is treated as a distribution, the amount of the distribution will be measured by the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received. See “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders of Our Capital Stock—Distributions Generally” above. If the redemption or repurchase of shares is not treated as a distribution, it will be treated as a taxable sale or exchange in the manner described above under “—Sale of Our Capital Stock.”
Taxation of Holders of Our Debt Securities or Our Operating Partnership’s Debt Securities
The following summary describes certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of purchasing, owning and disposing of debt securities issued by us or our operating partnership. This discussion assumes the debt securities will be issued with less than a statutory de minimis amount of original issue discount for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, this discussion is limited to persons purchasing the debt securities for cash at original issue and at their original “issue price” within the meaning of Section 1273 of the Code (i.e., the first price at which a substantial amount of the debt securities is sold to the public for cash).
64
Table of Contents
U.S. Holders
Payments of Interest
Interest on a debt security generally will be taxable to a U.S. holder as ordinary income at the time such interest is received or accrued, in accordance with such U.S. holder’s method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition
A U.S. holder will recognize gain or loss on the sale, exchange, redemption, retirement or other taxable disposition of a debt security. The amount of such gain or loss generally will be equal to the difference between the amount received for the debt security in cash or other property valued at fair market value (less amounts attributable to any accrued but unpaid interest, which will be taxable as interest to the extent not previously included in income) and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the debt security. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in a debt security generally will be equal to the amount the U.S. holder paid for the debt security. Any gain or loss will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder has held the debt security for more than one year at the time of such sale or other taxable disposition. Otherwise, such gain or loss will be short-term capital gain or loss. Long-term capital gains recognized by certain non-corporate U.S. holders, including individuals, generally will be taxable at a reduced rate. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Non-U.S. Holders
Payments of Interest
Interest paid on a debt security to a non-U.S. holder that is not effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, or withholding tax of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), provided that:
| • | the non-U.S. holder does not, actually or constructively, own, in the case of our debt securities, 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our voting stock, or, in the case of our operating partnership’s debt securities, 10% or more of our operating partnership’s capital or profits; |
| • | the non-U.S. holder is not a controlled foreign corporation related to us or our operating partnership, as applicable, through actual or constructive stock ownership; and |
| • | either (1) the non-U.S. holder certifies in a statement provided to the applicable withholding agent under penalties of perjury that it is not a United States person and provides its name and address; (2) a securities clearing organization, bank or other financial institution that holds customers’ securities in the ordinary course of its trade or business and holds the debt security on behalf of the non-U.S. holder certifies to the applicable withholding agent under penalties of perjury that it, or the financial institution between it and the non-U.S. holder, has received from the non-U.S. holder a statement under penalties of perjury that such holder is not a United States person and provides a copy of such statement to the applicable withholding agent; or (3) the non-U.S. holder holds its debt security directly through a “qualified intermediary” (within the meaning of the applicable Treasury Regulations) and certain conditions are satisfied. |
If a non-U.S. holder does not satisfy the requirements above, such non-U.S. holder may be entitled to a reduction in or an exemption from withholding on such interest as a result of an applicable tax treaty. To claim such entitlement, the non-U.S. holder must provide the applicable withholding agent with a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) claiming a reduction in or exemption from withholding tax under the benefit of an income tax treaty between the United States and the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides or is established.
65
Table of Contents
If interest paid to a non-U.S. holder is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such interest is attributable), the non-U.S. holder will be exempt from the U.S. federal withholding tax described above. To claim the exemption, the non-U.S. holder must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that interest paid on a debt security is not subject to withholding tax because it is effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. holder of a trade or business within the United States.
Any such effectively connected interest generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular rates. A non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected interest, as adjusted for certain items.
The certifications described above must be provided to the applicable withholding agent prior to the payment of interest and must be updated periodically. Non-U.S. holders that do not timely provide the applicable withholding agent with the required certification, but that qualify for a reduced rate under an applicable income tax treaty, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under any applicable income tax treaty.
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition
A non-U.S. holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange, redemption, retirement or other taxable disposition of a debt security (such amount excludes any amount allocable to accrued and unpaid interest, which generally will be treated as interest and may be subject to the rules discussed above in “—Taxation of Holders of Our Debt Securities or Our Operating Partnership’s Debt Securities—Non-U.S. Holders—Payments of Interest”) unless:
| • | the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such gain is attributable); or |
| • | the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met. |
Gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular rates. A non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.
A non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on gain realized upon the sale or other taxable disposition of a debt security, which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the non-U.S. holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.
Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
U.S. Holders
A U.S. holder may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding when such holder receives payments on our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities or proceeds from the sale or other taxable disposition of such stock or debt securities (including a redemption or retirement of a
66
Table of Contents
debt security). Certain U.S. holders are exempt from backup withholding, including corporations and certain U.S. tax-exempt organizations. A U.S. holder will be subject to backup withholding if such holder is not otherwise exempt and:
| • | the holder fails to furnish the holder’s taxpayer identification number, which for an individual is ordinarily his or her social security number; |
| • | the holder furnishes an incorrect taxpayer identification number; |
| • | the applicable withholding agent is notified by the IRS that the holder previously failed to properly report payments of interest or dividends; or |
| • | the holder fails to certify under penalties of perjury that the holder has furnished a correct taxpayer identification number and that the IRS has not notified the holder that the holder is subject to backup withholding. |
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their qualification for an exemption from backup withholding and the procedures for obtaining such an exemption.
Non-U.S. Holders
Payments of dividends on our capital stock or interest on our debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities generally will not be subject to backup withholding, provided the applicable withholding agent does not have actual knowledge or reason to know the holder is a United States person and the holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any distributions on our capital stock or interest on our debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities paid to the non-U.S. holder, regardless of whether such distributions constitute a dividend or whether any tax was actually withheld. In addition, proceeds of the sale or other taxable disposition of such stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities (including a retirement or redemption of a debt security) within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related brokers generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above and does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person, or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds of a disposition of such stock or debt securities conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting.
Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides or is established.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Medicare Contribution Tax on Unearned Income
Certain U.S. holders that are individuals, estates or trusts are required to pay an additional 3.8% tax on, among other things, dividends on stock, interest on debt obligations and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or debt obligations, subject to certain limitations. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of these rules on their ownership and disposition of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities.
67
Table of Contents
Additional Withholding Tax on Payments Made to Foreign Accounts
Withholding taxes may be imposed under Sections 1471 to 1474 of the Code (such sections commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, “FATCA”) on certain types of payments made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends on our capital stock, interest on our debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities or (subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below) gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities, in each case paid to a “foreign financial institution” or a “non-financial foreign entity” (each as defined in the Code), unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations, (2) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any “substantial United States owners” (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, or (3) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in clause (1) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain “specified United States persons” or “United States owned foreign entities” (each as defined in the Code), annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on certain payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.
Under the applicable Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance, withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends on our capital stock or interest on our debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities. While withholding under FATCA would have applied also to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of stock or debt securities on or after January 1, 2019, proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds entirely. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued. Because we may not know the extent to which a distribution is a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes at the time it is made, for purposes of these withholding rules we may treat the entire distribution as a dividend.
Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of withholding under FATCA to their investment in our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities.
Other Tax Consequences
State, local and non-U.S. income tax laws may differ substantially from the corresponding U.S. federal income tax laws, and this discussion does not purport to describe any aspect of the tax laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdiction, or any U.S. federal tax other than income tax. You should consult your tax advisors regarding the effect of state, local and non-U.S. tax laws with respect to our tax treatment as a REIT and on an investment in our capital stock or debt securities or our operating partnership’s debt securities.
68
Table of Contents
We may sell the offered securities from time to time:
| • | through underwriters or dealers; |
| • | through agents; |
| • | directly to one or more purchasers; or |
| • | through a combination of any of these methods of sale. |
We will identify the specific plan of distribution, including any underwriters, dealers, agents or direct purchasers and their compensation in the applicable prospectus supplement.
69
Table of Contents
Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of us. Ballard Spahr LLP will pass upon certain legal matters with respect to the validity of shares of our capital stock and certain other legal matters relating to Maryland law on behalf of us. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
70
Table of Contents
The financial statements of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) incorporated by reference in this Prospectus, and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of such firm given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
71
Table of Contents
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Rights
Units
Guarantees of Debt Securities
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
Debt Securities
Prospectus
February 7, 2025
Table of Contents
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14.
Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by the registrant) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby.
| SEC registration fee |
$ | (1) | ||
| FINRA filing fee |
$ | (2) | ||
| Printing expenses |
$ | (2) | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
$ | (2) | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
$ | (2) | ||
| Blue Sky, qualification fees and expenses |
$ | (2) | ||
| Transfer agent fees and expenses |
$ | (2) | ||
| Trustee fees and expenses |
$ | (2) | ||
| Miscellaneous |
$ | (2) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
$ | (2) | ||
|
|
|
| (1) | Pursuant to Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the SEC registration fee will be paid at the time of any particular offering of securities under the registration statement, and is therefore not currently determinable. |
| (2) | These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time. |
Item 15.
Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision eliminating the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains provisions eliminating the liability of directors and officers, to the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time permits.
The Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”), requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that (i) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (a) was committed in bad faith or (b) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (ii) the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services or (iii) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not, however, indemnify a director or officer for an adverse judgment in a suit by or on behalf of the corporation or if the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless limited by the charter
II-1
Table of Contents
(which our charter does not), a court of appropriate jurisdiction, upon application of a director or officer, may order indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all the relevant circumstances, whether or not the director or officer met the standards of conduct described above or has been adjudged liable on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received, but such indemnification is limited to expenses.
In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer, without requiring a preliminary determination of the director’s or officer’s ultimate entitlement to indemnification, upon the corporation’s receipt of (i) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and (ii) a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.
Our charter obligates us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to (i) any individual who is a present or former director or officer of the Company and who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or (ii) any individual who, while serving as a director or officer of the Company and at our request, serves or has served as a director or officer of another entity and who is made, or threatened to be made, party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. We may, with the approval of our Board, provide such indemnification and advancement of expenses to any other persons, including a person who served a predecessor of the Company in any such capacities described above and permitted to be indemnified by Maryland law and in accordance with applicable law.
Our Board has approved, and we entered into, indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification and advance of expenses to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
The partnership agreement of Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P., the partnership of which we serve as the sole member of the sole general partner, also provides that we, as general partner, are indemnified to the extent provided therein. The partnership agreement further provides that our directors, officers and designees are indemnified to the extent provided therein.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the Company, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
We have obtained an insurance policy under which its directors and executive officers are insured, subject to the limits of the policy, against certain losses arising from claims made against such directors and officers by reason of any acts or omissions covered under such policy in their respective capacities as directors or officers, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 16.
Exhibits
A list of exhibits filed with this registration statement is set forth on the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.
II-2
Table of Contents
Item 17.
Undertakings
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Filing Fee Tables” or “Calculation of Registration Fee” table, as applicable, in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document
II-3
Table of Contents
incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(6) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
II-4
Table of Contents
EXHIBIT INDEX
II-5
Table of Contents
| * | Filed herewith |
| ** | To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of the securities. |
II-6
Table of Contents
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, each of the registrants certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Cincinnati, state of Ohio, on the 7th day of February, 2025.
| PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Jeffrey S. Edison | |
| Name: Jeffrey S. Edison | ||
| Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| PHILLIPS EDISON GROCERY CENTER OPERATING PARTNERSHIP I, L.P. | ||
| By: | Phillips Edison Grocery Center OP GP I LLC, its general partner | |
| By: | Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., the sole member of its general partner | |
| By: | /s/ Jeffrey S. Edison | |
| Name: Jeffrey S. Edison | ||
| Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
II-7
Table of Contents
Each of the undersigned officers and directors of the registrant hereby severally constitutes and appoints Jeffrey S. Edison, John P. Caulfield and Tanya E. Brady, and each of them singly (with full power to each of them to act alone), as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to file and sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this registration statement and any other registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective under Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith and about the premises as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. This power of attorney shall be governed by and construed with the laws of the State of Delaware and applicable federal securities laws.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Jeffrey S. Edison Jeffrey S. Edison |
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ John P. Caulfield John P. Caulfield |
Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer) | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Jennifer L. Robison Jennifer L. Robison |
Chief Accounting Officer and Senior Vice President (Principal Accounting Officer) | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Leslie T. Chao Leslie T. Chao |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Elizabeth O. Fischer Elizabeth O. Fischer |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Devin I. Murphy Devin I. Murphy |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Stephen R. Quazzo Stephen R. Quazzo |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Jane E. Silfen Jane E. Silfen |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ John A. Strong John A. Strong |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Anthony E. Terry Anthony E. Terry |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Parilee E. Wang Parilee E. Wang |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
| /s/ Gregory S. Wood Gregory S. Wood |
Director | February 7, 2025 | ||
II-8
Exhibit 4.3
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
INDENTURE
Dated as of _______________, 20__
U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Trustee
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||||
| Article I. DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE |
6 | |||||
| Section 1.1 |
Definitions | 6 | ||||
| Section 1.2 |
Other Definitions | 10 | ||||
| Section 1.3 |
Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act | 10 | ||||
| Section 1.4 |
Rules of Construction | 10 | ||||
| Article II. THE SECURITIES |
11 | |||||
| Section 2.1 |
Issuable in Series | 11 | ||||
| Section 2.2 |
Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities | 11 | ||||
| Section 2.3 |
Execution and Authentication | 14 | ||||
| Section 2.4 |
Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent | 15 | ||||
| Section 2.5 |
Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust | 16 | ||||
| Section 2.6 |
Holder Lists | 16 | ||||
| Section 2.7 |
Transfer and Exchange | 17 | ||||
| Section 2.8 |
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities | 17 | ||||
| Section 2.9 |
Outstanding Securities | 18 | ||||
| Section 2.10 |
Treasury Securities | 18 | ||||
| Section 2.11 |
Temporary Securities | 19 | ||||
| Section 2.12 |
Cancellation | 19 | ||||
| Section 2.13 |
Defaulted Interest | 19 | ||||
| Section 2.14 |
Global Securities | 19 | ||||
| Section 2.15 |
CUSIP Numbers | 21 | ||||
| Article III. REDEMPTION |
21 | |||||
| Section 3.1 |
Notice to Trustee | 21 | ||||
| Section 3.2 |
Selection of Securities to be Redeemed | 22 | ||||
| Section 3.3 |
Notice of Redemption | 22 | ||||
| Section 3.4 |
Effect of Notice of Redemption | 23 | ||||
| Section 3.5 |
Deposit of Redemption Price | 23 | ||||
| Section 3.6 |
Securities Redeemed in Part | 23 | ||||
| Article IV. COVENANTS |
23 | |||||
| Section 4.1 |
Payment of Principal and Interest | 23 | ||||
| Section 4.2 |
SEC Reports | 24 | ||||
| Section 4.3 |
Compliance Certificate | 24 | ||||
| Section 4.4 |
Stay, Extension and Usury Laws | 25 | ||||
| Article V. SUCCESSORS |
25 | |||||
| Section 5.1 |
When Company May Merge, Etc. | 25 | ||||
i
| Section 5.2 |
Successor Corporation Substituted | 25 | ||||
| Article VI. DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES |
26 | |||||
| Section 6.1 |
Events of Default | 26 | ||||
| Section 6.2 |
Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment | 27 | ||||
| Section 6.3 |
Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee | 28 | ||||
| Section 6.4 |
Trustee May File Proofs of Claim | 28 | ||||
| Section 6.5 |
Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities | 29 | ||||
| Section 6.6 |
Application of Money Collected | 29 | ||||
| Section 6.7 |
Limitation on Suits | 30 | ||||
| Section 6.8 |
Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest | 30 | ||||
| Section 6.9 |
Restoration of Rights and Remedies | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.10 |
Rights and Remedies Cumulative | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.11 |
Delay or Omission Not Waiver | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.12 |
Control by Holders | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.13 |
Waiver of Past Defaults | 32 | ||||
| Section 6.14 |
Undertaking for Costs | 32 | ||||
| Article VII. TRUSTEE |
32 | |||||
| Section 7.1 |
Duties of Trustee | 32 | ||||
| Section 7.2 |
Rights of Trustee | 34 | ||||
| Section 7.3 |
Individual Rights of Trustee | 35 | ||||
| Section 7.4 |
Trustee’s Disclaimer | 36 | ||||
| Section 7.5 |
Notice of Defaults | 36 | ||||
| Section 7.6 |
Reports by Trustee to Holders | 36 | ||||
| Section 7.7 |
Compensation and Indemnity | 36 | ||||
| Section 7.8 |
Replacement of Trustee | 37 | ||||
| Section 7.9 |
Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc. | 38 | ||||
| Section 7.10 |
Eligibility; Disqualification | 38 | ||||
| Section 7.11 |
Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company | 38 | ||||
| Article VIII. SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE |
39 | |||||
| Section 8.1 |
Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture | 39 | ||||
| Section 8.2 |
Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification | 40 | ||||
| Section 8.3 |
Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series | 40 | ||||
| Section 8.4 |
Covenant Defeasance | 42 | ||||
| Section 8.5 |
Repayment to Company | 43 | ||||
| Section 8.6 |
Reinstatement | 43 | ||||
| Article IX. AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS |
44 | |||||
| Section 9.1 |
Without Consent of Holders | 44 | ||||
| Section 9.2 |
With Consent of Holders | 44 | ||||
| Section 9.3 |
Limitations | 45 | ||||
| Section 9.4 |
Compliance with Trust Indenture Act | 46 | ||||
ii
| Section 9.5 |
Revocation and Effect of Consents | 46 | ||||
| Section 9.6 |
Notation on or Exchange of Securities | 46 | ||||
| Section 9.7 |
Trustee Protected | 47 | ||||
| Article X. MISCELLANEOUS |
47 | |||||
| Section 10.1 |
Trust Indenture Act Controls | 47 | ||||
| Section 10.2 |
Notices | 47 | ||||
| Section 10.3 |
Communication by Holders with Other Holders | 48 | ||||
| Section 10.4 |
Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent | 48 | ||||
| Section 10.5 |
Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion | 48 | ||||
| Section 10.6 |
Rules by Trustee and Agents | 49 | ||||
| Section 10.7 |
Legal Holidays | 49 | ||||
| Section 10.8 |
No Recourse Against Others | 49 | ||||
| Section 10.9 |
Counterparts | 49 | ||||
| Section 10.10 |
Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction | 50 | ||||
| Section 10.11 |
No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements | 51 | ||||
| Section 10.12 |
Successors | 51 | ||||
| Section 10.13 |
Severability | 51 | ||||
| Section 10.14 |
Table of Contents, Headings, Etc. | 51 | ||||
| Section 10.15 |
Securities in a Foreign Currency | 51 | ||||
| Section 10.16 |
Judgment Currency | 52 | ||||
| Section 10.17 |
USA Patriot Act | 52 | ||||
| Section 10.18 |
Force Majeure | 53 | ||||
| Article XI. SINKING FUNDS |
53 | |||||
| Section 11.1 |
Applicability of Article | 53 | ||||
| Section 11.2 |
Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities | 53 | ||||
| Section 11.3 |
Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund | 54 | ||||
| Article XII. GUARANTEE |
54 | |||||
| Section 12.1 |
Unconditional Guarantee | 54 | ||||
| Section 12.2 |
Execution and Delivery of Notation of Guarantee | 55 | ||||
| Section 12.3 |
Limitation on Guarantors’ Liability | 56 | ||||
| Section 12.4 |
Release of Guarantors from Guarantee | 56 | ||||
iii
EXHIBITS
Exhibit A Form of Notation of Guarantee
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and
Indenture, dated as of _______________, 20__
| § 310(a)(1) | 7.1 | |
| (a)(2) | 7.1 | |
| (a)(3) | Not Applicable | |
| (a)(4) | Not Applicable | |
| (a)(5) | 7.1 | |
| (b) | 7.1 | |
| § 311(a) | 7.11 | |
| (b) | 7.11 | |
| (c) | Not Applicable | |
| § 312(a) | 2.6 | |
| (b) | 10.3 | |
| (c) | 10.3 | |
| § 313(a) | 7.6 | |
| (b)(1) | 7.6 | |
| (b)(2) | 7.6 | |
| (c)(1) | 7.6 | |
| (c)(2) | 7.6 | |
| (c)(3) | 7.6 | |
| (d) | 7.6 | |
| § 314(a) | 4.2, 10.5 | |
| (b) | Not Applicable | |
| (c)(1) | 10.4 | |
| (c)(2) | 10.4 | |
| (c)(3) | Not Applicable | |
| (d) | Not Applicable | |
| (e) | 10.5 | |
| (f) | Not Applicable | |
| § 315(a) | 7.1 | |
| (b) | 7.5 | |
| (c) | 7.1 |
iv
| (d) | 7.1 | |
| (e) | 6.14 | |
| § 316(a) | 2.1 | |
| (a)(1)(A) | 6.12 | |
| (a)(1)(B) | 6.13 | |
| (b) | 6.8 | |
| (c) | 9.5 | |
| § 317(a)(1) | 6.3 | |
| (a)(2) | 6.4 | |
| (b) | 2.5 | |
| § 318(a) | 10.1 |
Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.
v
Indenture, dated as of _______________, 20__, among Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), the Guarantors (as defined herein) party hereto and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).
Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities issued under this Indenture.
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
Section 1.1 Definitions.
“Additional Amounts” means any additional amounts which are required hereby or by any Security, under circumstances specified herein or therein, to be paid by the Company in respect of certain taxes imposed on Holders specified herein or therein and which are owing to such Holders.
“Affiliate” of any specified person means any other person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with such specified person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by agreement or otherwise.
“Agent” means any Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee thereof.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been adopted by the Board of Directors or pursuant to authorization by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of the certificate and delivered to the Trustee.
“Business Day” means, unless otherwise provided by Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture hereto for a particular Series, any day except a Saturday, Sunday, a day on which banking institutions in the state in which the Corporate Trust Office is located or a legal holiday in the City of New York (or in connection with any payment, the place of payment) on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
“Capital Stock” means (a) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock; (b) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated and whether or not voting) of corporate stock, including each class of common stock and preferred stock of such person; and (c) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership or membership interests (whether general or limited).
6
“Company” means the party named as such above until a successor replaces it and thereafter means the successor.
“Company Order” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by an Officer and delivered to the Trustee.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business related to this Indenture shall be principally administered, which office at the date of the Indenture is located at the address set forth in Section 10.2, or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company.
“CUSIP” means the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures and will be used pursuant to Section 2.15.
“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.
“Depositary” means, with respect to the Securities of any Series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the person designated as Depositary for such Series by the Company, which Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act; and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of such Series.
“Discount Security” means any Security that provides for an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.
“Dollars” and “$” means the currency of the United States of America.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Foreign Currency” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of the United States of America, including the Euro.
“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to Securities of any Series that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.
7
“Global Security” or “Global Securities” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2 evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities, issued to the Depositary for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depositary or nominee.
“Guarantor” means each person that executes this Indenture as a guarantor and its respective successors and assigns, in each case until the Guarantee of such person has been released in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture; provided, however, that such person shall be a Guarantor only with respect to a Series of Securities for which such person has executed a Notation of Guarantee with respect to such Series.
“Holder” means a person in whose name a Security is registered on the Registrar’s books.
“Indenture” means this Indenture as amended or supplemented, from time to time and shall include the form and terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated hereunder.
“interest” with respect to any Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity.
“Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.
“Notation of Guarantee” means a notation, substantially in the form of Exhibit A, executed by a Guarantor and affixed to each Security of any Series to which the Guarantee of such Guarantor under Article XII of this Indenture applies.
“Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the General Counsel or any Assistant General Counsel, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, and any Vice President of the Company.
“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer, which complies with Section 10.4.
“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of legal counsel who is acceptable to the Trustee. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company. The opinion may contain customary limitations, conditions and exceptions.
“person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
“principal” of a Security means the principal of the Security plus, when appropriate, the premium, if any, on, and any Additional Amounts in respect of, the Security.
8
“Responsible Officer” means any officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office having responsibility for administration of this Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with a particular subject.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Security” or “Securities” means the debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company of any Series authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, provided, however that, if at any time there is more than one person acting as Trustee under this Indenture, “Security” or “Securities,” with respect to any such person, shall mean Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, exclusive, however, of Securities of any Series as to which such person is not Trustee.
“Series” or “Series of Securities” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereof.
“Stated Maturity” when used with respect to any Security, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or interest is due and payable.
“Subsidiary” of any specified person means any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that person or a combination thereof.
“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code Sections 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “TIA” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act as so amended.
“Trustee” means the person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.
“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities which are direct obligations of, or guaranteed by, the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depositary receipt, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
9
Section 1.2 Other Definitions.
| TERM |
DEFINED IN SECTION | |||
| “Agent Member” “Bankruptcy Law” |
|
2.14.6 6.1 |
| |
| “Custodian” |
6.1 | |||
| “Guarantee” |
12.1 | (b) | ||
| “Event of Default” |
6.1 | |||
| “Judgment Currency” |
10.16 | |||
| “mandatory sinking fund payment” |
11.1 | |||
| “New York Banking Day” |
10.16 | |||
| “Notice Agent” |
2.4 | |||
| “optional sinking fund payment” |
11.1 | |||
| “Paying Agent” |
2.4 | |||
| “Registrar” |
2.4 | |||
| “Required Currency” |
10.16 | |||
| “successor person” |
5.1 | |||
| “USA Patriot Act” |
10.17 | |||
Section 1.3 Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.
Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:
| • | “Commission” means the SEC. |
| • | “indenture securities” means the Securities. |
| • | “indenture security holder” means a Holder. |
| • | “indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture. |
| • | “indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee. |
| • | “obligor” on the indenture securities means the Company and any successor obligor upon the Securities. |
All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA and not otherwise defined herein are used herein as so defined.
Section 1.4 Rules of Construction.
Unless the context otherwise requires:
10
(a) a term has the meaning assigned to it;
(b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;
(c) “or” is not exclusive;
(d) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular;
(e) provisions apply to successive events and transactions;
(f) in the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including,” and the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; and
(g) the phrase “in writing” as used herein shall be deemed to include PDFs, e-mails and other electronic means of transmission, unless otherwise indicated.
ARTICLE II.
THE SECURITIES
Section 2.1 Issuable in Series.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officer’s Certificate detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, maturity date, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, provided that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
Section 2.2 Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities.
At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2.1 and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2.2 through 2.2.30) by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate:
2.2.1 the title (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series) and ranking (including the terms of any subordination provisions) of the Series;
11
2.2.2 the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;
2.2.3 any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 2.7, 2.8, 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6) and whether additional Securities of that Series may be issued without the consent of Holders of outstanding Securities of that Series or any other Series; provided, that in the event that additional Securities of such Series may be so issued, the terms thereof shall indicate whether any such additional Securities shall have the same terms as the prior Securities of such Series or whether the Issuer may establish additional or different terms with respect to such additional Securities;
2.2.4 the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;
2.2.5 the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable, any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date and the basis upon which interest shall be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;
2.2.6 the place or places where the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series shall be payable, where the Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered, and the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;
2.2.7 if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
2.2.8 the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the Securities of the Series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the Series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
2.2.9 the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;
2.2.10 if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;
2.2.11 the forms of the Securities of the Series and whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities;
12
2.2.12 if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;
2.2.13 the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;
2.2.14 the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be made;
2.2.15 if payments of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;
2.2.16 the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;
2.2.17 the provisions, if any, relating to any security provided for the Securities of the Series or the Guarantees;
2.2.18 any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;
2.2.19 any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants and terms applicable to Securities of the Series;
2.2.20 any Depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;
2.2.21 the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any Securities of such Series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price, the conversion or exchange period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the Holders thereof or at the option of the Company, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such Series of Securities are redeemed;
2.2.22 any other terms of the Series (which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series), including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that Series;
2.2.23 whether the Securities of such Series are entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee of any Guarantor pursuant to this Indenture, whether any such Guarantee shall be made on a senior or subordinated basis and, if applicable, a description of the subordination terms of any such Guarantee;
13
2.2.24 if a person other than U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association is to act as Trustee for the Securities of that Series, the name and location of the designated corporate trust office of such Trustee;
2.2.25 the securities exchanges, if any, on which the Securities of the Series may be listed;
2.2.26 if the Securities of that Series do not bear interest, the applicable dates for purposes of Section 2.6;
2.2.27 if Securities of the Series are to be issuable initially in the form of a temporary Global Security, the circumstances under which the temporary Global Security can be exchanged for definitive Securities;
2.2.28 whether Securities of that Series are to be issuable in bearer form and any additions or changes to any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the issuance of Securities in bearer form, registrable or not registrable as to principal, and with or without interest coupons;
2.2.29 the applicability, if any, of Sections 8.3 and/or 8.4 to the Securities of the Series and any provisions in modification of, in addition to or in lieu of any of the provisions of Article VIII; and
2.2.30 any change in the right of the Trustee or the right of the requisite Holders of Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable.
All Securities of any particular Series shall be substantially identical except as to denomination and the date from which interest, if any, shall accrue, and except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to such Board Resolutions and set forth in such Officer’s Certificate relating thereto or provided in or pursuant to any supplemental indenture hereto. All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate referred to above.
Section 2.3 Execution and Authentication.
Any Officer shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual, facsimile or other electronic (including.pdf) signature (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com).
If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.
14
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of an authorized signatory of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.
The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.8.
Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.2) shall be fully protected in relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officer’s Certificate complying with Sections 10.4 and 10.5, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Sections 10.4 and 10.5.
The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of such Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not be taken lawfully; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith shall determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability to Holders of any then outstanding Series of Securities.
The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.
Section 2.4 Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent.
The Company shall maintain, with respect to each Series of Securities, at the place or places specified with respect to such Series pursuant to Section 2.2, an office or agency where Securities of such Series may be presented or surrendered for payment (“Paying Agent”), where Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange (“Registrar”) and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered (“Notice Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register with respect to each Series of Securities and to their transfer and exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address, and any change in the name or address, of each Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the name and address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands; provided, that the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee shall not be a place of service of legal process on the Company.
15
The Company may also from time to time designate one or more co-registrars, additional paying agents or additional notice agents and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligations to maintain a Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent in each place so specified pursuant to Section 2.2 for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the name or address of any such co-registrar, additional paying agent or additional notice agent. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar; the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent; and the term “Notice Agent” includes any additional notice agent. The Company or any of its Affiliates may serve as Registrar or Paying Agent.
The Company hereby appoints the Trustee the initial Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent for each Series unless another Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued.
Section 2.5 Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust.
The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust, for the benefit of Holders of any Series of Securities, or the Trustee, all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Series of Securities, and will notify the Trustee in writing of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of Holders of any Series of Securities all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Securities.
Section 2.6 Holder Lists.
If it is serving as Registrar, the Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Holders of each Series of Securities and shall otherwise comply with TIA Section 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least ten days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing a list, in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Holders of each Series of Securities.
Every Holder, by receiving and holding Securities, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee or any agent of either of them shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the Holders in accordance with TIA Section 312, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under TIA Section 312(b).
16
Section 2.7 Transfer and Exchange.
Where Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein), but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Section 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6).
Neither the Company nor the Registrar shall be required to (a) register the transfer of or exchange any Securities of any Series during the period beginning at the opening of business 15 days immediately preceding the mailing of a notice of redemption of the Securities of that Series selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, (b) register the transfer of or exchange any Securities of any Series so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Securities being redeemed in part or (c) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series between a record date and payment date for such Series of Securities.
Section 2.8 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.
If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.
If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (a) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (b) such security or indemnity bond as may be required by each of them to hold itself and any of its agents harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon receipt of a Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.
In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security following delivery of the documents and security or indemnity required in the preceding paragraph.
Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
17
Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.
The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.
Section 2.9 Outstanding Securities.
The Securities outstanding at any time are all the Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest on a Global Security effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof and those described in this Section as not outstanding, including those paid in accordance with the third-to-last paragraph of Section 2.8.
If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.8, it ceases to be outstanding until the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.
If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) holds on the Maturity of Securities of a Series money sufficient to pay such Securities payable on that date as provided in this Indenture, then on and after that date such Securities of the Series cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.
The Company may purchase or otherwise acquire the Securities, whether by open market purchases, negotiated transactions or otherwise. A Security does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security (but see Section 2.10 below).
In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, the principal amount of a Discount Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for such purposes shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.
Section 2.10 Treasury Securities.
In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities of a Series have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, Securities of a Series owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities of a Series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee knows are so owned shall be so disregarded.
18
Section 2.11 Temporary Securities.
Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities upon a Company Order. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee upon receipt of a Company Order shall authenticate definitive Securities of the same Series and date of maturity in exchange for temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, temporary securities shall have the same rights under this Indenture as the definitive Securities.
Any temporary Global Security and any permanent Global Security shall, unless otherwise provided therein, be delivered to the Depositary designated pursuant to Section 2.2 or shall be held by the Custodian on behalf of such Depositary.
Section 2.12 Cancellation.
The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall dispose of such canceled Securities in accordance with its then customary procedures (subject to the record retention requirements of the Exchange Act and the Trustee) and deliver a certificate of such cancellation to the Company upon written request of the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that it has paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
Section 2.13 Defaulted Interest.
If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on a Series of Securities, it shall pay the defaulted interest, plus, to the extent permitted by law, any interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the persons who are Holders of the Series on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix the record date and payment date. At least ten days before the special record date, the Company shall send to the Trustee and to each Holder of the Series a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of interest to be paid. The Company may pay defaulted interest in any other lawful manner.
Section 2.14 Global Securities.
2.14.1 Terms of Securities. A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities.
19
2.14.2 Transfer and Exchange. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.7 of the Indenture and in addition thereto, any Global Security shall be exchangeable pursuant to Section 2.7 of the Indenture for Securities registered in the names of Holders other than the Depositary for such Security or its nominee only if (a) such Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or if at any time such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, the Company fails to appoint a successor Depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act within 90 days of such event or (b) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable. Any Global Security that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Securities registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct in writing in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms.
Except as provided in this Section 2.14.2, a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depositary, by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such a successor Depositary.
2.14.3 Legend. Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”
In addition, so long as The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) is the Depositary, each Global Security registered in the name of DTC or its nominee shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“UNLESS THIS GLOBAL SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY GLOBAL SECURITY ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”
20
2.14.4 Acts of Holders. The Depositary, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under the Indenture.
2.14.5 Payments. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on any Global Security shall be made to the Holder thereof.
2.14.6 Agent Members. The registered Holder of a Security will be treated as the owner of such Security for all purposes and only registered Holders shall have rights under this Indenture and the Securities. Members of, or participants in, the Depositary (“Agent Members”) and persons who hold beneficial interests in a Global Security through an Agent Member shall have no rights under this Indenture with respect to any Global Security held on their behalf by the Depositary. The Depositary may be treated by the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar and any agent of the foregoing as the absolute owner of the Global Securities for all purposes whatsoever. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar or any agent of the foregoing from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depositary or impair, as between the Depositary and its Agent Members, the operation of customary practices of such Depositary governing the exercise of the rights of a Holder of a beneficial interest in any Global Security.
Section 2.15 CUSIP Numbers.
The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other elements of identification printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in CUSIP numbers.
ARTICLE III.
REDEMPTION
Section 3.1 Notice to Trustee.
The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company wants or is obligated to redeem prior to the Stated Maturity thereof all or part of the Series of Securities pursuant to the terms of such Securities, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the redemption date and the principal amount of the Series of Securities to be redeemed. The Company shall give the notice at least 15 days before the redemption date (or such shorter period as may be acceptable to the Trustee).
21
Section 3.2 Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, if less than all the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Trustee shall select the Securities of the Series to be redeemed in any manner that the Trustee deems fair and appropriate, including by lot or other method, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements (as certified by the Company to the Trustee), subject, in the case of Global Securities, to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary. The Trustee shall make the selection from Securities of the Series outstanding not previously called for redemption. The Trustee may select for redemption portions of the principal of Securities of the Series that have denominations larger than $1,000. Securities of the Series and portions of them it selects shall be in minimum amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 thereof or, with respect to Securities of any Series issuable in other denominations pursuant to Section 2.2.10, the minimum principal denomination for each Series and the authorized integral multiples thereof. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities of a Series called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities of that Series called for redemption.
Section 3.3 Notice of Redemption.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, at least 15 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall send or cause to be sent by first class mail or electronically, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Securities are to be redeemed, with a copy to the Trustee.
The notice shall identify the Securities of the Series to be redeemed and shall state:
(a) the redemption date;
(b) the redemption price;
(c) the name and address of the Paying Agent;
(d) if any Securities are being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Securities to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date and upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original Security shall be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Security;
(e) that Securities of the Series called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;
22
(f) that interest on Securities of the Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date;
(g) the “CUSIP” number, if any; and
(h) any other information as may be required by the terms of the particular Series or the Securities of a Series being redeemed.
At the Company’s written request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at its expense, provided, however, that the Company has delivered to the Trustee, at least five days (unless a shorter time shall be acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the notice date, such notice and an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice and the form of such notice.
Section 3.4 Effect of Notice of Redemption.
Once notice of redemption is sent as provided in Section 3.3, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date and at the redemption price. Except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officer’s Certificate for a Series, a notice of redemption may not be conditional. Upon surrender to the Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price plus accrued interest, if any, to the redemption date.
Section 3.5 Deposit of Redemption Price.
On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date.
Section 3.6 Securities Redeemed in Part.
In connection with any Security held in physical form, upon surrender of a Security that is redeemed in part, the Company shall execute and, upon receipt of a Company Order in accordance with Section 2.3 and the other deliverables required hereunder from the Company, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder at the expense of the Company a new Security of the same Series and the same Maturity equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered; provided that each new Security will be issued in a minimum principal amount of $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. In the case of any Security held in global form, the records of the Trustee and/or Registrar shall reflect that the Security has been redeemed in part.
ARTICLE IV.
COVENANTS
Section 4.1 Payment of Principal and Interest.
The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it shall duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid when due the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable payment date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of each Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture.
23
Section 4.2 SEC Reports.
The Company shall, so long as any Securities are outstanding, deliver to the Trustee within 15 days after it files them with the SEC copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the SEC may by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company shall also comply with the other provisions of TIA Section 314(a). Reports, information and documents filed with the SEC via the EDGAR system will be deemed to be delivered to the Trustee as of the time of such filing via EDGAR for purposes of this Section 4.2, provided, however, that the Trustee shall have no obligation whatsoever to determine whether or not such information, documents or reports have been filed via EDGAR.
Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under this Section 4.2 are for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive or actual notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates). The Trustee shall have no responsibility for the filing, timeliness or content of any reports, information or documents. The Trustee shall have no obligation to determine whether or not such reports, information or documents have been filed pursuant to the SEC’s EDGAR filing system (or its successor) or postings to any website have occurred, and the Trustee shall have no duty to participate in or monitor any conference calls.
Section 4.3 Compliance Certificate.
The Company and each Guarantor (to the extent that such Guarantor is so required under the TIA) shall, so long as any Securities are outstanding, deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officer’s Certificate stating that a review of the activities of the Guarantor, Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officer with a view to determining whether the Company and any Guarantor has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of such Officer’s knowledge the Company and any Guarantor has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which such Officer may have knowledge and the nature and status thereof).
24
Section 4.4 Stay, Extension and Usury Laws.
The Company and the Guarantors covenant (to the extent that they may lawfully do so) that they will not at any time insist upon, plead or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture or the Securities and the Company and the Guarantors (to the extent they may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waive all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that they will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.
ARTICLE V.
SUCCESSORS
Section 5.1 When Company May Merge, Etc.
The Company shall not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its properties and assets to, any person (a “successor person”) unless:
5.1.1 the Company is the surviving entity or the successor person (if other than the Company) is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes by supplemental indenture the Company’s obligations on the Securities and under this Indenture; and
5.1.2 immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officer’s Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and any supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture.
Notwithstanding the above, any Subsidiary of the Company may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to the Company. Neither an Officer’s Certificate nor an Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection therewith.
Section 5.2 Successor Corporation Substituted.
Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with Section 5.1, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor person has been named as the Company herein; provided, however, that the predecessor Company in the case of a sale, conveyance or other disposition (other than a lease) shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
25
ARTICLE VI.
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES
Section 6.1 Events of Default.
“Event of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate, it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:
(a) default in the payment of any interest upon any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of such payment is deposited by the Company with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);
(b) default in the payment of principal of any Security of that Series at its Maturity;
(c) default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty of the Company in the Securities of that Series or this Indenture (other than defaults pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) above or pursuant to a covenant or warranty that has been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a Series of Securities other than that Series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder;
(d) the Company or any Guarantor pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:
(i) commences a voluntary case,
(ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,
(iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,
(iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or
(v) generally is unable to pay its debts as the same become due;
(e) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:
(i) is for relief against the Company or any Guarantor in an involuntary case,
26
(ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company, any Guarantor or for all or substantially all of its property, or
(iii) orders the liquidation of the Company or any Guarantor, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days; or
(f) any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2.18.
The term “Bankruptcy Law” means title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
The Company will provide the Trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take in respect thereof.
Section 6.2 Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an Event of Default referred to in Section 6.1(d) or (e)), then in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series may declare the principal amount (or, if any Securities of that Series are Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such Securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of the Securities of that Series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or such specified amount) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) shall occur, the principal amount (or specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding Securities shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.
At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to any Series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration, if all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the non-payment of the principal and interest, if any, of Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 6.13.
27
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 6.3 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
The Company covenants that if:
(a) default is made in the payment of any interest on any Security when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days,
(b) default is made in the payment of principal of any Security at the Maturity thereof, or
(c) default is made in the deposit of any sinking fund payment when and as due by the terms of a Security,
then, the Company and the Guarantors shall, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal and any overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.
If the Company or the Guarantors fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company, any Guarantor or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or deemed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company, any Guarantor or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated.
If an Event of Default with respect to any Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee, subject to Article VII hereof, may proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.
Section 6.4 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.
In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,
28
(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal or, if the Securities of such Series are Discount Securities, such amounts as may be due and payable with respect to such Securities pursuant to an acceleration in accordance with Section 6.2, and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and
(b) to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same,
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee and, in the event that such payments shall be made directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.
Section 6.5 Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities.
All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.
Section 6.6 Application of Money Collected.
Any money or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money or property on account of principal or interest, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee (acting in any capacity hereunder) under Section 7.7; and
29
Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of and interest on the Securities in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest, respectively; and
Third: To the Company or the Guarantors, as applicable.
Section 6.7 Limitation on Suits.
No Holder of any Security of any Series shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy hereunder, unless
(a) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;
(b) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
(c) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, claims, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the Trustee in compliance with such request;
(d) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and
(e) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series;
it being understood, intended and expressly covenanted by the Holder of every Security with every other Holder and the Trustee that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders of the applicable Series (it being expressly understood that the Trustee shall not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether such action is prejudicial).
Section 6.8 Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on such Security on the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.
30
Section 6.9 Restoration of Rights and Remedies.
If the Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company, the Guarantors, the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
Section 6.10 Rights and Remedies Cumulative.
Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in Section 2.8, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.
Section 6.11 Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Securities to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be.
Section 6.12 Control by Holders.
The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that
(a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,
(b) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction,
(c) the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability, the direction is in conflict with any law or this Indenture, or the direction would be unduly prejudicial to the Holders of such Series not joining therein provided, however, that the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee that is not inconsistent with such direction (it being expressly understood that the Trustee shall not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether such action is prejudicial), and
31
(d) prior to taking any action as directed under this Section 6.12, the Trustee shall receive indemnity or security satisfactory to it against the costs, claims, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
Section 6.13 Waiver of Past Defaults.
The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such Series, by written notice to the Trustee and the Company, waive any past Default hereunder with respect to such Series and its consequences, except a Default in the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security of such Series (provided, however, that the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 6.14 Undertaking for Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security on or after the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date).
ARTICLE VII.
TRUSTEE
Section 7.1 Duties of Trustee.
(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:
32
(i) The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee.
(ii) In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; however, in the case of any such Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel which by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall examine such Officer’s Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to determine whether or not they conform to the form requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein). Whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee may require and conclusively rely upon an Officer’s Certificate and/or an Opinion of Counsel.
(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(i) This paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section.
(ii) The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.
(iii) The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it with respect to Securities of any Series in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series in accordance with Section 6.12.
(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraph (a), (b) and (c) of this Section.
(e) The Trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the losses, costs, claims, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power (including, but in no way limited to, the fees and disbursements of agents and attorneys).
(f) The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
33
(g) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers. The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its powers or duties hereunder.
(h) The Paying Agent, the Notice Agent, the Registrar, any authenticating agent and the Trustee when acting in any other capacity hereunder shall be entitled to the protections and immunities as are set forth in this Article VII.
Section 7.2 Rights of Trustee.
(a) The Trustee shall be entitled to conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document (whether in its original, facsimile or electronic (including.pdf) form) reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.
(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require and shall be entitled to receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, or both, which shall conform to the provisions of Section 10.5. The Trustee shall be protected and shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel.
(c) The Trustee may act through agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care. No Depositary shall be deemed an agent of the Trustee, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any act or omission by any Depositary.
(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers, provided that the Trustee’s conduct does not constitute willful misconduct or negligence.
(e) The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder without willful misconduct or negligence, and in reliance on the advice or opinion of such counsel.
(f) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be compensated, reimbursed and indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder (including, but not limited to, as Registrar and Paying Agent), each Agent, and each agent, custodian and other person employed to act hereunder.
(g) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities unless such Holders shall have offered, and, if requested, provided to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the losses, costs, claims, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
34
(h) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.
(i) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is actually received by a Responsible Officer at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities generally or the Securities of a particular Series and this Indenture.
(j) Any permissive right or authority granted to the Trustee shall not be construed as a mandatory duty.
(k) The Trustee may request that the Company deliver an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officer’s Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officer’s Certificate, including any person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superseded.
(l) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action arising in connection with the Indenture.
(m) The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the execution of the trusts and powers or otherwise in respect of the Indenture.
(n) Under no circumstances shall the Trustee be liable in its individual capacity for the obligations evidenced by the Securities.
(o) The Trustee is not responsible for monitoring the performance by any third party of their duties or for their failure to perform.
(p) Nothing herein shall be construed to impose an obligation on the part of the Trustee to monitor, recalculate, evaluate or verify any report, certificate or information received from the Company or any other person (unless and except to the extent expressly set forth herein), or to monitor, verify or independently determine compliance by the Company with the terms hereof.
Section 7.3 Individual Rights of Trustee.
The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11.
35
Section 7.4 Trustee’s Disclaimer.
The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities and shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its certificate of authentication.
Section 7.5 Notice of Defaults.
If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series and if it is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall deliver to each Holder of the Securities of that Series, in the manner set forth in Section 10.2, notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of or interest on any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as the Trustee in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of Holders of that Series.
Section 7.6 Reports by Trustee to Holders.
Within 60 days after May 15 of each year, the Trustee shall transmit to all Holders, as their names and addresses appear on the register kept by the Registrar, a brief report dated as of such date, in accordance with, and to the extent required under, TIA Section 313.
A copy of each report at the time of its delivery to Holders of any Series shall be filed with the SEC and each national securities exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing when Securities of any Series are listed or de-listed on any national securities exchange and of any delisting thereof.
Section 7.7 Compensation and Indemnity.
The Company shall pay to the Trustee (acting in any capacity hereunder) from time to time compensation for its services as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree upon in writing. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee and Agents upon request for all reasonable disbursements, out-of-pocket expenses and advances incurred or made by it. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation, disbursements and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.
The Company shall indemnify each of the Trustee (acting in any capacity hereunder) and any predecessor Trustee (including for the cost of defending itself) against any cost, claim, expense or liability, including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured by or determined by the income of the Trustee) incurred by it except as set forth in the next paragraph in the performance of its duties under this Indenture as Trustee or Agent. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations under this Section 7.7. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have separate counsel of its selection and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. This indemnification shall apply to officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents of the Trustee (acting in any capacity hereunder).
36
The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee or by any officer, director, employee, shareholder or agent of the Trustee through willful misconduct or negligence, as determined by a final non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
To secure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities of that Series.
When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.
The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture and the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee.
Section 7.8 Replacement of Trustee.
A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section.
The Trustee may resign with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation and the retiring or resigning Trustee shall have no liability or responsibility for the action or inaction of any successor Trustee. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to Securities of one or more Series if:
(a) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;
(b) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;
(c) a Custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or
(d) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.
37
If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any one or more Series does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Securities of the applicable Series may, at the Company’s sole cost and expense, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee. A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately after that, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.7, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee with respect to each Series of Securities for which it is acting as Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall deliver a notice of its succession to each Holder of each such Series. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.8, the Company’s obligations under Section 7.7 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee with respect to expenses and liabilities incurred by it for actions taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with its rights, powers and duties under this Indenture prior to such replacement.
Section 7.9 Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc.
Any organization or entity into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any organization or entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any organization or entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided such organization or entity shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under Section 7.10, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto
Section 7.10 Eligibility; Disqualification.
This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA Section 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least $25,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 310(b). In determining whether the Trustee has a conflicting interest as defined in Section 310(b) of the TIA with respect to the Securities of any Series, there shall be excluded Securities of any particular Series of Securities other than that Series.
Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company.
The Trustee is subject to TIA Section 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA Section 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA Section 311(a) to the extent indicated.
38
ARTICLE VIII.
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE
Section 8.1 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
This Indenture shall upon Company Order be discharged with respect to the Securities of any Series and cease to be of further effect as to all Securities of such Series (except as hereinafter provided in this Section 8.1), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments reasonably requested by the Company acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when
(a) either
(i) all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than Securities that have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that have been replaced or paid) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
(ii) all such Securities of such Series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation:
(1) have become due and payable by reason of sending a notice of redemption or otherwise,
(2) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year,
(3) have been called for redemption or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company, or
(4) are deemed paid and discharged pursuant to Section 8.3, as applicable;
and the Company, in the case of (1), (2) or (3) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust an amount of money or U.S. Government Obligations sufficient for the purpose of paying and discharging the entire indebtedness on such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal and interest to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable on or prior to the date of such deposit) or to the Stated Maturity or redemption date, as the case may be;
(b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and
(c) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture have been complied with.
39
Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 7.7, and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to clause (a) of this Section, the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 8.2 and 8.5 shall survive.
If the Company exercises the satisfaction and discharge provisions in compliance with this Indenture with respect to Securities of a particular Series that are entitled to the benefit of the Guarantee of any Guarantor, the Guarantee will terminate with respect to that Series of Securities.
Section 8.2 Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 8.5, all money or U.S. Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, all money and U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 8.3 or 8.4 and all money received by the Trustee in respect of U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 8.3 or 8.4, shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the persons entitled thereto, of the principal and interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee or to make mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments as contemplated by Sections 8.3 or 8.4.
(b) The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee (and any Agent as applicable) against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Sections 8.3 or 8.4 or the interest and principal received in respect of such obligations other than any payable by or on behalf of Holders.
(c) The Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Order any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money held by it as provided in Sections 8.3 or 8.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are then in excess of the amount thereof which then would have been required to be deposited for the purpose for which such U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money were deposited or received. This provision shall not authorize the sale by the Trustee of any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held under this Indenture.
Section 8.3 Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series.
Unless this Section 8.3 is otherwise specified, pursuant to Section 2.2, to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness on all the outstanding Securities of any Series on the 91st day after the date of the deposit referred to in subparagraph (d) hereof, and the provisions of this Indenture, as it relates to such outstanding Securities of such Series, shall no longer be in effect and any Guarantee will terminate with respect to that Series of Securities (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, execute instruments reasonably requested by the Company acknowledging the same), except as to:
40
(a) the rights of Holders of Securities of such Series to receive, from the trust funds described in subparagraph (d) hereof, (i) payment of the principal of and each installment of principal of and interest on the outstanding Securities of such Series on the Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) the benefit of any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to the Securities of such Series on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and the Securities of such Series;
(b) the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 8.2, 8.3 and 8.5; and
(c) the rights, powers, trust and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith;
provided that, the following conditions shall have been satisfied:
(i) the Company shall have deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for and dedicated solely to the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of interest or principal and such sinking fund payments are due;
(ii) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit (and any similar concurrent deposit related to other indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary) and the granting of liens to secure such borrowings);
(iii) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the 91st day after such date;
41
(iv) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case stating that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;
(v) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and
(vi) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Section 8.4 Covenant Defeasance.
Unless this Section 8.4 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company may omit to comply with respect to the Securities of any Series with any term, provision or condition set forth under Sections 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 and 5.1 as well as any additional covenants specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 (and the failure to comply with any such covenants shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series under Section 6.1) and the occurrence of any event specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2.18 and designated as an Event of Default shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default hereunder, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied:
(a) With reference to this Section 8.4, the Company has deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of interest or principal and such sinking fund payments are due;
42
(b) Such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit (and any similar concurrent deposit related to other indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary) and the granting of liens to secure such borrowings);
(c) No Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;
(d) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and covenant defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and covenant defeasance had not occurred;
(e) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and
(f) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the covenant defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Section 8.5 Repayment to Company.
Subject to applicable abandoned property law, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon request any money held by them for the payment of principal and interest that remains unclaimed for two years. After that, Holders entitled to the money must look to the Company for payment as general creditors unless an applicable abandoned property law designates another person.
Section 8.6 Reinstatement.
If the Trustee or the Paying Agent is unable to apply any money deposited with respect to Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 8.1 by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series and under the Securities of such Series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.1 until such time as the Trustee or the Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.1; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent after payment in full to the Holders.
43
ARTICLE IX.
AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS
Section 9.1 Without Consent of Holders.
The Company, any Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without the consent of any Holder:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;
(b) to comply with Article V;
(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;
(d) to surrender any of the Company’s rights or powers under this Indenture;
(e) to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of Securities of any Series;
(f) to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable Depositary;
(g) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder;
(h) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture;
(i) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee;
(j) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;
(k) to reflect the release of any Guarantor in accordance with Article XII; or
(l) to add Guarantors with respect to any or all of the Securities or to secure any or all of the Securities or the Guarantees.
Section 9.2 With Consent of Holders.
Subject to Section 9.3, the Company, any Guarantors and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each Series affected by such supplemental indenture (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series), for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of each such Series. Except as provided in Section 6.13 and subject to Section 9.3, the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series by notice to the Trustee (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series) may waive compliance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities with respect to such Series.
44
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Securities under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After a supplemental indenture or waiver under this section becomes effective, the Company shall send to the Holders of Securities affected thereby (with a copy to the Trustee), a notice briefly describing the supplemental indenture or waiver.
Any failure by the Company to send such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.
Section 9.3 Limitations.
Without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver may not:
(a) reduce the principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;
(b) reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any Security;
(c) reduce the principal or change the Stated Maturity of any Security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;
(d) reduce the principal amount of Discount Securities payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;
(e) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);
(f) make the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security payable in any currency other than that stated in the Security;
(g) make any change in Section 6.8, 6.13 or 9.3 (this sentence);
(h) waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security, provided that such redemption is made at the Company’s option; or
45
(i) if the Securities of that Series are entitled to the benefit of the Guarantee, release any Guarantor of such Series other than as provided in this Indenture or modify the Guarantee in any manner adverse to the Holders.
Section 9.4 Compliance with Trust Indenture Act.
Every amendment to this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series shall be set forth in a supplemental indenture hereto that complies with the TIA as then in effect.
Section 9.5 Revocation and Effect of Consents.
Until an amendment is set forth in a supplemental indenture or a waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent by the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security. However, any such Holder or subsequent Holder may revoke the consent as to his Security or portion of a Security if the Trustee receives the notice of revocation before the date of the supplemental indenture or the date the waiver becomes effective.
Any amendment or waiver once effective shall bind every Holder of each Series affected by such amendment or waiver unless it is of the type described in any of clauses (a) through (h) of Section 9.3 or requires the consent of each Security Holder affected, as set forth in a supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate in respect to a particular Series of Securities. In that case, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.
The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to give their consent or take any other action described above or required or permitted to be taken pursuant to this Indenture. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, those persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those persons, shall be entitled to give such consent or to revoke any consent previously given or take any such action, whether or not such persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date.
Section 9.6 Notation on or Exchange of Securities.
The Company or the Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, place an appropriate notation about an amendment or waiver on any Security of any Series thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for Securities of that Series may issue and the Trustee shall authenticate upon request new Securities of that Series that reflect the amendment or waiver.
46
Section 9.7 Trustee Protected.
The Trustee will execute and deliver any amendment or supplemental indenture authorized pursuant to this Article IX; provided, however, that the Trustee need not (but may, in its sole and absolute discretion) execute or deliver any such amendment or supplemental indenture that the Trustee reasonably concludes adversely affects the Trustee’s rights, duties, liabilities or immunities. In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall receive, upon request, an Officer’s Certificate and/or an Opinion of Counsel complying with Sections 10.4 and 10.5 and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon such Officer’s Certificate and/or Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Trustee shall sign all supplemental indentures upon delivery of such an Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel, except that the Trustee need not sign any supplemental indenture that adversely affects its rights.
ARTICLE X.
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 10.1 Trust Indenture Act Controls.
If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies, or conflicts with another provision which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, such required or deemed provision shall control.
Section 10.2 Notices.
Any notice or communication by the Company, any Guarantor or the Trustee to the other, or by a Holder to the Company, any Guarantor or the Trustee, is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail:
if to the Company or any Guarantor:
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45249
Attention: Tanya E. Brady
with a copy to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
10250 Constellation Blvd Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Attention: Julian T.H. Kleindorfer
Lewis W. Kneib
if to the Trustee:
U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association
Global Corporate Trust
425 Walnut Street; CN-OH-W6CT
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Attn: Daniel Boyers
47
The Company, any Guarantor or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.
Any notice or communication to a Holder shall be sent electronically or by first-class mail or overnight air courier to his, her or its address shown on the register kept by the Registrar, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary. Failure to send a notice or communication to a Holder of any Series or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders of that or any other Series.
If a notice or communication is sent or published in the manner provided above, within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the Holder receives it.
If the Company or any Guarantor mails a notice or communication to Holders, it shall mail a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security, where this Indenture or any Security provides for notice of any event (including any notice of redemption) to a Holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given to the Depositary for such Security (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of such Depositary.
Section 10.3 Communication by Holders with Other Holders.
Holders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA Section 312(b) with other Holders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or all Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA Section 312(c).
Section 10.4 Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent.
Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:
(a) an Officer’s Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all covenants and conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and
(b) an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such covenants and conditions precedent have been complied with.
Section 10.5 Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.
Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA Section 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA Section 314(e) and shall include:
(a) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;
48
(b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
(c) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, such person has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable such person to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
(d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 10.6 Rules by Trustee and Agents.
The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or a meeting of Holders of one or more Series. Any Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.
Section 10.7 Legal Holidays.
If a payment date for any payment made under this Indenture is not a Business Day, payment may be made on the next succeeding Business Day, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.
Section 10.8 No Recourse Against Others.
A director, officer, employee or stockholder (past or present), as such, of the Company or any Guarantor shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities, the Guarantee or this Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities.
Section 10.9 Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in this Indenture shall include images of manually executed signatures transmitted by facsimile, email or other electronic format (including, without limitation, “pdf,” “tif” or “jpg”) and other electronic signatures (including without limitation, DocuSign and AdobeSign). The use of electronic signatures and electronic records (including, without limitation, any contract or other record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means) shall be of the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a manually executed signature or use of a paper-based record-keeping system to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act and any other applicable law, including, without limitation, any state law based on the Uniform Electronic
49
Transactions Act or the Uniform Commercial Code. Without limitation to the foregoing, and anything in this Indenture to the contrary notwithstanding, (a) any Officer’s Certificate, Company Order, Opinion of Counsel, Security, Guarantee endorsed on any Security, opinion of counsel, instrument, agreement or other document delivered pursuant to this Indenture may be executed, attested and transmitted by any of the foregoing electronic means and formats, (b) all references in Section 2.3 or elsewhere in this Indenture to the execution, attestation or authentication of any Security, any Guarantee endorsed on any Security, or any certificate of authentication appearing on or attached to any Security by means of a manual or facsimile signature shall be deemed to include signatures that are made or transmitted by any of the foregoing electronic means or formats, and (c) any requirement in this Indenture that any signature be made under a corporate seal (or facsimile thereof) shall not be applicable to the Securities or any Guarantees endorsed on any Securities. The Company agrees to assume all risks arising out of the use of using digital signatures, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on unauthorized instructions. The Trustee shall not have any duty to confirm that the person sending any notice, instruction or other communication (a “Notice”) by electronic transmission (including by e-mail, facsimile transmission, web portal or other electronic methods) is, in fact, a person authorized to do so. Electronic signatures believed by the Trustee to comply with the ESIGN Act of 2000 or other applicable law (including electronic images of handwritten signatures and digital signatures provided by DocuSign, Orbit, Adobe Sign or any other digital signature provider acceptable to the Trustee) shall be deemed original signatures for all purposes. Each other party assumes all risks arising out of the use of electronic signatures and electronic methods to send Notices to the Trustee, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on an unauthorized Notice, and the risk of interception or misuse by third parties.
Section 10.10 Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction.
THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE INDENTURE OR THE SECURITIES, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. (WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICTS OF LAWS PROVISIONS THEREOF OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW)
THE COMPANY, THE GUARANTORS, THE TRUSTEE AND THE HOLDERS (BY THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE SECURITIES) EACH HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.
Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Indenture or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other
50
proceeding brought in any such court. The Company, the Guarantors, the Trustee and the Holders (by their acceptance of the Securities) each hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
Section 10.11 No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.
This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.
Section 10.12 Successors.
All agreements of the Company and the Guarantors in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind their respective successors. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.
Section 10.13 Severability.
In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
Section 10.14 Table of Contents, Headings, Etc.
The Table of Contents, Cross Reference Table, headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.
Section 10.15 Securities in a Foreign Currency.
Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in more than one currency, then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be determined by converting any such other currency into a currency that is designated upon issuance of any particular Series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, such conversion shall be made by the Company at the spot rate for the purchase of the designated currency as published in The Financial Times in the “Currency Rates” section (or, if The Financial Times is no longer published, or if such information is no longer available in The Financial Times, such source as may be selected in good faith by the Company) on any date of determination. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.
51
All decisions and determinations provided for in the preceding paragraph shall, in the absence of manifest error, to the extent permitted by law, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Trustee and all Holders.
Section 10.16 Judgment Currency.
The Company and each Guarantor agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of or interest or other amount on the Securities of any Series (the “Required Currency”) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “Judgment Currency”), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in the City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a New York Banking Day, then the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in the City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the New York Banking Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable, and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture. For purposes of the foregoing, “New York Banking Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in the City of New York on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
Section 10.17 USA Patriot Act.
The parties hereto acknowledge that, in accordance with Section 326 of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, the “USA Patriot Act”), the Trustee, like all financial institutions, is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that opens an account. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as the Trustee may reasonably request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the USA Patriot Act.
52
Section 10.18 Force Majeure.
In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, pandemics, epidemics, recognized public emergencies, quarantine restrictions, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services, hacking, cyber-attacks, or other use or infiltration of the Trustee’s technological infrastructure exceeding authorized access; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
ARTICLE XI.
SINKING FUNDS
Section 11.1 Applicability of Article.
The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of a Series if so provided by the terms of such Securities pursuant to Section 2.2, except as otherwise permitted or required by any form of Security of such Series issued pursuant to this Indenture.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of the Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment” and any other amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 11.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of the Securities of such Series.
Section 11.2 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any Series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (1) deliver outstanding Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable (other than any of such Securities previously called for mandatory sinking fund redemption) and (2) apply as credit Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable and which have been repurchased by the Company or redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Series of Securities (except pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments or other optional redemptions pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received by the Trustee, together with an Officer’s Certificate with respect thereto, not later than 15 days prior to the date on which the Trustee begins the process of selecting Securities for redemption, and shall be credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment
53
shall be reduced accordingly. If as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 11.2, the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed in order to exhaust the aforesaid cash payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such Series for redemption, except upon receipt of a Company Order that such action be taken, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall from time to time upon receipt of a Company Order pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that Series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment required to be released to the Company.
Section 11.3 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate in respect of a particular Series of Securities) prior to each sinking fund payment date for any Series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 11.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture in respect of a particular Series of Securities) before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.2 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 3.3. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6.
ARTICLE XII.
GUARANTEE
Section 12.1 Unconditional Guarantee.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this Article XII to the contrary, the provisions of this Article XII shall be applicable only to, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Securities of any Series designated, pursuant to Section 2.2.23, as entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee of each Guarantor identified in such designation and that has executed a Notation of Guarantee with respect to such Series.
(b) For value received, each Guarantor hereby jointly and severally, fully, unconditionally and absolutely guarantees (the “Guarantee”) to the Holders and to the Trustee the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on each Series of Securities for which such Guarantor has executed a Notation of Guarantee with respect to such Series and all other amounts due and payable under this Indenture and the Securities of such Series by the Company, when and as such principal, premium, if any, interest, and such other amounts as shall become due and payable, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise, according to the terms of such Securities and this Indenture, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 12.3.
54
(c) Failing payment when due of any amount guaranteed pursuant to the Guarantee, for whatever reason, each of the Guarantors will be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. Each of the Guarantors hereby agrees that its obligations hereunder shall be full, unconditional and absolute, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Securities, the Guarantee (including the Guarantee of any other Guarantor) or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Securities with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Company or any other Guarantor, or any action to enforce the same or any other circumstances which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of any of the Guarantors. Each Guarantor hereby agrees that in the event of a default in payment of the principal of or interest on the Securities entitled to the Guarantee of such Guarantor, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise, legal proceedings may be instituted by the Trustee on behalf of the Holders or, subject to Section 6.7, by the Holders, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Indenture, directly against such Guarantor to enforce the Guarantee without first proceeding against the Company or any other Guarantor.
(d) Each Guarantor hereby (i) waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of the merger, insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company or any of the Guarantors, and all demands whatsoever and (ii) acknowledges that any agreement, instrument or document evidencing the Guarantee may be transferred and that the benefit of its obligations hereunder shall extend to each holder of any agreement, instrument or document evidencing the Guarantee without notice to it. Each Guarantor further agrees that if at any time all or any part of any payment theretofore applied by any person to the Guarantee is, or must be, rescinded or returned for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation, the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Company or any of the Guarantors, the Guarantee shall, to the extent that such payment is or must be rescinded or returned, be deemed to have continued in existence notwithstanding such application, and the Guarantee shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, as though such application had not been made.
(e) Each Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights of the Holders and the Trustee against the Company in respect of any amounts paid by such Guarantor pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture; provided, however, that such Guarantor shall not be entitled to enforce or to receive any payments arising out of, or based upon, such right of subrogation until all of the Securities entitled to the Guarantee of such Guarantor and the Guarantee shall have been paid in full or discharged.
55
Section 12.2 Execution and Delivery of Notation of Guarantee.
To evidence the Guarantee of a Guarantor of a Series of Securities, a Notation of Guarantee, executed by either manual or facsimile signature of an Officer of such Guarantor, shall be affixed on each Security entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee of such Guarantor. If any Officer of any Guarantor whose signature is on a Notation of Guarantee no longer holds that office at the time the Trustee authenticates a Security to which such Notation of Guarantee is affixed or at any time thereafter, the Guarantee of such Security shall be valid nevertheless. The delivery of any Security by the Trustee, after the authentication thereof hereunder, shall constitute due delivery of any Guarantee relating to such Security set forth in the Indenture on behalf of the Guarantor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Guarantor hereby agrees that its Guarantee shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the absence of a Notation of Guarantee being affixed to such Security.
Section 12.3 Limitation on Guarantors’ Liability.
Each Guarantor by its acceptance hereof and each Holder of Security and the Trustee entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee hereby confirms that it is the intention of all such parties that the guarantee by such Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance for purposes of any federal or state law. To effectuate the foregoing intention, each Holder of a Security and the Trustee entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee and each Guarantor hereby irrevocably agrees that the obligations of each Guarantor under the Guarantee shall be limited to the maximum amount as will, after giving effect to all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Guarantor and to any collections from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Guarantor under the Guarantee, not result in the obligations of such Guarantor under the Guarantee constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under federal or state law.
Section 12.4 Release of Guarantors from Guarantee.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Guarantee of any Guarantor may be released upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 8.1, Section 8.3 and this Section 12.4. Provided that no Default shall have occurred and shall be continuing under this Indenture, the Guarantee incurred by a Guarantor pursuant to this Article XII shall be unconditionally released and discharged (i) automatically upon (A) any sale, exchange or transfer, whether by way of merger or otherwise, to any person that is not an Affiliate of the Company, of all of the Company’s direct or indirect equity interests in such Guarantor (provided such sale, exchange or transfer is not prohibited by this Indenture) or (B) the merger of such Guarantor into the Company or any other Guarantor or the liquidation and dissolution of such Guarantor (in each case to the extent not prohibited by this Indenture) or (ii) with respect to any Series of Securities, upon the occurrence of any other condition set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate establishing the terms of such Series.
56
(b) Upon receipt of a written request of the Company accompanied by an Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel stating that any Guarantor is entitled to be released from the Guarantee in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee shall deliver instruments reasonably requested by the Company or such Guarantor evidencing the release of such Guarantor from the Guarantee, such instruments to be prepared by the Company or such Guarantor and delivered to the Trustee. Any Guarantor not so released shall remain liable for the full amount of principal of and interest on the Securities entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee as provided in this Indenture, subject to the limitations of Section 12.3.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
57
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
| Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., as the Company | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Its: | ||
| [ ⚫ ], as Guarantor | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Its: | ||
58
| U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as the Trustee | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Its: | ||
59
EXHIBIT A
[FORM OF]
NOTATION OF GUARANTEE
Each Guarantor signing below has fully, unconditionally and absolutely guaranteed, to the extent set forth in the Indenture and subject to the provisions in the Indenture, the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Securities to which this notation is affixed and all other amounts due and payable under the Indenture and the Securities to which this notation is affixed by the Company.
The obligations of such Guarantor to the Holders of Securities to which this notation is affixed and to the Trustee pursuant to the Guarantee and the Indenture are expressly set forth in Article XII of the Indenture and reference is hereby made to the Indenture for the precise terms of the Guarantee.
| [NAME OF GUARANTOR(S)] | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Its: | ||
60
Exhibit 5.1
| ||
February 7, 2025
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
| Re: | Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”) — Registration Statement on Form S-3 pertaining to an unspecified number or aggregate initial offering price of (i) shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company; (ii) shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Preferred Stock”), of the Company; (iii) debt securities (“Company Debt Securities”) of the Company; (iv) fractional shares of Preferred Stock of the Company represented by depositary shares (“Depositary Shares”); (v) warrants (“Warrants”) to purchase shares of Common Stock, shares of Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares; (vi) rights (“Rights”), on terms to be determined at the time of sale, for the purchase of securities of the Company; (vii) units (“Units”) comprised of securities of the Company; (viii) debt securities (“OP Debt Securities”) of the Operating Partnership; and (ix) guarantees by the Company (the “Company Guarantees”) of OP Debt Securities |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as Maryland corporate counsel to the Company in connection with: (a) the registration of the shares of Common Stock, shares of Preferred Stock, Company Debt Securities, Depositary Shares, Warrants, Rights, Units and Company Guarantees (collectively, the “Company Securities”); and (b) the registration of the OP Debt Securities (together with the Company Securities, collectively, the “Securities”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), by the Company and the Operating Partnership, as applicable, on Form S-3 filed or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on or about the date hereof, and any amendments thereto (the “Registration Statement”). You have requested our opinion with respect to the matters set forth below.
In our capacity as Maryland corporate counsel to the Company and for the purposes of this opinion, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following documents (collectively, the “Documents”):
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 2
| (i) | the corporate charter of the Company (the “Charter”) represented by Articles of Amendment and Restatement filed with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “Department”) on August 4, 2020, Articles of Amendment filed with the Department on July 2, 2021, Articles of Amendment filed with the Department on July 2, 2021, Articles Supplementary filed with the Department on July 2, 2021, Articles of Amendment filed with the Department on July 2, 2021, Articles Supplementary filed with the Department on July 16, 2021 and Articles Supplementary filed with the Department on May 5, 2022; |
| (ii) | the Fifth Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, effective as of July 19, 2021 (the “Bylaws”); |
| (iii) | certain resolutions (the “Directors’ Resolutions”) adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”); |
| (iv) | a certificate of one or more officers of the Company, dated as of a recent date (the “Officer’s Certificate”), to the effect that, among other things, the Charter, the Bylaws and the Directors’ Resolutions are true, correct and complete, have not been rescinded or modified and are in full force and effect on the date of the Officer’s Certificate; |
| (v) | the Registration Statement and the related form of prospectus included therein (the “Prospectus”), in substantially the form filed or to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Act; |
| (vi) | a status certificate of the Department, dated as of a recent date, to the effect that the Company is duly incorporated and existing under the laws of the State of Maryland; and |
| (vii) | such other laws, records, documents, certificates, opinions and instruments as we have deemed necessary to render this opinion, subject to the limitations, assumptions and qualifications noted below. |
In reaching the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the following:
| (a) | each person executing any instrument, document or agreement on behalf of any party (other than the Company) is duly authorized to do so; |
| (b) | each natural person executing any instrument, document or agreement is legally competent to do so; |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 3
| (c) | any of the Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic; the form and content of any Documents submitted to us as unexecuted drafts do not, and will not, differ in any respect relevant to this opinion from the form and content of such documents as executed and delivered; any of the Documents submitted to us as certified, facsimile or photostatic copies conform to the original Documents; all signatures on all of the Documents are genuine; all public records reviewed or relied upon by us or on our behalf are true and complete; all statements and information contained in the Documents are true and complete; there has been no modification of, or amendment to, any of the Documents, and there has been no waiver of any provision of any of the Documents by action or omission of the parties or otherwise; |
| (d) | the resolutions to be adopted subsequent to the date hereof, and the actions to be taken by the Board of Directors subsequent to the date hereof, including, but not limited to, the adoption of all resolutions and the taking of all actions necessary to authorize the issuance and sale (and execution and delivery, if applicable) of the Company Securities in accordance with the procedures set forth in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 below, will occur at duly called meetings at which a quorum of the incumbent directors of the Company is present and acting throughout, or by unanimous consent of all incumbent directors given in writing or by electronic transmission, all in accordance with the Charter and Bylaws of the Company and applicable law; |
| (e) | the number of shares of Preferred Stock of each series and the number of shares of Common Stock to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof as Company Securities under the Registration Statement, together with the number of shares of Preferred Stock of such series and the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion or exchange (or exercise in the case of Warrants or Rights) of any Securities offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof, and the number of shares of Preferred Stock of such series represented by Depositary Shares to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof, will not, in the aggregate, exceed the number of shares of Preferred Stock of such series, and the number of shares of Common Stock, respectively, authorized in the Charter of the Company, less the number of shares of Preferred Stock of such series and the number of shares of Common Stock, respectively, authorized and reserved for issuance and issued and outstanding on the date subsequent to the date hereof on which the Securities are authorized, the date subsequent to the date hereof on which the Securities are issued and delivered, the date subsequent to the date hereof on which any |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 4
| Securities are converted into, or exchanged or exercised for, shares of Common Stock or shares of Preferred Stock of such series, respectively, and the date subsequent to the date hereof on which shares of Preferred Stock of such series and shares of Common Stock, respectively, are issued pursuant to the conversion, exchange or exercise of such Securities; |
| (f) | none of the terms of any of the Securities to be established subsequent to the date hereof, nor the issuance and delivery of any such Securities containing such terms established subsequent to the date hereof, nor the compliance by the Company with the terms of any such Securities established subsequent to the date hereof, nor the form of certificate, receipt or other instrument or document evidencing any such Securities approved subsequent to the date hereof, will violate any applicable law or will conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of, the Charter or Bylaws of the Company, any instrument or agreement to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or any order or decree of any court, administrative or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company; |
| (g) | the form of certificate, receipt or other instrument or document representing the Company Securities approved subsequent to the date hereof will conform in all respects to the requirements applicable under Maryland law; |
| (h) | none of the Company Securities to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof, and none of the shares of Preferred Stock or shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion or exchange (or exercise in the case of Warrants or Rights) of any Securities, will be issued in violation of the provisions of the Charter of the Company imposing restrictions on ownership and transfer of shares of stock of the Company; |
| (i) | none of the Company Securities to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof, and none of the shares of Preferred Stock or shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion or exchange (or exercise in the case of Warrants or Rights) of any Securities, will be issued and sold to an Interested Stockholder of the Company or an Affiliate thereof, all as defined in Subtitle 6 of Title 3 of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”), in violation of Section 3-602 of the MGCL; |
| (j) | all Company Debt Securities to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof will be issued under a valid and legally binding indenture or other similar instrument, enforceable against the parties thereto in accordance with its terms, that conforms to the description thereof set forth in the |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 5
| Prospectus or related prospectus supplement; all Depositary Shares to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof will be issued under a valid and legally binding deposit agreement, enforceable against the parties thereto in accordance with its terms, that conforms to the description thereof set forth in the Prospectus or related prospectus supplement; all Warrants to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof will be issued under a valid and legally binding warrant agreement, enforceable against the parties thereto in accordance with its terms, that conforms to the description thereof set forth in the Prospectus or related prospectus supplement; all Rights to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof will be issued under a valid and legally binding rights agreement, enforceable against the parties thereto in accordance with its terms, that conforms to the description thereof set forth in the Prospectus or related prospectus supplement; and all Units to be offered and sold subsequent to the date hereof will be issued under a valid and legally binding unit agreement, enforceable against the parties thereto in accordance with its terms, that conforms to the description thereof set forth in the Prospectus or related prospectus supplement; and |
| (k) | prior to or contemporaneous with the authorization, execution and delivery of any Company Guarantees by the Company issued, executed and delivered subsequent to the date hereof, the issuance, execution and delivery by the Operating Partnership of the OP Debt Securities to which such Company Guarantees relate will have been duly authorized by all necessary limited partnership action on the part of the Operating Partnership, and such OP Debt Securities will have been duly issued, executed and delivered by, and will be the valid and legally binding obligation of, the Operating Partnership. |
Based on the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth herein, it is our opinion that:
| 1. | The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland. |
| 2. | Upon due authorization by the Board of Directors of a designated number of shares of Common Stock for issuance at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize the issuance and sale of such shares of Common Stock, and when such shares of Common Stock are issued and delivered against payment of the consideration therefor as set by the Board of Directors, such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 6
| 3. | Upon: (a) designation by the Board of Directors of one or more series of Preferred Stock to distinguish each such series from any other outstanding series of Preferred Stock; (b) setting by the Board of Directors of the number of shares of Preferred Stock to be included in such series; (c) establishment by the Board of Directors of the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of such series of Preferred Stock; (d) filing by the Company with the Department of articles supplementary setting forth a description of such series of Preferred Stock, including the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption as set by the Board of Directors and a statement that such series of the Preferred Stock has been classified by the Board of Directors under the authority contained in the Charter, and the acceptance for record by the Department of such articles supplementary; (e) due authorization by the Board of Directors of a designated number of shares of such series of Preferred Stock for issuance at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors; and (f) due authorization by the Board of Directors of any securities of the Company issuable upon conversion of such series of Preferred Stock in accordance with resolutions to be adopted subsequent to the date hereof, and/or actions to be taken subsequent to the date hereof, by the Board of Directors, at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize the issuance and sale of the shares of such series of Preferred Stock, and when such shares of such series of Preferred Stock are issued and delivered against payment of the consideration therefor as set by the Board of Directors, such shares of such series of Preferred Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
| 4. | The Company has the corporate power to create the obligations to be evidenced by the Company Debt Securities, and upon: (a) designation and titling by the Board of Directors of the Company Debt Securities; (b) establishment by the Board of Directors of the terms, conditions and provisions of any Company Debt Securities; (c) establishment by the Board of Directors of the aggregate principal amount of any such Company Debt Securities and any limit on such aggregate principal amount; (d) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the execution |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 7
| and delivery of one or more indentures, supplemental indentures and/or certificates of officer, each dated as of a date prior to the issuance of the Company Debt Securities to which it relates; (e) due authorization by the Board of Directors of such Company Debt Securities for issuance at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors; and (f) due authorization by the Board of Directors of any securities of the Company issuable upon conversion of the Company Debt Securities in accordance with resolutions to be adopted subsequent to the date hereof, and/or actions to be taken subsequent to the date hereof, by the Board of Directors, at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize such Company Debt Securities. |
| 5. | The Company has the corporate power to enter into deposit agreements, and upon completion of the procedures set forth in paragraph 3 above for the issuance of shares of any series of Preferred Stock, and due authorization and approval by the Board of Directors of a deposit agreement and the delivery of Depositary Shares pursuant to such deposit agreement, due execution of such deposit agreement on behalf of the Company, and compliance with the conditions established by the Board of Directors for the delivery of the Depositary Shares, such Depositary Shares will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and such Depositary Shares may be delivered by or on behalf of the Company, and the shares of such series of Preferred Stock represented by the Depositary Shares will, upon issuance and delivery against payment of the consideration therefor as set by the Board of Directors, be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
| 6. | The Company has the corporate power to enter into warrant agreements, and upon: (a) designation and titling by the Board of Directors of the Warrants; (b) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the form, terms, execution and delivery by the Company of the warrant agreement relating to the Warrants; (c) setting by the Board of Directors of the number of Warrants to be issued; (d) establishment by the Board of Directors of the terms, conditions and provisions of the Warrants; (e) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the Warrants for issuance at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors; and (f) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the shares of Common Stock, shares of Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the procedures set forth in paragraphs 2, 3 and 5 above, respectively, at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize such Warrants. |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 8
| 7. | The Company has the corporate power to enter into rights agreements, and upon: (a) designation and titling by the Board of Directors of the Rights; (b) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the form, terms, execution and delivery by the Company of the rights agreement relating to the Rights; (c) setting by the Board of Directors of the number of Rights to be issued; (d) establishment by the Board of Directors of the terms, conditions and provisions of the Rights and designation by the Board of Directors of the securities to be purchased upon exercise of the Rights; (e) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the Rights for issuance at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors; and (f) due authorization by the Board of Directors of any securities of the Company issuable upon exercise of the Rights in accordance with resolutions to be adopted subsequent to the date hereof, and/or actions to be taken subsequent to the date hereof, by the Board of Directors, at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize such Rights. |
| 8. | The Company has the corporate power to enter into unit agreements, and upon: (a) designation and titling by the Board of Directors of the Units; (b) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the form, terms, execution and delivery by the Company of the unit agreement relating to the Units; (c) setting by the Board of Directors of the number of Units to be issued; (d) establishment by the Board of Directors of the terms, conditions and provisions of the Units; (e) due authorization by the Board of Directors of the Units for issuance at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors; and (f) due authorization by the Board of Directors of any securities of the Company comprising the Units in accordance with resolutions to be adopted subsequent to the date hereof, and/or actions to be taken subsequent to the date hereof, by the Board of Directors, at a minimum price or value of consideration to be set by the Board of Directors, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize such Units. |
BALLARD SPAHR LLP
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
February 7, 2025
Page 9
| 9. | The Company has the corporate power to enter into Company Guarantees, and upon: (i) due authorization and approval by the Operating Partnership of the issuance, execution and delivery of the OP Debt Securities to which such Company Guarantees relate and the form, terms, execution and delivery of an indenture or other similar instrument relating to such OP Debt Securities; (ii) due authorization and approval by the Board of Directors of the Company Guarantees and any such indenture or other similar instrument relating to such OP Debt Securities; and (iii) compliance with the conditions established by the Board of Directors for delivery of such Company Guarantees, such Company Guarantees will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and may be delivered by or on behalf of the Company. |
The foregoing opinion is limited to the substantive laws of the State of Maryland, and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other law. We express no opinion as to the applicability or effect of any federal or state securities laws, including the securities laws of the State of Maryland, or as to federal or state laws regarding fraudulent transfers, or with respect to the actions required for the Operating Partnership to authorize, execute, deliver or perform its respective obligations under any document, instrument or agreement. To the extent that any matter as to which our opinion is expressed herein would be governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Maryland, we do not express any opinion on such matter.
This opinion letter is issued as of the date hereof and is necessarily limited to laws now in effect and facts and circumstances presently existing and brought to our attention. We assume no obligation to supplement this opinion letter if any applicable laws change after the date hereof, or if we become aware of any facts or circumstances that now exist or that occur or arise in the future and may change the opinions expressed herein after the date hereof.
We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and further consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the applications to securities commissioners for the various states of the United States for registration of the Securities. We also consent to the identification of our firm as Maryland counsel to the Company in the section of the Registration Statement entitled “Legal Matters”. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Act.
| Very truly yours, |
| /s/ Ballard Spahr LLP |
Exhibit 5.2
| 355 South Grand Avenue, Suite 100 Los Angeles, California 90071-1560 Tel: +1.213.485.1234 Fax: +1.213.891.8763 www.lw.com
FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES | ||||
|
|
Austin | Milan | ||
| Beijing | Munich | |||
| Boston | New York | |||
| Brussels | Orange County | |||
| Century City | Paris | |||
| Chicago | Riyadh | |||
| February 7, 2025 | Dubai | San Diego | ||
| Düsseldorf | San Francisco | |||
| Frankfurt | Seoul | |||
| Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. | Hamburg | Silicon Valley | ||
| 11501 Northlake Drive, |
Hong Kong | Singapore | ||
| Cincinnati, Ohio 45249 | Houston | Tel Aviv | ||
| London | Tokyo | |||
| Los Angeles | Washington, D.C. | |||
| Madrid | ||||
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
11501 Northlake Drive,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
| Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
To the addressees set forth above:
We have acted as counsel to Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), in connection with their filing on the date hereof with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of a registration statement on Form S-3 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), which provides that it will be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements (each such prospectus supplement, together with the Base Prospectus, a “Prospectus”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), relating to the registration for issue and sale (i) by the Company of shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”), (ii) by the Company of shares of one or more series of the Company’s preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), (iii) by the Company of one or more series of the Company’s debt securities (the “Company Debt Securities”) to be issued under an indenture to be entered into by and between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (a form of which is included as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement) and one or more board resolutions, supplements thereto or officer’s certificates thereunder (such indenture, together with the applicable board resolution, supplement or officer’s certificate pertaining to the applicable series of Company Debt Securities, the “Company Indenture”); (iv) by the Company of shares of Preferred Stock represented by depositary shares (“Depositary Shares”), (v) by the Company of warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock, shares of Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares (“Warrants”), (vi) by the Company of rights to purchase shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company (“Rights”), (vii) by the Company of units consisting of two or more constituent securities of the Company (“Units”), (viii) by the Operating Partnership of one or more series of the Operating Partnership’s debt securities (the “OP Debt Securities”) to be issued under an indenture dated October 6, 2021 by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (which is included as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement) and one or more board resolutions, supplements thereto or officer’s certificates thereunder (such indenture, together with the applicable board resolution, supplement or officer’s certificate pertaining to the applicable series of OP Debt Securities, the “OP Indenture”), and (ix) by the Company of guarantees of the OP Debt Securities (the “Guarantees”) pursuant to the OP Indenture. The Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Company Debt Securities, Depositary Shares, Warrants, Rights, Units, OP Debt Securities and Guarantees are referred to herein collectively as the “Securities.”
February 7, 2025
Page 2
This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related applicable Prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Securities.
As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and the Operating Partnership and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to the internal laws of the State of New York, and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of the laws of any other jurisdiction or as to any matters of municipal law or the laws of any local agencies within any state. Various issues pertaining to Maryland law, including the validity of the Common Stock and Preferred Stock and the due authorization of the Securities by the Company, are addressed in the opinion of Ballard Spahr LLP, which has been separately provided to you. We express no opinion with respect to those matters herein, and to the extent elements of those opinions are necessary to the conclusions expressed herein, we have, with your consent, assumed such matters.
Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof:
| 1. | When the applicable deposit agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Depositary Shares have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the applicable deposit agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Depositary Shares have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable deposit agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the underlying securities have been validly issued and deposited with the depositary), such Depositary Shares will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. |
| 2. | When the applicable warrant agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Warrants have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Warrants have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Warrants will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. |
February 7, 2025
Page 3
| 3. | When the applicable rights agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Rights have been duly authorized in accordance with the terms of the applicable rights agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Rights have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable rights agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Rights have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Rights will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. |
| 4. | When the applicable unit agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Units have been duly authorized in accordance with the terms of the applicable unit agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Units have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable unit agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Units have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Units will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. |
| 5. | When the applicable Company Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular series of Company Debt Securities have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the Company Indenture and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Company Debt Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action, as applicable, such Company Debt Securities will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. |
| 6. | When the applicable OP Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary limited partnership action of the Operating Partnership and corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular series of OP Debt Securities have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the applicable OP Indenture and authorized by all necessary limited partnership action of the Operating Partnership, and such OP Debt Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor, and when the Guarantees of such OP Debt Securities have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and duly executed and delivered by the Company in accordance with the terms of the applicable OP Indenture and, in each case, in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such limited partnership and corporate action, as applicable, such OP Debt Securities and Guarantees will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Operating Partnership and the Company, respectively, enforceable against the Operating Partnership and the Company in accordance with their respective terms. |
Our opinions are subject to: (i) the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, preference, fraudulent transfer, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors; (ii) (a) the effect of general principles of equity, whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law (including the possible unavailability of specific performance or injunctive relief), (b) concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, and (c) the discretion of the court before which a proceeding is brought; and (iii) the invalidity under certain circumstances under law or court decisions of provisions providing for the indemnification of or contribution to a party with respect to a liability where such indemnification or contribution is contrary to public policy.
February 7, 2025
Page 4
We express no opinion as to (a) any provision for liquidated damages, default interest, late charges, monetary penalties, make-whole premiums or other economic remedies to the extent such provisions are deemed to constitute a penalty, (b) consents to, or restrictions upon, governing law, jurisdiction, venue, arbitration, remedies, or judicial relief, (c) waivers of rights or defenses, (d) any provision requiring the payment of attorneys’ fees, where such payment is contrary to law or public policy, (e) any provision permitting, upon acceleration of any Debt Securities, collection of that portion of the stated principal amount thereof which might be determined to constitute unearned interest thereon, (f) the creation, validity, attachment, perfection, or priority of any lien or security interest, (g) advance waivers of claims, defenses, rights granted by law, or notice, opportunity for hearing, evidentiary requirements, statutes of limitation, trial by jury or at law, or other procedural rights, (h) waivers of broadly or vaguely stated rights, (i) provisions for exclusivity, election or cumulation of rights or remedies, (j) provisions authorizing or validating conclusive or discretionary determinations, (k) grants of setoff rights, (l) proxies, powers and trusts, (m) provisions prohibiting, restricting, or requiring consent to assignment or transfer of any right or property, (n) provisions purporting to make a guarantor primarily liable rather than as a surety, (o) provisions purporting to waive modifications of any guaranteed obligation to the extent such modification constitutes a novation, (p) any provision to the extent it requires that a claim with respect to a security denominated in other than U.S. dollars (or a judgment in respect of such a claim) be converted into U.S. dollars at a rate of exchange at a particular date, to the extent applicable law otherwise provides and (q) the severability, if invalid, of provisions to the foregoing effect.
With your consent, we have assumed that (a) each of the Depositary Shares, Warrants, Rights, Units, Company Debt Securities, OP Debt Securities and Guarantees and the deposit agreements, warrant agreements, rights agreements, unit agreements, the Company Indenture and OP Indenture governing such Securities and any related board resolution, supplemental indenture or officers’ certificate establishing the terms thereof (collectively, the “Documents”) will be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, (b) each of the Documents has been or will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto, (c) each of the Documents constitutes or will constitute legally valid and binding obligations of the parties thereto other than the Operating Partnership and the Company, as applicable, enforceable against each of them in accordance with their respective terms and (d) the status of each of the Documents as legally valid and binding obligations of the parties will not be affected by any (i) breaches of, or defaults under, agreements or instruments, (ii) violations of statutes, rules, regulations or court or governmental orders or (iii) failures to obtain required consents, approvals or authorizations from, or to make required registrations, declarations or filings with, governmental authorities. We have further assumed, with your consent, that the Company, as the sole member of Phillips Edison Shopping Center OP GP I LLC (the “General Partner”), a Delaware limited liability company and the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, has duly taken or will duly take such internal actions (such as board approval) as may be necessary to enable it to duly act and that the Company has duly acted or will duly act (including the authorization, execution and delivery of the Documents, as applicable), in its capacity as sole member of the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, on behalf of the Operating Partnership, in connection with the Documents.
February 7, 2025
Page 5
This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm contained in the Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
| Sincerely,
/s/ Latham & Watkins LLP |
Exhibit 8.1
| 355 South Grand Avenue, Suite 100 Los Angeles, California 90071-1560 Tel: +1.213.485.1234 Fax: +1.213.891.8763 www.lw.com
FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES | ||||
|
|
Austin | Milan | ||
| Beijing | Munich | |||
| Boston | New York | |||
| Brussels | Orange County | |||
| Century City | Paris | |||
| Chicago | Riyadh | |||
| Dubai | San Diego | |||
| Düsseldorf | San Francisco | |||
| February 7, 2025 | Frankfurt | Seoul | ||
| Hamburg | Silicon Valley | |||
| Hong Kong | Singapore | |||
| Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. | Houston | Tel Aviv | ||
| 11501 Northlake Drive | London | Tokyo | ||
| Cincinnati, Ohio 45249 | Los Angeles | Washington, D.C. | ||
| Madrid | ||||
Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
| Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
To the addressees set forth above:
We have acted as special tax counsel to Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), in connection with their filing on the date hereof with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of a registration statement on Form S-3 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), which provides that it will be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements (each such prospectus supplement, together with the Base Prospectus, a “Prospectus”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), relating to the registration for issue and sale of certain securities of the Company and the Operating Partnership.
You have requested our opinion concerning certain of the federal income tax considerations relating to the Company. This opinion is based on various facts and assumptions, including the facts set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus concerning the business, assets and governing documents of the Company and its subsidiaries. We have also been furnished with, and with your consent have relied upon, certain representations made by the Company and its subsidiaries with respect to certain factual matters through a certificate of an officer of the Company, dated as of the date hereof (the “Officer’s Certificate”).
In our capacity as special tax counsel to the Company and the Operating Partnership, we have made such legal and factual examinations and inquiries, including an examination of originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of such documents, corporate records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of this opinion. For the purposes of our opinion, we have not made an independent
February 7, 2025
Page 2
investigation or audit of the facts set forth in the above referenced documents or in the Officer’s Certificate. In addition, in rendering this opinion we have assumed the truth and accuracy of all representations and statements made to us that are qualified as to knowledge or belief, without regard to such qualification. In our examination, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures thereon, the legal capacity of natural persons executing such documents and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies.
We are opining herein only as to the federal income tax laws of the United States, and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of other federal laws or the laws of any state or other jurisdiction, or as to any matters of municipal law or the laws of any other local agencies within any state.
Based on such facts, and subject to the qualifications, assumptions, representations and limitations set forth herein, it is our opinion that:
| 1. | Commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2010, the Company has been organized and has operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and the Company’s proposed method of operation will enable it to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code; and |
| 2. | The statements set forth in the Registration Statement and the Base Prospectus under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” insofar as they purport to describe or summarize certain provisions of the statutes or regulations referred to therein, are accurate descriptions or summaries in all material respects. |
No opinion is expressed as to any matter not discussed herein.
This opinion is rendered to you as of the date of this letter, and we undertake no obligation to update this opinion subsequent to the date hereof. This opinion is based on various statutory provisions, regulations promulgated thereunder and interpretations thereof by the Internal Revenue Service and the courts having jurisdiction over such matters, all of which are subject to change either prospectively or retroactively. Any such change may affect the conclusions stated herein. Also, any variation or difference in the facts from those set forth in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Officer’s Certificate may affect the conclusions stated herein. As described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company’s qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon the Company’s ability to meet the various requirements imposed under the Code, including through actual annual operating results, asset composition, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership, the results of which have not been and will not be reviewed by Latham & Watkins LLP. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of the Company’s operation for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements. In addition, the opinion set forth above does not foreclose the possibility that the Company may have to pay a deficiency dividend, or an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount, in order to maintain its REIT qualification.
February 7, 2025
Page 3
This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm contained in the Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
| Sincerely, |
| /s/ Latham & Watkins LLP |
Exhibit 22.1
List of Issuers of Guaranteed Securities
The following subsidiary of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (“PECO”) will be the issuer of debt securities under the indenture to be entered into among PECO, as parent guarantor, and the subsidiary listed below.
| Name of Subsidiary |
Jurisdiction of Organization | |
| Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P. | Delaware |
Exhibit 23.3
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of our reports dated February 12, 2024 relating to the financial statements of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2023. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
February 7, 2025
Exhibit 25.1
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM T-1
STATEMENT OF ELIGIBILITY
UNDER THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939
OF A CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE
| ☐ | Check if an Application to Determine Eligibility of a Trustee Pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) |
U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
(Exact name of Trustee as specified in its charter)
91-1821036
I.R.S. Employer Identification No.
| 800 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota |
55402 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Christina Bruno
U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association
425 Walnut Street, 10th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(732) 321-2516
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
(Issuer with respect to the Securities)
| Maryland (Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) | 27-1106076 (Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| 11501 Northlake Drive Cincinnati, Ohio |
45249 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Debt Securities
(Title of the Indenture Securities)
FORM T-1
| Item 1. | GENERAL INFORMATION. Furnish the following information as to the Trustee. | |||
| a) | Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject. | |||
| Comptroller of the Currency | ||||
| Washington, D.C. | ||||
| b) | Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers. | |||
| Yes | ||||
| Item 2. | AFFILIATIONS WITH THE OBLIGOR. If the obligor is an affiliate of the Trustee, describe each such affiliation. | |||
| None | ||||
| Items 3-15 | Items 3-15 are not applicable because to the best of the Trustee’s knowledge, the obligor is not in default under any Indenture for which the Trustee acts as Trustee. | |||
| Item 16. | LIST OF EXHIBITS: List below all exhibits filed as a part of this statement of eligibility and qualification. | |||
| 1. A copy of the Articles of Association of the Trustee, attached as Exhibit 1. | ||||
| 2. A copy of the certificate of authority of the Trustee to commence business, attached as Exhibit 2. | ||||
| 3. A copy of the authorization of the Trustee to exercise corporate trust powers, included as Exhibit 2. | ||||
| 4. A copy of the existing bylaws of the Trustee, attached as Exhibit 4. | ||||
| 5. A copy of each Indenture referred to in Item 4. Not applicable. | ||||
| 6. The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, attached as Exhibit 6. | ||||
| 7. Report of Condition of the Trustee as of September 30, 2024, published pursuant to law or the requirements of its supervising or examining authority, attached as Exhibit 7. | ||||
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Trustee, U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, has duly caused this statement of eligibility and qualification to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in the City of Cincinnati, State of Ohio on the 30th of January, 2025.
| By: | /s/ Christina Bruno | |
| Christina Bruno | ||
| Assistant Vice President |
Exhibit 1
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
U. S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
For the purpose of organizing an association (the “Association”) to perform any lawful activities of national banks, the undersigned enter into the following Articles of Association:
FIRST. The title of this Association shall be U. S. Bank Trust Company, National Association.
SECOND. The main office of the Association shall be in the city of Portland, county of Multnomah, state of Oregon. The business of the Association will be limited to fiduciary powers and the support of activities incidental to the exercise of those powers. The Association may not expand or alter its business beyond that stated in this article without the prior approval of the Comptroller of the Currency.
THIRD. The board of directors of the Association shall consist of not less than five nor more than twenty-five persons, the exact number to be fixed and determined from time to time by resolution of a majority of the full board of directors or by resolution of a majority of the shareholders at any annual or special meeting thereof. Each director shall own common or preferred stock of the Association or of a holding company owning the Association, with an aggregate par, fair market, or equity value of not less than $1,000, as of either (i) the date of purchase, (ii) the date the person became a director, or (iii) the date of that person’s most recent election to the board of directors, whichever is more recent. Any combination of common or preferred stock of the Association or holding company may be used.
Any vacancy in the board of directors may be filled by action of a majority of the remaining directors between meetings of shareholders. The board of directors may increase the number of directors up to the maximum permitted by law. Terms of directors, including directors selected to fill vacancies, shall expire at the next regular meeting of shareholders at which directors are elected, unless the directors resign or are removed from office. Despite the expiration of a director’s term, the director shall continue to serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until there is a decrease in the number of directors and his or her position is eliminated.
Honorary or advisory members of the board of directors, without voting power or power of final decision in matters concerning the business of the Association, may be appointed by resolution of a majority of the full board of directors, or by resolution of shareholders at any annual or special meeting. Honorary or advisory directors shall not be counted to determined the number of directors of the Association or the presence of a quorum in connection with any board action, and shall not be required to own qualifying shares.
FOURTH. There shall be an annual meeting of the shareholders to elect directors and transact whatever other business may be brought before the meeting. It shall be held at the main office or any other convenient place the board of directors may designate, on the day of each year specified therefor in the Bylaws, or if that day falls on a legal holiday in the state in which the
- 1 -
Association is located, on the next following banking day. If no election is held on the day fixed or in the event of a legal holiday on the following banking day, an election may be held on any subsequent day within 60 days of the day fixed, to be designated by the board of directors, or, if the directors fail to fix the day, by shareholders representing two-thirds of the shares issued and outstanding. In all cases, at least 10 days’ advance notice of the meeting shall be given to the shareholders by first-class mail.
In all elections of directors, the number of votes each common shareholder may cast will be determined by multiplying the number of shares he or she owns by the number of directors to be elected. Those votes may be cumulated and cast for a single candidate or may be distributed among two or more candidates in the manner selected by the shareholder. On all other questions, each common shareholder shall be entitled to one vote for each share of stock held by him or her.
A director may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the board of directors, its chairperson, or to the Association, which resignation shall be effective when the notice is delivered unless the notice specifies a later effective date.
A director may be removed by the shareholders at a meeting called to remove him or her, when notice of the meeting stating that the purpose or one of the purposes is to remove him or her is provided, if there is a failure to fulfill one of the affirmative requirements for qualification, or for cause; provided, however, that a director may not be removed if the number of votes sufficient to elect him or her under cumulative voting is voted against his or her removal.
FIFTH. The authorized amount of capital stock of the Association shall be 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the par value of ten dollars ($10) each; but said capital stock may be increased or decreased from time to time, according to the provisions of the laws of the United States. The Association shall have only one class of capital stock.
No holder of shares of the capital stock of any class of the Association shall have any preemptive or preferential right of subscription to any shares of any class of stock of the Association, whether now or hereafter authorized, or to any obligations convertible into stock of the Association, issued, or sold, nor any right of subscription to any thereof other than such, if any, as the board of directors, in its discretion, may from time to time determine and at such price as the board of directors may from time to time fix.
Transfers of the Association’s stock are subject to the prior written approval of a federal depository institution regulatory agency. If no other agency approval is required, the approval of the Comptroller of the Currency must be obtained prior to any such transfers.
Unless otherwise specified in the Articles of Association or required by law, (1) all matters requiring shareholder action, including amendments to the Articles of Association must be approved by shareholders owning a majority voting interest in the outstanding voting stock, and (2) each shareholder shall be entitled to one vote per share.
- 2 -
Unless otherwise specified in the Articles of Association or required by law, all shares of voting stock shall be voted together as a class, on any matters requiring shareholder approval.
Unless otherwise provided in the Bylaws, the record date for determining shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at any meeting is the close of business on the day before the first notice is mailed or otherwise sent to the shareholders, provided that in no event may a record date be more than 70 days before the meeting.
The Association, at any time and from time to time, may authorize and issue debt obligations, whether subordinated, without the approval of the shareholders. Obligations classified as debt, whether subordinated, which may be issued by the Association without the approval of shareholders, do not carry voting rights on any issue, including an increase or decrease in the aggregate number of the securities, or the exchange or reclassification of all or part of securities into securities of another class or series.
SIXTH. The board of directors shall appoint one of its members president of this Association and one of its members chairperson of the board and shall have the power to appoint one or more vice presidents, a secretary who shall keep minutes of the directors’ and shareholders’ meetings and be responsible for authenticating the records of the Association, and such other officers and employees as may be required to transact the business of this Association. A duly appointed officer may appoint one or more officers or assistant officers if authorized by the board of directors in accordance with the Bylaws.
The board of directors shall have the power to:
| (1) | Define the duties of the officers, employees, and agents of the Association. |
| (2) | Delegate the performance of its duties, but not the responsibility for its duties, to the officers, employees, and agents of the Association. |
| (3) | Fix the compensation and enter employment contracts with its officers and employees upon reasonable terms and conditions consistent with applicable law. |
| (4) | Dismiss officers and employees. |
| (5) | Require bonds from officers and employees and to fix the penalty thereof. |
| (6) | Ratify written policies authorized by the Association’s management or committees of the board. |
| (7) | Regulate the manner any increase or decrease of the capital of the Association shall be made; provided that nothing herein shall restrict the power of shareholders to increase or decrease the capital of the Association in accordance with law, and nothing shall raise or lower from two-thirds the percentage required for shareholder approval to increase or reduce the capital. |
- 3 -
| (8) | Manage and administer the business and affairs of the Association. |
| (9) | Adopt initial Bylaws, not inconsistent with law or the Articles of Association, for managing the business and regulating the affairs of the Association. |
| (10) | Amend or repeal Bylaws, except to the extent that the Articles of Association reserve this power in whole or in part to the shareholders. |
| (11) | Make contracts. |
| (12) | Generally perform all acts that are legal for a board of directors to perform. |
SEVENTH. The board of directors shall have the power to change the location of the main office to any authorized branch within the limits of the city of Portland, Oregon, without the approval of the shareholders, or with a vote of shareholders owning two-thirds of the stock of the Association for a location outside such limits and upon receipt of a certificate of approval from the Comptroller of the Currency, to any other location within or outside the limits of the city of Portland, Oregon, but not more than thirty miles beyond such limits. The board of directors shall have the power to establish or change the location of any office or offices of the Association to any other location permitted under applicable law, without approval of shareholders, subject to approval by the Comptroller of the Currency.
EIGHTH. The corporate existence of this Association shall continue until termination according to the laws of the United States.
NINTH. The board of directors of the Association, or any shareholder owning, in the aggregate, not less than 25 percent of the stock of the Association, may call a special meeting of shareholders at any time. Unless otherwise provided by the Bylaws or the laws of the United States, or waived by shareholders, a notice of the time, place, and purpose of every annual and special meeting of the shareholders shall be given by first-class mail, postage prepaid, mailed at least 10, and no more than 60, days prior to the date of the meeting to each shareholder of record at his/her address as shown upon the books of the Association. Unless otherwise provided by the Bylaws, any action requiring approval of shareholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting.
TENTH. These Articles of Association may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the shareholders by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Association, unless the vote of the holders of a greater amount of stock is required by law, and in that case by the vote of the holders of such greater amount; provided, that the scope of the Association’s activities and services may not be expanded without the prior written approval of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Association’s board of directors may propose one or more amendments to the Articles of Association for submission to the shareholders.
- 4 -
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 11th of June, 1997.
| /s/ Jeffrey T. Grubb |
| Jeffrey T. Grubb |
| /s/ Robert D. Sznewajs |
| Robert D. Sznewajs |
| /s/ Dwight V. Board |
| Dwight V. Board |
| /s/ P. K. Chatterjee |
| P. K. Chatterjee |
| /s/ Robert Lane |
| Robert Lane |
Exhibit 2
|
|
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency | |
|
Washington, DC 20219 |
CERTIFICATE OF CORPORATE EXISTENCE AND FIDUCIARY POWERS
I, Michael J. Hsu, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, do hereby certify that:
1. The Comptroller of the Currency, pursuant to Revised Statutes 324, et seq, as amended, and 12 USC 1, et seq, as amended, has possession, custody, and control of all records pertaining to the chartering, regulation, and supervision of all national banking associations.
2. “U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association,” Portland, Oregon (Charter No. 23412), is a national banking association formed under the laws of the United States and is authorized thereunder to transact the business of banking and exercise fiduciary powers on the date of this certificate.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, today, October 7, 2024, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused my seal of office to be affixed to these presents at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia.
| /s/ Michael J. Hsu |
||||
| Acting Comptroller of the Currency |
2025-00037-C
Exhibit 4
U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
ARTICLE I
Meetings of Shareholders
Section 1.1. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the shareholders, for the election of directors and the transaction of any other proper business, shall be held at a time and place as the Chairman or President may designate. Notice of such meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) days or more than sixty (60) days prior to the date thereof, to each shareholder of the Association, unless the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) determines that an emergency circumstance exists. In accordance with applicable law, the sole shareholder of the Association is permitted to waive notice of the meeting. If, for any reason, an election of directors is not made on the designated day, the election shall be held on some subsequent day, as soon thereafter as practicable, with prior notice thereof. Failure to hold an annual meeting as required by these Bylaws shall not affect the validity of any corporate action or work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Association.
Section 1.2. Special Meetings. Except as otherwise specially provided by law, special meetings of the shareholders may be called for any purpose, at any time by a majority of the board of directors (the “Board”), or by any shareholder or group of shareholders owning at least ten percent of the outstanding stock.
Every such special meeting, unless otherwise provided by law, shall be called upon not less than ten (10) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice stating the purpose of the meeting.
Section 1.3. Nominations for Directors. Nominations for election to the Board may be made by the Board or by any shareholder.
Section 1.4. Proxies. Shareholders may vote at any meeting of the shareholders by proxies duly authorized in writing. Proxies shall be valid only for one meeting and any adjournments of such meeting and shall be filed with the records of the meeting.
Section 1.5. Record Date. The record date for determining shareholders entitled to notice and to vote at any meeting will be thirty days before the date of such meeting, unless otherwise determined by the Board.
Section 1.6. Quorum and Voting. A majority of the outstanding capital stock, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of shareholders, unless otherwise provided by law, but less than a quorum may adjourn any meeting, from time to time, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. A majority of the votes cast shall decide every question or matter submitted to the shareholders at any meeting, unless otherwise provided by law or by the Articles of Association.
Section 1.7. Inspectors. The Board may, and in the event of its failure so to do, the Chairman of the Board may appoint Inspectors of Election who shall determine the presence of quorum, the validity of proxies, and the results of all elections and all other matters voted upon by shareholders at all annual and special meetings of shareholders.
Section 1.8. Waiver and Consent. The shareholders may act without notice or a meeting by a unanimous written consent by all shareholders.
Section 1.9. Remote Meetings. The Board shall have the right to determine that a shareholder meeting not be held at a place, but instead be held solely by means of remote communication in the manner and to the extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
ARTICLE II
Directors
Section 2.1. Board of Directors. The Board shall have the power to manage and administer the business and affairs of the Association. Except as expressly limited by law, all corporate powers of the Association shall be vested in and may be exercised by the Board.
Section 2.2. Term of Office. The directors of this Association shall hold office for one year and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier resignation or removal.
Section 2.3. Powers. In addition to the foregoing, the Board shall have and may exercise all of the powers granted to or conferred upon it by the Articles of Association, the Bylaws and by law.
Section 2.4. Number. As provided in the Articles of Association, the Board of this Association shall consist of no less than five nor more than twenty-five members, unless the OCC has exempted the Association from the twenty-five- member limit. The Board shall consist of a number of members to be fixed and determined from time to time by resolution of the Board or the shareholders at any meeting thereof, in accordance with the Articles of Association. Between meetings of the shareholders held for the purpose of electing directors, the Board
by a majority vote of the full Board may increase the size of the Board but not to more than a total of twenty-five directors, and fill any vacancy so created in the Board; provided that the Board may increase the number of directors only by up to two directors, when the number of directors last elected by shareholders was fifteen or fewer, and by up to four directors, when the number of directors last elected by shareholders was sixteen or more. Each director shall own a qualifying equity interest in the Association or a company that has control of the Association in each case as required by applicable law. Each director shall own such qualifying equity interest in his or her own right and meet any minimum threshold ownership required by applicable law.
Section 2.5. Organization Meeting. The newly elected Board shall meet for the purpose of organizing the new Board and electing and appointing such officers of the Association as may be appropriate. Such meeting shall be held on the day of the election or as soon thereafter as practicable, and, in any event, within thirty days thereafter, at such time and place as the Chairman or President may designate. If, at the time fixed for such meeting, there shall not be a quorum present, the directors present may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is obtained.
Section 2.6. Regular Meetings. The regular meetings of the Board shall be held, without notice, as the Chairman or President may designate and deem suitable.
Section 2.7. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time, at any place and for any purpose by the Chairman of the Board or the President of the Association, or upon the request of a majority of the entire Board. Notice of every special meeting of the Board shall be given to the directors at their usual places of business, or at such other addresses as shall have been furnished by them for the purpose. Such notice shall be given at least twelve hours (three hours if meeting is to be conducted by conference telephone) before the meeting by telephone or by being personally delivered, mailed, or electronically delivered. Such notice need not include a statement of the business to be transacted at, or the purpose of, any such meeting.
Section 2.8. Quorum and Necessary Vote. A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board, except when otherwise provided by law; but less than a quorum may adjourn any meeting, from time to time, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. Unless otherwise provided by law or the Articles or Bylaws of this Association, once a quorum is established, any act by a majority of those directors present and voting shall be the act of the Board.
Section 2.9. Written Consent. Except as otherwise required by applicable laws and regulations, the Board may act without a meeting by a unanimous written consent by all directors, to be filed with the Secretary of the Association as part of the corporate records.
Section 2.10. Remote Meetings. Members of the Board, or of any committee thereof, may participate in a meeting of such Board or committee by means of conference telephone, video or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other and such participation shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.
Section 2.11. Vacancies. When any vacancy occurs among the directors, the remaining members of the Board may appoint a director to fill such vacancy at any regular meeting of the Board, or at a special meeting called for that purpose.
ARTICLE III
Committees
Section 3.1. Advisory Board of Directors. The Board may appoint persons, who need not be directors, to serve as advisory directors on an advisory board of directors established with respect to the business affairs of either this Association alone or the business affairs of a group of affiliated organizations of which this Association is one. Advisory directors shall have such powers and duties as may be determined by the Board, provided, that the Board’s responsibility for the business and affairs of this Association shall in no respect be delegated or diminished.
Section 3.2. Trust Audit Committee. At least once during each calendar year, the Association shall arrange for a suitable audit (by internal or external auditors) of all significant fiduciary activities under the direction of its trust audit committee, a function that will be fulfilled by the Audit Committee of the financial holding company that is the ultimate parent of this Association. The Association shall note the results of the audit (including significant actions taken as a result of the audit) in the minutes of the Board. In lieu of annual audits, the Association may adopt a continuous audit system in accordance with 12 C.F.R. § 9.9(b).
The Audit Committee of the financial holding company that is the ultimate parent of this Association, fulfilling the function of the trust audit committee:
(1) Must not include any officers of the Association or an affiliate who participate significantly in the administration of the Association’s fiduciary activities; and
(2) Must consist of a majority of members who are not also members of any committee to which the Board has delegated power to manage and control the fiduciary activities of the Association.
Section 3.3. Executive Committee. The Board may appoint an Executive Committee which shall consist of at least three directors and which shall have, and may exercise, to the extent permitted by applicable law, all the powers of the Board between meetings of the Board or otherwise when the Board is not meeting.
Section 3.4. Trust Management Committee. The Board of this Association shall appoint a Trust Management Committee to provide oversight of the fiduciary activities of the Association. The Trust Management Committee shall determine policies governing fiduciary activities. The Trust Management Committee or such sub-committees, officers or others as may be duly designated by the Trust Management Committee shall oversee the processes related to fiduciary activities to assure conformity with fiduciary policies it establishes, including ratifying the acceptance and the closing out or relinquishment of all trusts. The Trust Management Committee will provide regular reports of its activities to the Board.
Section 3.5. Other Committees. The Board may appoint, from time to time, committees of one or more persons who need not be directors, for such purposes and with such powers as the Board may determine; however, the Board will not delegate to any committee any powers or responsibilities that it is prohibited from delegating under any law or regulation. In addition, either the Chairman or the President may appoint, from time to time, committees of one or more officers, employees, agents or other persons, for such purposes and with such powers as either the Chairman or the President deems appropriate and proper. Whether appointed by the Board, the Chairman, or the President, any such committee shall at all times be subject to the direction and control of the Board.
Section 3.6. Meetings, Minutes and Rules. An advisory board of directors and/or committee shall meet as necessary in consideration of the purpose of the advisory board of directors or committee, and shall maintain minutes in sufficient detail to indicate actions taken or recommendations made; unless required by the members, discussions, votes or other specific details need not be reported. An advisory board of directors or a committee may, in consideration of its purpose, adopt its own rules for the exercise of any of its functions or authority.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 4.1. Chairman of the Board. The Board may appoint one of its members to be Chairman of the Board to serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Chairman shall supervise the carrying out of the policies adopted or approved by the Board; shall have general executive powers, as well as the specific powers conferred by these Bylaws; and shall also have and may exercise such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred upon or assigned by the Board.
Section 4.2. President. The Board may appoint one of its members to be President of the Association. In the absence of the Chairman, the President shall preside at any meeting of the Board. The President shall have general executive powers, and shall have and may exercise any and all other powers and duties pertaining by law, regulation or practice, to the office of President, or imposed by these Bylaws. The President shall also have and may exercise such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred or assigned by the Board.
Section 4.3. Vice President. The Board may appoint one or more Vice Presidents who shall have such powers and duties as may be assigned by the Board and to perform the duties of the President on those occasions when the President is absent, including presiding at any meeting of the Board in the absence of both the Chairman and President.
Section 4.4. Secretary. The Board shall appoint a Secretary, or other designated officer who shall be Secretary of the Board and of the Association, and shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings. The Secretary shall attend to the giving of all notices required by these Bylaws to be given; shall be custodian of the corporate seal, records, documents and papers of the Association; shall provide for the keeping of proper records of all transactions of the Association; shall, upon request, authenticate any records of the Association; shall have and may exercise any and all other powers and duties pertaining by law, regulation or practice, to the Secretary, or imposed by these Bylaws; and shall also perform such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board. The Board may appoint one or more Assistant Secretaries with such powers and duties as the Board, the President or the Secretary shall from time to time determine.
Section 4.5. Other Officers. The Board may appoint, and may authorize the Chairman, the President or any other officer to appoint, any officer as from time to time may appear to the Board, the Chairman, the President or such other officer to be required or desirable to transact the business of the Association. Such officers shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as pertain to their several offices, or as may be conferred upon or assigned to them by these Bylaws, the Board, the Chairman, the President or such other authorized officer. Any person may hold two offices.
Section 4.6. Tenure of Office. The Chairman or the President and all other officers shall hold office until their respective successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office, subject to the right of the Board or authorized officer to discharge any officer at any time.
ARTICLE V
Stock
Section 5.1. The Board may authorize the issuance of stock either in certificated or in uncertificated form. Certificates for shares of stock shall be in such form as the Board may from time to time prescribe. If the Board issues certificated stock, the certificate shall be signed by the President, Secretary or any other such officer as the Board so determines. Shares of stock shall be transferable on the books of the Association, and a transfer book shall be kept in which all transfers of stock shall be recorded. Every person becoming a shareholder by such transfer shall, in proportion to such person’s shares, succeed to all rights of the prior holder of such shares. Each certificate of stock shall recite on its face that the stock represented thereby is transferable only upon the books of the Association properly endorsed. The Board may impose conditions upon the transfer of the stock reasonably calculated to simplify the work of the Association for stock transfers, voting at shareholder meetings, and related matters, and to protect it against fraudulent transfers.
ARTICLE VI
Corporate Seal
Section 6.1. The Association shall have no corporate seal; provided, however, that if the use of a seal is required by, or is otherwise convenient or advisable pursuant to, the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction, the following seal may be used, and the Chairman, the President, the Secretary and any Assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix such seal:
ARTICLE VII
Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 7.1. Execution of Instruments. All agreements, checks, drafts, orders, indentures, notes, mortgages, deeds, conveyances, transfers, endorsements, assignments, certificates, declarations, receipts, discharges, releases, satisfactions, settlements, petitions, schedules, accounts, affidavits, bonds, undertakings, guarantees, proxies and other instruments or documents may be signed, countersigned, executed, acknowledged, endorsed, verified, delivered or accepted on behalf of the Association, whether in a fiduciary capacity or otherwise, by any officer of the Association, or such employee or agent as may be designated from time to time by the Board by resolution, or by the Chairman or the President by written instrument, which resolution or instrument shall be certified as in effect by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Association. The provisions of this section are supplementary to any other provision of the Articles of Association or Bylaws.
Section 7.2. Records. The Articles of Association, the Bylaws as revised or amended from time to time and the proceedings of all meetings of the shareholders, the Board, and standing committees of the Board, shall be recorded in appropriate minute books provided for the purpose. The minutes of each meeting shall be signed by the Secretary, or other officer appointed to act as Secretary of the meeting.
Section 7.3. Trust Files. There shall be maintained in the Association files all fiduciary records necessary to assure that its fiduciary responsibilities have been properly undertaken and discharged.
Section 7.4. Trust Investments. Funds held in a fiduciary capacity shall be invested according to the instrument establishing the fiduciary relationship and according to law. Where such instrument does not specify the character and class of investments to be made and does not vest in the Association a discretion in the matter, funds held pursuant to such instrument shall be invested in investments in which corporate fiduciaries may invest under law.
Section 7.5. Notice. Whenever notice is required by the Articles of Association, the Bylaws or law, such notice shall be by mail, postage prepaid, e- mail, in person, or by any other means by which such notice can reasonably be expected to be received, using the address of the person to receive such notice, or such other personal data, as may appear on the records of the Association.
Except where specified otherwise in these Bylaws, prior notice shall be proper if given not more than 30 days nor less than 10 days prior to the event for which notice is given.
ARTICLE VIII
Indemnification
Section 8.1. The Association shall indemnify such persons for such liabilities in such manner under such circumstances and to such extent as permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as now enacted or hereafter amended. The Board may authorize the purchase and maintenance of insurance and/or the execution of individual agreements for the purpose of such indemnification, and the Association shall advance all reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending any action, suit or proceeding to all persons entitled to indemnification under this Section 8.1. Such insurance shall be consistent with the requirements of 12 C.F.R. § 7.2014 and shall exclude coverage of liability for a formal order assessing civil money penalties against an institution-affiliated party, as defined at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u).
Section 8.2. Notwithstanding Section 8.1, however, (a) any indemnification payments to an institution-affiliated party, as defined at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u), for an administrative proceeding or civil action initiated by a federal banking agency, shall be reasonable and consistent with the requirements of 12 U.S.C. § 1828(k) and the implementing regulations thereunder; and (b) any indemnification payments and advancement of costs and expenses to an institution-affiliated party, as defined at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u), in cases involving an administrative proceeding or civil action not initiated by a federal banking agency, shall be in accordance with Delaware General Corporation Law and consistent with safe and sound banking practices.
ARTICLE IX
Bylaws: Interpretation and Amendment
Section 9.1. These Bylaws shall be interpreted in accordance with and subject to appropriate provisions of law, and may be added to, altered, amended, or repealed, at any regular or special meeting of the Board.
Section 9.2. A copy of the Bylaws and all amendments shall at all times be kept in a convenient place at the principal office of the Association, and shall be open for inspection to all shareholders during Association hours.
ARTICLE X
Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 10.1. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on the first day of January in each year and shall end on the thirty-first day of December following.
Section 10.2. Governing Law. This Association designates the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended from time to time, as the governing law for its corporate governance procedures, to the extent not inconsistent with Federal banking statutes and regulations or bank safety and soundness.
***
(February 8, 2021)
Exhibit 6
CONSENT
In accordance with Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the undersigned, U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION hereby consents that reports of examination of the undersigned by Federal, State, Territorial or District authorities may be furnished by such authorities to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon its request therefor.
Dated: January 30, 2025
| By: | /s/ Christina Bruno | |
| Christina Bruno | ||
| Assistant Vice President |
Exhibit 7
U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association
Statement of Financial Condition
as of 9/30/2024
($000’s)
| 9/30/2024 | ||||
| Assets |
||||
| Cash and Balances Due From |
$ | 1,551,827 | ||
| Depository Institutions |
||||
| Securities |
4,568 | |||
| Federal Funds |
0 | |||
| Loans & Lease Financing Receivables |
0 | |||
| Fixed Assets |
1,070 | |||
| Intangible Assets |
576,760 | |||
| Other Assets |
153,717 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Assets |
$ | 2,287,942 | ||
| Liabilities |
||||
| Deposits |
$ | 0 | ||
| Fed Funds |
0 | |||
| Treasury Demand Notes |
0 | |||
| Trading Liabilities |
0 | |||
| Other Borrowed Money |
0 | |||
| Acceptances |
0 | |||
| Subordinated Notes and Debentures |
0 | |||
| Other Liabilities |
215,240 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Liabilities |
$ | 215,240 | ||
| Equity |
||||
| Common and Preferred Stock |
200 | |||
| Surplus |
1,171,635 | |||
| Undivided Profits |
900,867 | |||
| Minority Interest in Subsidiaries |
0 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Equity Capital |
$ | 2,072,702 | ||
| Total Liabilities and Equity Capital |
$ | 2,287,942 | ||
Exhibit 25.2
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM T-1
STATEMENT OF ELIGIBILITY
UNDER THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939
OF A CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE
| ☐ | Check if an Application to Determine Eligibility of a Trustee Pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) |
U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
(Exact name of Trustee as specified in its charter)
91-1821036
I.R.S. Employer Identification No.
| 800 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota |
55402 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Christina Bruno
U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association
425 Walnut Street, 10th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(732) 321-2516
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)
PHILLIPS EDISON GROCERY CENTER OPERATING PARTNERSHIP I, L.P.
PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC.
(Issuer with respect to the Securities)
| Delaware (Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.) Maryland (Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) |
27-1449019 (Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership I, L.P.) 27-1106076 (Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.) | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
| 11501 Northlake Drive Cincinnati, Ohio |
45249 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) | |
Debt Securities
and Guarantees of Debt Securities
(Title of the Indenture Securities)
FORM T-1
| Item | 1. GENERAL INFORMATION. Furnish the following information as to the Trustee. |
| a) | Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject. |
Comptroller of the Currency
Washington, D.C.
| b) | Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers. |
Yes
| Item | 2. AFFILIATIONS WITH THE OBLIGOR. If the obligor is an affiliate of the Trustee, describe each such affiliation. |
None
| Items 3-15 | Items 3-15 are not applicable because to the best of the Trustee’s knowledge, the obligor is not in default under any Indenture for which the Trustee acts as Trustee. |
| Item 16. | LIST OF EXHIBITS: List below all exhibits filed as a part of this statement of eligibility and qualification. |
| 1. | A copy of the Articles of Association of the Trustee, attached as Exhibit 1. |
| 2. | A copy of the certificate of authority of the Trustee to commence business, attached as Exhibit 2. |
| 3. | A copy of the authorization of the Trustee to exercise corporate trust powers, included as Exhibit 2. |
| 4. | A copy of the existing bylaws of the Trustee, attached as Exhibit 4. |
| 5. | A copy of each Indenture referred to in Item 4. Not applicable. |
| 6. | The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, attached as Exhibit 6. |
| 7. | Report of Condition of the Trustee as of September 30, 2024, published pursuant to law or the requirements of its supervising or examining authority, attached as Exhibit 7. |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Trustee, U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, has duly caused this statement of eligibility and qualification to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in the City of Cincinnati, State of Ohio on the 30th of January, 2025.
| By: | /s/ Christina Bruno | |
| Christina Bruno | ||
| Assistant Vice President |
Exhibit 1
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
U. S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
For the purpose of organizing an association (the “Association”) to perform any lawful activities of national banks, the undersigned enter into the following Articles of Association:
FIRST. The title of this Association shall be U. S. Bank Trust Company, National Association.
SECOND. The main office of the Association shall be in the city of Portland, county of Multnomah, state of Oregon. The business of the Association will be limited to fiduciary powers and the support of activities incidental to the exercise of those powers. The Association may not expand or alter its business beyond that stated in this article without the prior approval of the Comptroller of the Currency.
THIRD. The board of directors of the Association shall consist of not less than five nor more than twenty-five persons, the exact number to be fixed and determined from time to time by resolution of a majority of the full board of directors or by resolution of a majority of the shareholders at any annual or special meeting thereof. Each director shall own common or preferred stock of the Association or of a holding company owning the Association, with an aggregate par, fair market, or equity value of not less than $1,000, as of either (i) the date of purchase, (ii) the date the person became a director, or (iii) the date of that person’s most recent election to the board of directors, whichever is more recent. Any combination of common or preferred stock of the Association or holding company may be used.
Any vacancy in the board of directors may be filled by action of a majority of the remaining directors between meetings of shareholders. The board of directors may increase the number of directors up to the maximum permitted by law. Terms of directors, including directors selected to fill vacancies, shall expire at the next regular meeting of shareholders at which directors are elected, unless the directors resign or are removed from office. Despite the expiration of a director’s term, the director shall continue to serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until there is a decrease in the number of directors and his or her position is eliminated.
Honorary or advisory members of the board of directors, without voting power or power of final decision in matters concerning the business of the Association, may be appointed by resolution of a majority of the full board of directors, or by resolution of shareholders at any annual or special meeting. Honorary or advisory directors shall not be counted to determined the number of directors of the Association or the presence of a quorum in connection with any board action, and shall not be required to own qualifying shares.
-1-
FOURTH. There shall be an annual meeting of the shareholders to elect directors and transact whatever other business may be brought before the meeting. It shall be held at the main office or any other convenient place the board of directors may designate, on the day of each year specified therefor in the Bylaws, or if that day falls on a legal holiday in the state in which the
Association is located, on the next following banking day. If no election is held on the day fixed or in the event of a legal holiday on the following banking day, an election may be held on any subsequent day within 60 days of the day fixed, to be designated by the board of directors, or, if the directors fail to fix the day, by shareholders representing two-thirds of the shares issued and outstanding. In all cases, at least 10 days’ advance notice of the meeting shall be given to the shareholders by first-class mail.
In all elections of directors, the number of votes each common shareholder may cast will be determined by multiplying the number of shares he or she owns by the number of directors to be elected. Those votes may be cumulated and cast for a single candidate or may be distributed among two or more candidates in the manner selected by the shareholder. On all other questions, each common shareholder shall be entitled to one vote for each share of stock held by him or her.
A director may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the board of directors, its chairperson, or to the Association, which resignation shall be effective when the notice is delivered unless the notice specifies a later effective date.
A director may be removed by the shareholders at a meeting called to remove him or her, when notice of the meeting stating that the purpose or one of the purposes is to remove him or her is provided, if there is a failure to fulfill one of the affirmative requirements for qualification, or for cause; provided, however, that a director may not be removed if the number of votes sufficient to elect him or her under cumulative voting is voted against his or her removal.
FIFTH. The authorized amount of capital stock of the Association shall be 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the par value of ten dollars ($10) each; but said capital stock may be increased or decreased from time to time, according to the provisions of the laws of the United States. The Association shall have only one class of capital stock.
No holder of shares of the capital stock of any class of the Association shall have any preemptive or preferential right of subscription to any shares of any class of stock of the Association, whether now or hereafter authorized, or to any obligations convertible into stock of the Association, issued, or sold, nor any right of subscription to any thereof other than such, if any, as the board of directors, in its discretion, may from time to time determine and at such price as the board of directors may from time to time fix.
Transfers of the Association’s stock are subject to the prior written approval of a federal depository institution regulatory agency. If no other agency approval is required, the approval of the Comptroller of the Currency must be obtained prior to any such transfers.
Unless otherwise specified in the Articles of Association or required by law, (1) all matters requiring shareholder action, including amendments to the Articles of Association must be approved by shareholders owning a majority voting interest in the outstanding voting stock, and (2) each shareholder shall be entitled to one vote per share.
-2-
Unless otherwise specified in the Articles of Association or required by law, all shares of voting stock shall be voted together as a class, on any matters requiring shareholder approval.
Unless otherwise provided in the Bylaws, the record date for determining shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at any meeting is the close of business on the day before the first notice is mailed or otherwise sent to the shareholders, provided that in no event may a record date be more than 70 days before the meeting.
The Association, at any time and from time to time, may authorize and issue debt obligations, whether subordinated, without the approval of the shareholders. Obligations classified as debt, whether subordinated, which may be issued by the Association without the approval of shareholders, do not carry voting rights on any issue, including an increase or decrease in the aggregate number of the securities, or the exchange or reclassification of all or part of securities into securities of another class or series.
SIXTH. The board of directors shall appoint one of its members president of this Association and one of its members chairperson of the board and shall have the power to appoint one or more vice presidents, a secretary who shall keep minutes of the directors’ and shareholders’ meetings and be responsible for authenticating the records of the Association, and such other officers and employees as may be required to transact the business of this Association. A duly appointed officer may appoint one or more officers or assistant officers if authorized by the board of directors in accordance with the Bylaws.
The board of directors shall have the power to:
| (1) | Define the duties of the officers, employees, and agents of the Association. |
| (2) | Delegate the performance of its duties, but not the responsibility for its duties, to the officers, employees, and agents of the Association. |
| (3) | Fix the compensation and enter employment contracts with its officers and employees upon reasonable terms and conditions consistent with applicable law. |
| (4) | Dismiss officers and employees. |
| (5) | Require bonds from officers and employees and to fix the penalty thereof. |
| (6) | Ratify written policies authorized by the Association’s management or committees of the board. |
| (7) | Regulate the manner any increase or decrease of the capital of the Association shall be made; provided that nothing herein shall restrict the power of shareholders to increase or decrease the capital of the Association in accordance with law, and nothing shall raise or lower from two-thirds the percentage required for shareholder approval to increase or reduce the capital. |
-3-
| (8) | Manage and administer the business and affairs of the Association. |
| (9) | Adopt initial Bylaws, not inconsistent with law or the Articles of Association, for managing the business and regulating the affairs of the Association. |
| (10) | Amend or repeal Bylaws, except to the extent that the Articles of Association reserve this power in whole or in part to the shareholders. |
| (11) | Make contracts. |
| (12) | Generally perform all acts that are legal for a board of directors to perform. |
SEVENTH. The board of directors shall have the power to change the location of the main office to any authorized branch within the limits of the city of Portland, Oregon, without the approval of the shareholders, or with a vote of shareholders owning two-thirds of the stock of the Association for a location outside such limits and upon receipt of a certificate of approval from the Comptroller of the Currency, to any other location within or outside the limits of the city of Portland, Oregon, but not more than thirty miles beyond such limits. The board of directors shall have the power to establish or change the location of any office or offices of the Association to any other location permitted under applicable law, without approval of shareholders, subject to approval by the Comptroller of the Currency.
EIGHTH. The corporate existence of this Association shall continue until termination according to the laws of the United States.
NINTH. The board of directors of the Association, or any shareholder owning, in the aggregate, not less than 25 percent of the stock of the Association, may call a special meeting of shareholders at any time. Unless otherwise provided by the Bylaws or the laws of the United States, or waived by shareholders, a notice of the time, place, and purpose of every annual and special meeting of the shareholders shall be given by first-class mail, postage prepaid, mailed at least 10, and no more than 60, days prior to the date of the meeting to each shareholder of record at his/her address as shown upon the books of the Association. Unless otherwise provided by the Bylaws, any action requiring approval of shareholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting.
TENTH. These Articles of Association may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the shareholders by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Association, unless the vote of the holders of a greater amount of stock is required by law, and in that case by the vote of the holders of such greater amount; provided, that the scope of the Association’s activities and services may not be expanded without the prior written approval of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Association’s board of directors may propose one or more amendments to the Articles of Association for submission to the shareholders.
-4-
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 11th of June, 1997.
| /s/ Jeffrey T.Grubb |
| Jeffrey T.Grubb |
| /s/ Robert D. Sznewajs |
| Robert D. Sznewajs |
| /s/ Dwight V. Board |
| Dwight V. Board |
| /s/ P.K. Chatterjee |
| P.K. Chatterjee |
| /s/ Robert Lane |
| Robert Lane |
Exhibit 2
CERTIFICATE OF CORPORATE EXISTENCE AND FIDUCIARY POWERS
I, Michael J. Hsu, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, do hereby certify that:
1. The Comptroller of the Currency, pursuant to Revised Statutes 324, et seq, as amended, and 12 USC 1, et seq, as amended, has possession, custody, and control of all records pertaining to the chartering, regulation, and supervision of all national banking associations.
2. “U.S. Bank Trust Company National Association,” Portland, Oregon (Charter No. 23412), is a national banking association formed under the laws of the United States and is authorized thereunder to transact the business of banking and exercise fiduciary powers on the date of this certificate
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, today, October 7, 2024, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused my seal of office to be affixed to these presents at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia.
2025-00037-C
9
Exhibit 4
U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
ARTICLE I
Meetings of Shareholders
Section 1.1. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the shareholders, for the election of directors and the transaction of any other proper business, shall be held at a time and place as the Chairman or President may designate. Notice of such meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) days or more than sixty (60) days prior to the date thereof, to each shareholder of the Association, unless the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) determines that an emergency circumstance exists. In accordance with applicable law, the sole shareholder of the Association is permitted to waive notice of the meeting. If, for any reason, an election of directors is not made on the designated day, the election shall be held on some subsequent day, as soon thereafter as practicable, with prior notice thereof. Failure to hold an annual meeting as required by these Bylaws shall not affect the validity of any corporate action or work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Association.
Section 1.2. Special Meetings. Except as otherwise specially provided by law, special meetings of the shareholders may be called for any purpose, at any time by a majority of the board of directors (the “Board”), or by any shareholder or group of shareholders owning at least ten percent of the outstanding stock.
Every such special meeting, unless otherwise provided by law, shall be called upon not less than ten (10) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice stating the purpose of the meeting.
Section 1.3. Nominations for Directors. Nominations for election to the Board may be made by the Board or by any shareholder.
Section 1.4. Proxies. Shareholders may vote at any meeting of the shareholders by proxies duly authorized in writing. Proxies shall be valid only for one meeting and any adjournments of such meeting and shall be filed with the records of the meeting.
Section 1.5. Record Date. The record date for determining shareholders entitled to notice and to vote at any meeting will be thirty days before the date of such meeting, unless otherwise determined by the Board.
Section 1.6. Quorum and Voting. A majority of the outstanding capital stock, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of shareholders, unless otherwise provided by law, but less than a quorum may adjourn any meeting, from time to time, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. A majority of the votes cast shall decide every question or matter submitted to the shareholders at any meeting, unless otherwise provided by law or by the Articles of Association.
Section 1.7. Inspectors. The Board may, and in the event of its failure so to do, the Chairman of the Board may appoint Inspectors of Election who shall determine the presence of quorum, the validity of proxies, and the results of all elections and all other matters voted upon by shareholders at all annual and special meetings of shareholders.
Section 1.8. Waiver and Consent. The shareholders may act without notice or a meeting by a unanimous written consent by all shareholders.
Section 1.9. Remote Meetings. The Board shall have the right to determine that a shareholder meeting not be held at a place, but instead be held solely by means of remote communication in the manner and to the extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
ARTICLE II
Directors
Section 2.1. Board of Directors. The Board shall have the power to manage and administer the business and affairs of the Association. Except as expressly limited by law, all corporate powers of the Association shall be vested in and may be exercised by the Board.
Section 2.2. Term of Office. The directors of this Association shall hold office for one year and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier resignation or removal.
Section 2.3. Powers. In addition to the foregoing, the Board shall have and may exercise all of the powers granted to or conferred upon it by the Articles of Association, the Bylaws and by law.
Section 2.4. Number. As provided in the Articles of Association, the Board of this Association shall consist of no less than five nor more than twenty-five members, unless the OCC has exempted the Association from the twenty-five- member limit. The Board shall consist of a number of members to be fixed and determined from time to time by resolution of the Board or the shareholders at any meeting thereof, in accordance with the Articles of Association. Between meetings of the shareholders held for the purpose of electing directors, the Board
by a majority vote of the full Board may increase the size of the Board but not to more than a total of twenty-five directors, and fill any vacancy so created in the Board; provided that the Board may increase the number of directors only by up to two directors, when the number of directors last elected by shareholders was fifteen or fewer, and by up to four directors, when the number of directors last elected by shareholders was sixteen or more. Each director shall own a qualifying equity interest in the Association or a company that has control of the Association in each case as required by applicable law. Each director shall own such qualifying equity interest in his or her own right and meet any minimum threshold ownership required by applicable law.
Section 2.5. Organization Meeting. The newly elected Board shall meet for the purpose of organizing the new Board and electing and appointing such officers of the Association as may be appropriate. Such meeting shall be held on the day of the election or as soon thereafter as practicable, and, in any event, within thirty days thereafter, at such time and place as the Chairman or President may designate. If, at the time fixed for such meeting, there shall not be a quorum present, the directors present may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is obtained.
Section 2.6. Regular Meetings. The regular meetings of the Board shall be held, without notice, as the Chairman or President may designate and deem suitable.
Section 2.7. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time, at any place and for any purpose by the Chairman of the Board or the President of the Association, or upon the request of a majority of the entire Board. Notice of every special meeting of the Board shall be given to the directors at their usual places of business, or at such other addresses as shall have been furnished by them for the purpose. Such notice shall be given at least twelve hours (three hours if meeting is to be conducted by conference telephone) before the meeting by telephone or by being personally delivered, mailed, or electronically delivered. Such notice need not include a statement of the business to be transacted at, or the purpose of, any such meeting.
Section 2.8. Quorum and Necessary Vote. A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board, except when otherwise provided by law; but less than a quorum may adjourn any meeting, from time to time, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. Unless otherwise provided by law or the Articles or Bylaws of this Association, once a quorum is established, any act by a majority of those directors present and voting shall be the act of the Board.
Section 2.9. Written Consent. Except as otherwise required by applicable laws and regulations, the Board may act without a meeting by a unanimous written consent by all directors, to be filed with the Secretary of the Association as part of the corporate records.
Section 2.10. Remote Meetings. Members of the Board, or of any committee thereof, may participate in a meeting of such Board or committee by means of conference telephone, video or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other and such participation shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.
Section 2.11. Vacancies. When any vacancy occurs among the directors, the remaining members of the Board may appoint a director to fill such vacancy at any regular meeting of the Board, or at a special meeting called for that purpose.
ARTICLE III
Committees
Section 3.1. Advisory Board of Directors. The Board may appoint persons, who need not be directors, to serve as advisory directors on an advisory board of directors established with respect to the business affairs of either this Association alone or the business affairs of a group of affiliated organizations of which this Association is one. Advisory directors shall have such powers and duties as may be determined by the Board, provided, that the Board’s responsibility for the business and affairs of this Association shall in no respect be delegated or diminished.
Section 3.2. Trust Audit Committee. At least once during each calendar year, the Association shall arrange for a suitable audit (by internal or external auditors) of all significant fiduciary activities under the direction of its trust audit committee, a function that will be fulfilled by the Audit Committee of the financial holding company that is the ultimate parent of this Association. The Association shall note the results of the audit (including significant actions taken as a result of the audit) in the minutes of the Board. In lieu of annual audits, the Association may adopt a continuous audit system in accordance with 12 C.F.R. § 9.9(b).
The Audit Committee of the financial holding company that is the ultimate parent of this Association, fulfilling the function of the trust audit committee:
(1) Must not include any officers of the Association or an affiliate who participate significantly in the administration of the Association’s fiduciary activities; and
(2) Must consist of a majority of members who are not also members of any committee to which the Board has delegated power to manage and control the fiduciary activities of the Association.
Section 3.3. Executive Committee. The Board may appoint an Executive Committee which shall consist of at least three directors and which shall have, and may exercise, to the extent permitted by applicable law, all the powers of the Board between meetings of the Board or otherwise when the Board is not meeting.
Section 3.4. Trust Management Committee. The Board of this Association shall appoint a Trust Management Committee to provide oversight of the fiduciary activities of the Association. The Trust Management Committee shall determine policies governing fiduciary activities. The Trust Management Committee or such sub-committees, officers or others as may be duly designated by the Trust Management Committee shall oversee the processes related to fiduciary activities to assure conformity with fiduciary policies it establishes, including ratifying the acceptance and the closing out or relinquishment of all trusts. The Trust Management Committee will provide regular reports of its activities to the Board.
Section 3.5. Other Committees. The Board may appoint, from time to time, committees of one or more persons who need not be directors, for such purposes and with such powers as the Board may determine; however, the Board will not delegate to any committee any powers or responsibilities that it is prohibited from delegating under any law or regulation. In addition, either the Chairman or the President may appoint, from time to time, committees of one or more officers, employees, agents or other persons, for such purposes and with such powers as either the Chairman or the President deems appropriate and proper. Whether appointed by the Board, the Chairman, or the President, any such committee shall at all times be subject to the direction and control of the Board.
Section 3.6. Meetings, Minutes and Rules. An advisory board of directors and/or committee shall meet as necessary in consideration of the purpose of the advisory board of directors or committee, and shall maintain minutes in sufficient detail to indicate actions taken or recommendations made; unless required by the members, discussions, votes or other specific details need not be reported. An advisory board of directors or a committee may, in consideration of its purpose, adopt its own rules for the exercise of any of its functions or authority.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 4.1. Chairman of the Board. The Board may appoint one of its members to be Chairman of the Board to serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Chairman shall supervise the carrying out of the policies adopted or approved by the Board; shall have general executive powers, as well as the specific powers conferred by these Bylaws; and shall also have and may exercise such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred upon or assigned by the Board.
Section 4.2. President. The Board may appoint one of its members to be President of the Association. In the absence of the Chairman, the President shall preside at any meeting of the Board. The President shall have general executive powers, and shall have and may exercise any and all other powers and duties pertaining by law, regulation or practice, to the office of President, or imposed by these Bylaws. The President shall also have and may exercise such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred or assigned by the Board.
Section 4.3. Vice President. The Board may appoint one or more Vice Presidents who shall have such powers and duties as may be assigned by the Board and to perform the duties of the President on those occasions when the President is absent, including presiding at any meeting of the Board in the absence of both the Chairman and President.
Section 4.4. Secretary. The Board shall appoint a Secretary, or other designated officer who shall be Secretary of the Board and of the Association, and shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings. The Secretary shall attend to the giving of all notices required by these Bylaws to be given; shall be custodian of the corporate seal, records, documents and papers of the Association; shall provide for the keeping of proper records of all transactions of the Association; shall, upon request, authenticate any records of the Association; shall have and may exercise any and all other powers and duties pertaining by law, regulation or practice, to the Secretary, or imposed by these Bylaws; and shall also perform such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board. The Board may appoint one or more Assistant Secretaries with such powers and duties as the Board, the President or the Secretary shall from time to time determine.
Section 4.5. Other Officers. The Board may appoint, and may authorize the Chairman, the President or any other officer to appoint, any officer as from time to time may appear to the Board, the Chairman, the President or such other officer to be required or desirable to transact the business of the Association. Such officers shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as pertain to their several offices, or as may be conferred upon or assigned to them by these Bylaws, the Board, the Chairman, the President or such other authorized officer. Any person may hold two offices.
Section 4.6. Tenure of Office. The Chairman or the President and all other officers shall hold office until their respective successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office, subject to the right of the Board or authorized officer to discharge any officer at any time.
ARTICLE V
Stock
Section 5.1. The Board may authorize the issuance of stock either in certificated or in uncertificated form. Certificates for shares of stock shall be in such form as the Board may from time to time prescribe. If the Board issues certificated stock, the certificate shall be signed by the President, Secretary or any other such officer as the Board so determines. Shares of stock shall be transferable on the books of the Association, and a transfer book shall be kept in which all transfers of stock shall be recorded. Every person becoming a shareholder by such transfer shall, in proportion to such person’s shares, succeed to all rights of the prior holder of such shares. Each certificate of stock shall recite on its face that the stock represented thereby is transferable only upon the books of the Association properly endorsed. The Board may impose conditions upon the transfer of the stock reasonably calculated to simplify the work of the Association for stock transfers, voting at shareholder meetings, and related matters, and to protect it against fraudulent transfers.
ARTICLE VI
Corporate Seal
Section 6.1. The Association shall have no corporate seal; provided, however, that if the use of a seal is required by, or is otherwise convenient or advisable pursuant to, the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction, the following seal may be used, and the Chairman, the President, the Secretary and any Assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix such seal:
ARTICLE VII
Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 7.1. Execution of Instruments. All agreements, checks, drafts, orders, indentures, notes, mortgages, deeds, conveyances, transfers, endorsements, assignments, certificates, declarations, receipts, discharges, releases, satisfactions, settlements, petitions, schedules, accounts, affidavits, bonds, undertakings, guarantees, proxies and other instruments or documents may be signed, countersigned, executed, acknowledged, endorsed, verified, delivered or accepted on behalf of the Association, whether in a fiduciary capacity or otherwise, by any officer of the Association, or such employee or agent as may be designated from time to time by the Board by resolution, or by the Chairman or the President by written instrument, which resolution or instrument shall be certified as in effect by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Association. The provisions of this section are supplementary to any other provision of the Articles of Association or Bylaws.
Section 7.2. Records. The Articles of Association, the Bylaws as revised or amended from time to time and the proceedings of all meetings of the shareholders, the Board, and standing committees of the Board, shall be recorded in appropriate minute books provided for the purpose. The minutes of each meeting shall be signed by the Secretary, or other officer appointed to act as Secretary of the meeting.
Section 7.3. Trust Files. There shall be maintained in the Association files all fiduciary records necessary to assure that its fiduciary responsibilities have been properly undertaken and discharged.
Section 7.4. Trust Investments. Funds held in a fiduciary capacity shall be invested according to the instrument establishing the fiduciary relationship and according to law. Where such instrument does not specify the character and class of investments to be made and does not vest in the Association a discretion in the matter, funds held pursuant to such instrument shall be invested in investments in which corporate fiduciaries may invest under law.
Section 7.5. Notice. Whenever notice is required by the Articles of Association, the Bylaws or law, such notice shall be by mail, postage prepaid, e- mail, in person, or by any other means by which such notice can reasonably be expected to be received, using the address of the person to receive such notice, or such other personal data, as may appear on the records of the Association.
Except where specified otherwise in these Bylaws, prior notice shall be proper if given not more than 30 days nor less than 10 days prior to the event for which notice is given.
ARTICLE VIII
Indemnification
Section 8.1. The Association shall indemnify such persons for such liabilities in such manner under such circumstances and to such extent as permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as now enacted or hereafter amended. The Board may authorize the purchase and maintenance of insurance and/or the execution of individual agreements for the purpose of such indemnification, and the Association shall advance all reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending any action, suit or proceeding to all persons entitled to indemnification under this Section 8.1. Such insurance shall be consistent with the requirements of 12 C.F.R. § 7.2014 and shall exclude coverage of liability for a formal order assessing civil money penalties against an institution-affiliated party, as defined at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u).
Section 8.2. Notwithstanding Section 8.1, however, (a) any indemnification payments to an institution-affiliated party, as defined at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u), for an administrative proceeding or civil action initiated by a federal banking agency, shall be reasonable and consistent with the requirements of 12 U.S.C. § 1828(k) and the implementing regulations thereunder; and (b) any indemnification payments and advancement of costs and expenses to an institution-affiliated party, as defined at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u), in cases involving an administrative proceeding or civil action not initiated by a federal banking agency, shall be in accordance with Delaware General Corporation Law and consistent with safe and sound banking practices.
ARTICLE IX
Bylaws: Interpretation and Amendment
Section 9.1. These Bylaws shall be interpreted in accordance with and subject to appropriate provisions of law, and may be added to, altered, amended, or repealed, at any regular or special meeting of the Board.
Section 9.2. A copy of the Bylaws and all amendments shall at all times be kept in a convenient place at the principal office of the Association, and shall be open for inspection to all shareholders during Association hours.
ARTICLE X
Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 10.1. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on the first day of January in each year and shall end on the thirty-first day of December following.
Section 10.2. Governing Law. This Association designates the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended from time to time, as the governing law for its corporate governance procedures, to the extent not inconsistent with Federal banking statutes and regulations or bank safety and soundness.
***
(February 8, 2021)
Exhibit 6
CONSENT
In accordance with Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the undersigned, U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION hereby consents that reports of examination of the undersigned by Federal, State, Territorial or District authorities may be furnished by such authorities to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon its request therefor.
| Dated: January 30, 2025 | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Christina Bruno | |||||
| Christina Bruno | ||||||
| Assistant Vice President | ||||||
Exhibit 7
U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association
Statement of Financial Condition
as of 9/30/2024
($000’s)
| 9/30/2024 | ||||
| Assets |
||||
| Cash and Balances Due From Depository Institutions |
$ | 1,551,827 | ||
| Securities |
4,568 | |||
| Federal Funds |
0 | |||
| Loans & Lease Financing Receivables |
0 | |||
| Fixed Assets |
1,070 | |||
| Intangible Assets |
576,760 | |||
| Other Assets |
153,717 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Assets |
$ | 2,287,942 | ||
| Liabilities |
||||
| Deposits |
$ | 0 | ||
| Fed Funds |
0 | |||
| Treasury Demand Notes |
0 | |||
| Trading Liabilities |
0 | |||
| Other Borrowed Money |
0 | |||
| Acceptances |
0 | |||
| Subordinated Notes and Debentures |
0 | |||
| Other Liabilities |
215,240 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Liabilities |
$ | 215,240 | ||
| Equity |
||||
| Common and Preferred Stock |
200 | |||
| Surplus |
1,171,635 | |||
| Undivided Profits |
900,867 | |||
| Minority Interest in Subsidiaries |
0 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Equity Capital |
$ | 2,072,702 | ||
| Total Liabilities and Equity Capital |
$ | 2,287,942 | ||