UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
8-K
CURRENT
REPORT
PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date
of
report (Date of earliest event reported): February 12, 2007
BEL
FUSE INC.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
New
Jersey
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0-11676
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22-1463699
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(State
or Other Jurisdiction
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(Commission
File Number)
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(IRS
Employer
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of
Incorporation)
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Identification
No.)
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206
Van Vorst Street, Jersey City, New Jersey
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07302
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(Zip
Code)
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Registrant's
telephone number, including area code (201) 432-0463
Check
the
appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
o
Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o
Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the
Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o
Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule
14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17
CFR
240.14d-2(b))
o
Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule
13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Item
1.01 Entry
into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On
February 12, 2007, the Registrant, as Borrower, entered into a Credit and
Guaranty Agreement (the “New Credit Agreement”) with Bank of America, N.A., as
Lender, and the principal domestic subsidiaries of the Registrant, as Subsidiary
Guarantors. The New Credit Agreement provides the Registrant with a $20.0
million unsecured line of credit and replaces the Registrant’s prior $20.0
million line of credit with The Bank of New York, which was secured by a pledge
of stock of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries.
There
is
no material relationship between the Registrant and the Lender other than
pursuant to the agreement described above.
Item
9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit
10.1- Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated February 12, 2007.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
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BEL
FUSE
INC. |
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By: |
/s/
Colin Dunn |
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Name: Colin
Dunn
Title:
Vice President of Finance
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Dated:
February 15, 2007.
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit10.1-
Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated February 12, 2007.
Unassociated Document
CREDIT
AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT
by
and
among
BEL
FUSE INC.,
as
Borrower,
THE
SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS PARTY HERETO
and
BANK
OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as
Lender
Dated
February 12, 2007
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Page
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ARTICLE
1
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DEFINITIONS
AND RULES OF INTERPRETATION
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1
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Section
1.1
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Definitions
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1
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Section
1.2
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Accounting
Terms
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13
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Section
1.3
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Rules
of Interpretation
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13
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ARTICLE
2
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AMOUNT
AND TERMS OF THE LOANS
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14
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Section
2.1
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Loans
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14
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Section
2.2
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Procedure
for Borrowing
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14
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Section
2.3
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Termination
and Reduction of Revolving Commitment
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15
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Section
2.4
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Prepayments
of the Loans
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15
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Section
2.5
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Payments;
Set-Off
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15
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ARTICLE
3
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INTEREST,
FEES, YIELD PROTECTIONS, ETC.
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16
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Section
3.1
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Interest
Rate and Payment Dates
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16
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Section
3.2
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Fees
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17
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Section
3.3
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Conversions
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17
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Section
3.4
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Concerning
Interest Periods
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18
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Section
3.5
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Funding
Loss
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19
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Section
3.6
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Increased
Costs; Illegality, etc.
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19
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Section
3.7
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Taxes
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20
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Section
3.8
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Changes
of Lending Offices
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21
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ARTICLE
4
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REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
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21
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Section
4.1
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Organization
and Power
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21
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Section
4.2
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Authorization;
Enforceability
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22
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Section
4.3
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Governmental
Approvals; No Conflicts
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22
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Section
4.4
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Financial
Condition; No Material Adverse Change
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22
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Section
4.5
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Properties
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23
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Section
4.6
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Litigation
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23
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Section
4.7
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Environmental
Matters
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23
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Section
4.8
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Compliance
with Laws and Agreements; No Default
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24
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Section
4.9
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Investment
Companies and other Regulated Entities
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24
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Section
4.10
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Federal
Reserve Regulations
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24
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Section
4.11
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ERISA
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24
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Section
4.12
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Taxes
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25
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Section
4.13
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Subsidiaries
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25
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Section
4.14
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Absence
of Certain Restrictions
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25
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Section
4.15
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Labor
Relations
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25
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Section
4.16
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Insurance
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25
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Section
4.17
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Financial
Condition
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25
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Section
4.18
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No
Misrepresentation
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26
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ARTICLE
5
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CONDITIONS
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26
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Section
5.1
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Effective
Date
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26
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Section
5.2
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Each
Borrowing
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27
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ARTICLE
6
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AFFIRMATIVE
COVENANTS
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28
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Section
6.1
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Financial
Statements and Information
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28
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Section
6.2
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Notice
of Material Events
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30
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Section
6.3
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Existence;
Conduct of Business
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30
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Section
6.4
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Payment
of Obligations
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30
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Section
6.5
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Maintenance
of Properties
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30
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Section
6.6
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Insurance
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31
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Section
6.7
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Books
and Records: Inspection Rights
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31
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Section
6.8
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Compliance
with Laws
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31
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Section
6.9
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Additional
Subsidiaries
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31
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Section
6.10
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Maintenance
of Licenses
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31
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ARTICLE
7
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NEGATIVE
COVENANTS
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32
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Section
7.1
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Indebtedness
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32
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Section
7.2
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Negative
Pledge
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33
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Section
7.3
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Fundamental
Changes
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33
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Section
7.4
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Investments,
Loans, Advances and Guaranties
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34
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Section
7.5
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Acquisitions
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34
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Section
7.6
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Dispositions
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35
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Section
7.7
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Restricted
Payments
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36
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Section
7.8
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Hedging
Agreements
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36
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Section
7.9
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Sale
and Lease-Back Transactions
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36
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Section
7.10
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Lines
of Business
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36
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Section
7.11
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Transactions
with Affiliates
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37
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Section
7.12
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Use
of Proceeds
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37
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Section
7.13
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Restrictive
Agreements
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37
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Section
7.14
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Financial
Covenants
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37
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Section
7.15
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Excluded
Subsidiaries
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37
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ARTICLE
8
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DEFAULTS
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38
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Section
8.1
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Events
of Default
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38
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Section
8.2
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Contract
Remedies
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39
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ARTICLE
9
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OTHER
PROVISIONS
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40
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Section
9.1
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Amendments
and Waivers
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40
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Section
9.2
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Notices
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41
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Section
9.3
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Survival
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41
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Section
9.4
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Expenses;
Indemnity
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41
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Section
9.5
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Successors
and Assigns
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42
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Section
9.6
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Interest
Rate Limitation
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43
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Section
9.7
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Counterparts;
Integration
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43
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Section
9.8
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Severability
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43
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Section
9.9
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Governing
Law
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44
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Section
9.10
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Jurisdiction;
Service of Process
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44
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Section
9.11
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Waiver
of Trial By Jury
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45
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Section
9.12
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No
Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility
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45
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ARTICLE
10
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SUBSIDIARY
GUARANTY
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46
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Section
10.1
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Guaranty
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46
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Section
10.2
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Absolute
Obligation
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47
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Section
10.3
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Repayment
in Bankruptcy, etc
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47
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Section
10.4
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Additional
Subsidiary Guarantors
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48
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Section
10.5
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Miscellaneous
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48
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Section
10.6
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Dispute
Resolution
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48
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EXHIBITS:
Exhibit
“A”
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Form
of Borrowing Request
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Exhibit
“B”
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Form
of Guaranty Supplement
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Exhibit
“C”
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Form
of Revolving Credit Note
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Exhibit
“D”
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Form
of Notice of Conversion
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Exhibit
“E”
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Form
of Compliance Certificate
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CREDIT
AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT
THIS
CREDIT AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT
dated
February 12, 2007 (the “Effective
Date”),
by
and among BEL
FUSE INC.,
a New
Jersey corporation (the “Borrower”),
the
“Subsidiary Guarantors” (as such term is defined in Section
1.1
below),
and BANK
OF AMERICA, N.A.
(the
“Lender”).
RECITALS
A. The
Borrower has requested that the Lender provide a revolving credit facility
to
the Borrower, and the Lender is willing to do so on the terms and conditions
set
forth herein.
NOW
THEREFORE,
in
consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the
parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
DEFINITIONS
AND RULES OF INTERPRETATION
Section
1.1 Definitions
As
used
in this Agreement, terms defined in the preamble have the meanings therein
indicated, and the following terms have the following meanings:
“ABR
Advances”
means
the Loans (or any portions thereof), at such time as they (or such portions)
are
made and/or being maintained at a rate of interest based upon the Alternate
Base
Rate.
“Accountants”
means
Deloitte & Touche LLP (or any successor thereto), or such other firm of
certified public accountants of recognized national standing selected by the
Borrower and reasonably satisfactory to the Lender.
“Acquisition”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 7.5
hereof.
“Acquisition
Consideration”
means,
with respect to the Acquisition, the sum of (i) the cash consideration paid
or agreed to be paid in connection with all such Acquisitions, plus
(ii) the fair market value of all non-cash consideration paid or agreed to
be paid in connection with all such Acquisitions, plus (iii) an amount
equal to the principal or stated amount of all liabilities assumed or incurred
in connection therewith.
“Affiliate”
means
as to any Person any other Person at the time directly or indirectly
controlling, controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with
such
Person. For purposes of this definition, “control” of a Person means the power,
directly or indirectly, either to (i) vote 5% or more of the securities
having ordinary voting power for the election of directors of such Person or
(ii) direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such
Person, whether by contract or otherwise.
“Agreement”
means
this Credit and Guaranty Agreement, as
it may
be from time to time amended, modified, extended, renewed, refinanced, and/or
supplemented.
“Alternate
Base Rate”
means
on any date, a rate of interest per annum equal to the higher of (i) the
Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such date plus 1/2 of 1% or
(ii) the Prime Rate in effect on such date.
“Applicable
Margin”
means,
at all times during the applicable periods set forth below: (i) with
respect to ABR Advances, the percentage set forth below under the heading “ABR
Margin”, (ii) with respect to Eurodollar Advances, the percentage set forth
below under the heading “Eurodollar Margin”, and (iii) with respect to the
Commitment Fee, the percentage set forth below under the heading “Commitment
Fee”.
WHEN
THE CONSOLIDATED LEVERAGE RATIO IS:
GREATER
THAN OR EQUAL TO
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AND
LESS THAN
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ABR
MARGIN
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EURODOLLAR
MARGIN
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COMMITMENT
FEE
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2.00:1.00
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0.00%
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1.25%
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0.25%
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1.00:1.00
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2.00:1.00
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0.00%
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1.00%
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0.20%
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1.00:1.00
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0.15%
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0.75%
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0.15%
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Changes
in the Applicable Margin resulting from a change in the Consolidated Leverage
Ratio shall be based upon the Compliance Certificate most recently delivered
pursuant to Section
6.1(c)
hereof
and shall become effective on the date such Compliance Certificate is delivered
to the Lender. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
definition, if the Borrower shall fail to deliver to the Lender a Compliance
Certificate on or prior to any date required hereby, the Consolidated Leverage
Ratio shall be deemed to be greater than 2.00:1.00 from and including such
date
to the date of delivery to the Lender of such Compliance
Certificate.
“Board
of Governors”
means
the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United
States.
“Borrower
Obligations”
means,
collectively, all of the obligations and liabilities of the Borrower under
the
Loan Documents, and all other Indebtedness of the Borrower to the Lender,
including all reimbursement obligations of the Borrower in respect of any
letters of credit issued by the Lender for the account of the Borrower or any
Subsidiary, in each case whether fixed, contingent, now existing or hereafter
arising, created, assumed, incurred or acquired, and whether arising before
or
after the occurrence of any Event of Default under Sections 8.1(h)
or (i)
hereof and including any obligation or liability in respect of any breach
of any representation or warranty and all post-petition interest and funding
losses, whether or not allowed as a claim in any proceeding arising in
connection with such an event.
“Borrowing
Date”
means
any Business Day on which the Lender makes Loans.
“Borrowing
Request”
means
a
request by the Borrower for a Loan in accordance with Section 2.2
hereof
and substantially in the form of Exhibit
“A”
attached
hereto and made a part hereof.
“Business
Day”
means
any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which commercial banks
located in New York City are authorized or required by law or other governmental
action to be closed, provided that when used in connection with a Eurodollar
Advance, the term shall also exclude any day on which banks are not open for
dealings in dollar deposits in the London interbank market.
“Capital
Lease Obligations”
means,
with respect to any Person, the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other
amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use)
real or personal property, or a combination thereof, (a) which obligations
are required to be classified and accounted for as capital leases on a balance
sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be
the
capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP, or (b) which
lease does not qualify as a Tax Operating Lease. For purposes of this
definition, “Tax Operating Lease” means any “synthetic lease”, and any other
lease (i) that is treated as a lease for purposes of the Code, and
(ii) the lessor under which is treated as the owner of the assets subject
to the lease for purposes of the Code.
“Capital
Stock”
means,
as to any Person, all shares, interests, partnership interests, limited
liability company interests, participations, rights in or other equivalents
(however designated) of such Person’s equity (however designated) and any
rights, warrants or options exchangeable for or convertible into such shares,
interests, participations, rights or other equity.
“Cash
Equivalents”
means
Dollar denominated investments in (i) securities issued or directly and
fully guarantied or insured by the United States or any agency or
instrumentality thereof (provided that the full faith and credit of the United
States is pledged in full support thereof) having maturities of not more than
one year from the date of acquisition, (ii) time deposits, certificates of
deposit and bankers acceptances maturing within 270 days from the date of
acquisition thereof issued or Guarantied by or placed with, and money market
deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial
bank having a combined capital surplus and undivided profits of not less than
$100,000,000 and whose (or whose parent company’s) unsecured non-credit
supported short-term debt or commercial paper rating at the time of such
acquisition (x) from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., or any successor thereto (“S&P”)
is at
least A-1, or the equivalent thereof, or (y) from Moody’s Investors Service,
Inc. or any successor thereto (“Moody’s”)
is at
least P-1, or the equivalent thereof, (iii) commercial paper maturing
within 90 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date
of
acquisition, a rating (x) from S&P of at least A-1, or the equivalent
thereof, or (y) from Moody’s of at least P-1, or the equivalent thereof,
(iv) marketable direct obligations issued by any state of the United States
or any political subdivision of any such state or any public instrumentality
thereof maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof and,
at
the time of acquisition, having one of the two highest ratings obtainable from
either S&P or Moody’s, (v) normal business banking accounts, and
(vi) investments in money market funds substantially all the assets of
which are comprised of securities of the types described in clauses
(i) through (iv) above.
“Change
in Law”
means
(i) the adoption of any law, rule or regulation after the Effective Date,
(ii) the issuance or promulgation after the Effective Date of any
directive, guideline or request from any Governmental Authority (whether or
not
having the force of law), or (iii) any change after the Effective Date in
the interpretation of any existing law, rule, regulation, directive, guideline
or request by any Governmental Authority charged with the administration
thereof.
“Change
of Control”
means
the occurrence of any of the following events:
(a) any
person or group (other than any one or more permitted investors) shall have
become the beneficial owner of voting shares entitled to exercise more than
20%
of the total voting power of all outstanding voting shares of the Borrower
(including any voting shares which are not then outstanding of which such person
or group is deemed the beneficial owner);
(b) a
change
in the composition of the Managing Person of the Borrower shall have occurred
in
which the individuals who constituted the Managing Person of the Borrower at
the
beginning of the two year period immediately preceding such change (together
with any other director whose election by the Managing Person of the Borrower
or
whose nomination for election by the shareholders of the Borrower was approved
by a vote of at least a majority of the members of such Managing Person then
in
office who either were members of such Managing Person at the beginning of
such
period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved)
cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the members of such Managing
Person then in office; or
(c) any
similar circumstance which, under the documentation evidencing or governing
any
Indebtedness of the Borrower of $5,000,000 or more, results in the Borrower
being required to prepay, purchase, offer to purchase, redeem or defease such
Indebtedness.
For
purposes of this definition, (i) the terms “person” and “group” shall have
the respective meanings ascribed thereto in Sections 13(d) and
14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, (ii) the term “beneficial owner” has the
meaning ascribed thereto in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, except that
a
Person shall not be deemed to be the “beneficial owner” of a security as a
result of such Person’s right to acquire such security within a specified time
period if such right is conditioned, in whole or in part, upon events other
than
the passage of time, and such events have not occurred, (iii) the term
“permitted investors” shall mean Elliot Bernstein, any of his immediate family
members and any of his heirs or beneficiaries, and (iv) the term “voting
shares” shall mean all outstanding shares of any class or classes (however
designated) of Capital Stock of the Borrower entitled to vote generally in
the
election of members of the Managing Person thereof.
“Code”
means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as the same may be amended from time to
time,
or any successor thereto, and the rules and regulations issued thereunder,
as
from time to time in effect.
“Combined
Current Ratio”
means,
at any date of determination, the ratio of (i) the combined assets of all
Domestic Subsidiaries which, in accordance with GAAP, would be classified on
a
combined balance sheet of said Domestic Subsidiaries as current assets -to-
(ii)
the combined liabilities of all Domestic Subsidiaries which, in accordance
with
GAAP, would be classified on a combined balance sheet of said Domestic
Subsidiaries as current liabilities.
“Commitment
Fee”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 3.2(a)
hereof.
“Compliance
Certificate”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 6.1(c)
hereof.
“Consolidated
EBITDA”
means,
for any period, net income of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries, determined
on a
consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP for such period plus (i) the sum
of, without duplication, each of the following with respect to the Borrower
and
the Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, each to the
extent utilized in determining net income for such period (a) interest
expense, (b) provision for income taxes, (c) depreciation,
amortization and other non-cash charges, and (d) extraordinary losses from
sales, exchanges and other dispositions of property not in the ordinary course
of business, minus (ii) the sum of, without duplication, each of the
following with respect to the Borrower and the Subsidiaries on a consolidated
basis in accordance with GAAP, each to the extent utilized in determining net
income for such period: (a) extraordinary gains from sales, exchanges and
other dispositions of property not in the ordinary course of business, and
(b) other non-recurring items (other than expenses and
losses).
“Consolidated
Fixed Charge Ratio”
means,
as of the last day of each fiscal quarter, the ratio of Consolidated EBITDA
to
Consolidated Fixed Charges, in each case the Four Quarter Trailing
Period.
“Consolidated
Fixed Charges”
means,
for any period, the sum of each of the following with respect to the Borrower
and the Subsidiaries, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with
GAAP: (i) interest expense for such period, (ii) the aggregate amount
of all Capital Expenditures made during such period, (iii) without
duplication, current maturities of long-term Indebtedness plus scheduled
payments made during such period on account of the principal of Indebtedness
of
the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries and (iv) the aggregate amount of
all cash income taxes paid during such period.
“Consolidated
Leverage Ratio”
means,
as of the last day of each fiscal quarter, the ratio of the aggregate
Indebtedness on such date of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries, determined
on a
consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP to Consolidated EBITDA for the Four
Quarter Trailing Period.
“Consolidated
Net Worth”
means,
at any date of determination, the sum of (i) all amounts which would be included
under “stockholder’s equity” or any analogous entry on a consolidated balance
sheet of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries determined in accordance with GAAP
as
of such date, plus (ii) to the extent deducted from such stockholder’s equity,
the aggregate amount (not to exceed $60,000,000.00 in the aggregate) of stock
repurchases made by the Borrower pursuant to Section
7.7(d)
hereof.
“Conversion
Date”
means
the date on which (i) a Eurodollar Advance is converted to an ABR Advance,
(ii) an ABR Advance is converted to a Eurodollar Advance or (iii) a
Eurodollar Advance is converted to, or continued as, a new Eurodollar
Advance.
“Customary
Lien”
means
any of the following: (i) any Lien imposed by law for Taxes that are not
yet due or are being contested in compliance with Section 6.4
hereof,
provided that enforcement of such Lien is stayed pending such contest;
(ii) carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and
other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business
and
securing obligations that are not overdue by more than 30 days or are being
contested in compliance with Section 6.4, provided that enforcement of each
such Lien is stayed pending such contest; (iii) pledges and deposits made
in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation,
unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations;
(iv) deposits and pledges to secure the performance of bids, tenders,
contracts (other than contracts for the payment of money), leases, statutory
obligations, surety and appeal bonds and other obligations of like nature
arising in the ordinary course of business; (v) judgment liens in respect
of judgments that would not cause an Event of Default under Section 8.1(j)
hereof;
(vi) zoning ordinances, easements, rights of way, minor defects,
irregularities, and other similar encumbrances on real property imposed by
law
or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any monetary
obligations and do not materially detract from the value of the affected
property or interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the Borrower
or
any Subsidiary; and (vii) Liens created under the Loan
Documents.
“Default”
means
any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which, with
the
giving of notice, the lapse of time, or the occurrence of any other condition,
would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Dispute”
means
any controversy, claim or dispute between or among the parties to this
Agreement, including any controversy, claim or dispute arising out of or
relating to (a) this Agreement, (b) any other Loan Documents, (c) any related
agreements or instruments, or (d) the transaction contemplated herein or therein
(including any claim based on or arising from an alleged personal injury or
business tort).
“Disqualified
Stock”
means
any Capital Stock of any Person that, by its terms (or by the terms of any
security into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable at the
option of the holder thereof), or upon the happening of any event, matures
or is
mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise,
or
is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof, in whole or in part,
provided, however, that any Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified
Stock solely because the holders thereof have the right to require such Person
to repurchase or redeem such Capital Stock upon the occurrence of certain events
shall not constitute Disqualified Stock if the terms of such Capital Stock
provide that the Borrower may not repurchase or redeem any such Capital Stock
pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or redemption complies with
Section 7.7
of this
Agreement.
“Dollars”
and
“$”
mean
lawful currency of the United States.
“Domestic
Subsidiary”
means
any Subsidiary that is not a Foreign Subsidiary.
“Effective
Date”
has
the
meaning set forth in the preamble hereto.
“Environmental
Laws”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 4.7
hereof.
“ERISA”
means
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to
time, and the rules and regulations issued thereunder, as from time to time
in
effect.
“ERISA
Affiliate”
means
any Person which is a member of any group of organizations within the meaning
of
Sections 414(b) or (c) of the Code (or, solely for purposes of
potential liability under Section 302(c)(11) of ERISA and
Section 412(c)(11) of the Code and the lien created under
Section 302(f) of ERISA and Section 412(n) of the Code, within
the meanings of Sections 414(m) or (o) of the Code) of which the Borrower
or any Subsidiary is a member.
“ERISA
Event”
means
(i) a “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA with
respect to a Pension Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice
period is waived), (ii) the existence with respect to any Pension Plan of
an “accumulated funding deficiency” (as defined in Section 412 of the Code
or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not waived; (iii) the filing
pursuant to Section 412(d) of the Code or Section 303(d) of
ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with
respect to any Pension Plan; (iv) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of
its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect
to
the termination of any Pension Plan; (v) the receipt by the Borrower or any
ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating
to
an intention to terminate any Pension Plan or Pension Plans or to appoint a
trustee to administer any Pension Plan; (vi) the incurrence by the Borrower
or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability with respect to the withdrawal
or partial withdrawal from any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or
(vii) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or
the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate
of any notice, concerning the imposition of Withdrawal Liability or a
determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent
or
in reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“Eurodollar
Advances”
means
the Loans (or any portions thereof), at such time as it (or such portions)
are
made and/or being maintained at a rate of interest based upon the Eurodollar
Rate.
“Eurodollar
Base Rate”
has
the
meaning specified in the definition of Eurodollar Rate.
“Eurodollar
Rate”
means
for any Interest Period with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, a rate per
annum
determined by the Lender pursuant to the following formula:
Eurodollar
Rate =
|
______Eurodollar
Base Rate_______
1.00
- Eurodollar Reserve Percentage
|
Where,
“Eurodollar
Base Rate”
means,
for such Interest Period the rate per annum equal to the British Bankers
Association LIBOR Rate (“BBA
LIBOR”),
as
published by Reuters (or other commercially available source providing
quotations of BBA LIBOR as designated by the Lender from time to time) at
approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two (2) Business Days prior to the
commencement of such Interest Period, for Dollar deposits (for delivery on
the
first day of such Interest Period) with a term equivalent to such Interest
Period. If such rate is not available at such time for any reason, then the
“Eurodollar
Base Rate”
for
such Interest Period shall be the rate per annum determined by the Lender to
be
the rate at which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the first day of such
Interest Period in same day funds in the approximate amount of the Eurodollar
Rate Loan being made, continued or converted by the Lender and with a term
equivalent to such Interest Period would be offered by the Lender’s London
Branch to major banks in the London interbank eurodollar market at their request
at approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two Business Days prior to the
commencement of such Interest Period.
“Eurodollar
Reserve Percentage”
means,
for any day during any Interest Period, the reserve percentage (expressed as
a
decimal, carried out to five decimal places) in effect on such day, whether
or
not applicable to the Lender, under regulations issued from time to time by
the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States for
determining the maximum reserve requirement (including any emergency,
supplemental or other marginal reserve requirement) with respect to Eurocurrency
funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities”). The Eurodollar
Rate for each outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be adjusted automatically
as of the effective date of any change in the Eurodollar Reserve Percentage.
“Event
of Default”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 8.1
hereof.
“Exchange
Act”
means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
“Excluded
Subsidiaries”
means,
collectively, (i) Bel Delaware LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
and a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Hong Kong Subsidiary, and (ii) each of
Transformer One LLC, Transformer Two LLC, Transformer Three LLC, Transformer
Four LLC, Transformer Five LLC and Transformer Six LLC (each, a “Transformer
Entity”),
each
a Delaware limited liability company and a Wholly Owned Subsidiary formed for
the sole purpose of holding one share of Capital Stock in a Subsidiary organized
under the laws of the Dominican Republic (a “Dominican
Subsidiary”)
in
order to comply with the laws of the Dominican Republic; provided,
however,
that if
(x) such Transformer Entity engages in the active conduct of a trade or
business, or (y) such Transformer Entity holds or acquires any asset other
than
one share of the Capital Stock of such Dominican Subsidiary (other than an
asset
incidental to the holding of such share), such Transformer Entity shall
automatically cease to be an Excluded Subsidiary.
“Excluded
Tax”
means
as to any Person, a Tax imposed by one of the following jurisdictions or by
any
political subdivision or taxing authority thereof: (i) the United States,
(ii) the jurisdiction in which such Person is organized, (iii) the
jurisdiction in which such Person’s principal office is located, (iv) in
the case of the Lender, any jurisdiction in which the Lender is or is deemed
to
be doing business; which Tax (a) is any income tax or franchise tax imposed
on all or part of the net income or net profits of such Person or
(b) represents interest, fees or penalties for payment of any such income
tax or franchise tax.
“Federal
Funds Effective Rate”
means,
for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates
on
overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System
arranged by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day;
provided
that (a)
if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall
be
such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so
published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so
published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for
such
day shall be the average of the quotations for such day on such transactions
received by the Lender (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of
1/100 of 1%).
“Fees”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 2.5(a)
hereof.
“Financial
Officer”
means,
as to any Person, the chief financial officer of such Person or such other
officer as shall be satisfactory to the Lender.
“Foreign
Subsidiary”
means
any Subsidiary that is a “controlled foreign corporation” within the meaning of
Section 957 of the Code.
“Four
Quarter Trailing Period”
means,
at any date of determination, the period of the four fiscal quarters ending
on
such date, or, if such date is not the last day of a fiscal quarter, the period
of the most immediately completed four fiscal quarters.
“Fraudulent
Transfer Laws”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 10.1(b)
hereof.
“GAAP”
means
generally accepted accounting principles as in effect from time to time in
the
United States.
“Governmental
Authority”
means
any foreign, federal, state, municipal or other government, or any department,
commission, board, bureau, agency, public authority or instrumentality thereof,
or any court or arbitrator.
“Guaranty”
of
or
by any Person (the “guarantor”) means any obligation, contingent or otherwise,
of the guarantor guarantying or in effect guarantying any return on any
investment made by another Person, or any Indebtedness, lease, dividend or
other
obligation (a “primary obligation”) of any other Person (a “primary obligor”) in
any manner, whether directly or indirectly, including any obligation of the
guarantor, direct or indirect (i) to purchase any primary obligation or any
property constituting direct or indirect security therefor, (ii) to advance
or supply funds (A) for the purchase or payment of any primary obligation or
(B)
to maintain working capital or equity capital of the primary obligor or
otherwise to maintain the net worth or solvency of a primary obligor,
(iii) to purchase property, securities or services primarily for the
purpose of assuring the beneficiary of any primary obligation of the ability
of
a primary obligor to make payment of a primary obligation, (iv) otherwise
to assure or hold harmless the beneficiary of a primary obligation against
loss
in respect thereof, and (v) in respect of the liabilities of any
partnership in which a secondary obligor is a general partner, except to the
extent that such liabilities of such partnership are nonrecourse to such
secondary obligor and its separate property, provided, however, that the term
“Guaranty” shall not include the endorsement of instruments for deposit or
collection in the ordinary course of business. The amount of any Guaranty shall
be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the primary
obligation in respect of which such Guaranty is made or, if not stated or
determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof
as
determined by the guarantor in good faith.
“Guaranty
Supplement”
means
a
Guaranty Supplement in the form attached hereof as Exhibit
“B”
and made
a part hereof.
“Guarantor
Obligations”
means,
with respect to each Subsidiary Guarantor, all of the obligations and
liabilities of such Subsidiary Guarantor under the Loan Documents, whether
fixed, contingent, now existing or hereafter arising, created, assumed, incurred
or acquired, and whether arising before or after the occurrence of any Event
of
Default under Sections 8.1(h)
or (i)
hereof and including any obligation or liability in respect of any breach
of any representation or warranty and all post-petition interest and funding
losses, whether or not allowed as a claim in any proceeding arising in
connection with such an event.
“Hedging
Agreement”
means
any interest rate swap, cap or collar arrangement or any other derivative
product customarily offered by banks or other financial institutions to their
customers in order to manage the exposure of such customers to interest rate
fluctuations.
“Hong
Kong Subsidiary”
means
Bel Fuse, Limited, a Hong Kong corporation and a direct Wholly Owned Subsidiary
of the Borrower.
“Impermissible
Qualification”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 6.1(a)(i)
hereof.
“Indebtedness”
means,
as to any Person, at a particular time, all items which constitute, without
duplication, (i) indebtedness for borrowed money, (ii) indebtedness in
respect of the deferred purchase price of property (other than trade payables
incurred in the ordinary course of business), (iii) indebtedness evidenced
by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, (iv) obligations with
respect to any conditional sale or title retention agreement,
(v) indebtedness arising under acceptance facilities and the amount
available to be drawn under all letters of credit issued for the account of
such
Person and, without duplication, all drafts drawn thereunder to the extent
such
Person shall not have reimbursed the issuer in respect of the issuer’s payment
thereof, (vi) liabilities secured by (or for which the holder of such
Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured
by)
any Lien on property owned by such Person (other than carriers’, warehousemen’s,
mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other like non-consensual statutory
Liens arising in the ordinary course of business), even though such Person
has
not assumed or otherwise become liable for the payment thereof,
(vii) Capital Lease Obligations, (viii) all obligations of such Person
in respect of Disqualified Stock, and (ix) all Guaranties by such Person of
Indebtedness of others. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the
Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person
is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result
of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity,
except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness provide that such Person
is
not liable therefor.
“Indemnified
Liabilities”
and
“Indemnified
Person”
have
the meanings set forth in Section 9.4(b)
hereof.
“Indemnified
Tax”
means
as to any Person, any Tax, except (i) an Excluded Tax imposed on such
Person and (ii) any interest, fees or penalties for late payment of an
Excluded Tax imposed on such Person.
“Insolvent”
means,
with respect to any Person, (a) the sum of the assets, at a fair valuation,
of such Person does not exceed its debts, (b) such Person has incurred
debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as such debts mature, (c) such
Person believes that, in the ordinary course of its business during the
reasonably foreseeable future, it will incur debts beyond its ability to pay
such debts as such debts mature, and (d) such Person has insufficient
capital with which to conduct its business. For purposes of this definition
only, “debt” means any liability on a claim, and “claim” means any
(i) right to payment, whether such a right is reduced to judgment,
liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed,
undisputed, legal, equitable, secured, or unsecured, or (ii) right to an
equitable remedy for breach of performance if such breach gives rise to a
payment, whether such right to an equitable remedy is reduced to judgment,
fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, secured, unsecured,
liquidated or unliquidated.
“Intercompany
Transaction Amount”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 7.1(c)(ii)
hereof.
“Interest
Period”
means,
with respect to each Eurodollar Advance, the period commencing on the Borrowing
Date or Conversion Date of such Eurodollar Advance and ending on the numerically
corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, two, three or six months
thereafter, as the Borrower may select in the applicable Borrowing Request
or
Notice of Conversion.
“Investments”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 7.4
hereof.
“Lien”
means
any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, encumbrance, lien (statutory
or
other), or other security agreement or security interest of any kind or nature
whatsoever, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement
and any capital or financing lease having substantially the same economic effect
as any of the foregoing.
“Line
of Business”
means
the manufacturing and distribution of electronic components and any business
reasonably similar, complimentary, ancillary or related thereto.
“Loans”
means
the loans made by the Lender to the Borrower pursuant to this
Agreement.
“Loan
Documents”
means,
collectively, this Agreement, the Note, each Secured Hedging Agreement and
all
other agreements, instruments and documents executed or delivered in connection
herewith.
“Loan
Parties”
means,
collectively, the Borrower, each Subsidiary Guarantor and each other Person
(other than the Lender or any of its Affiliates) party to a Loan
Document.
“Managing
Person”
means,
with respect to any Person that is (i) a corporation, its board of
directors, (ii) a limited liability company, its board of control, managing
member or members, (iii) a limited partnership, its general partner or
general partners, (iv) a general partnership or a limited liability
partnership, its managing partner or managing partners or executive committee
or
(v) any other Person, the managing body thereof or other Person analogous
to the foregoing.
“Margin
Stock”
has
the
meaning set forth in Regulation U.
“Material
Adverse”
means,
with respect to any change or effect, a material adverse change in, or effect
on, as the case may be, (i) the business, assets, operations, prospects or
condition, financial or otherwise, of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries taken
as
a whole, (ii) the ability of any Loan Party to perform its obligations
under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (iii) the rights of, or
benefits available to, the Lender under the Loan Documents, in any material
respect, or (iv) the legality or enforceability of any Loan
Document.
“Material
Subsidiary”
means
any direct or indirect Subsidiary (other than the Excluded Subsidiaries) as
to
which any of the following tests are or have at any time on or after the
Effective Date been met: (i) the Borrower’s and the other Subsidiaries’
investments in and advances to such Subsidiary are greater than or equal to
5%
of the total assets of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries on a consolidated
basis
as of the last day of the most recently completed fiscal year of the Borrower,
(ii) such Subsidiary’s proportionate share of the total assets (after
intercompany eliminations) of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries on a
consolidated basis is greater than or equal to 5% of the total assets of the
Borrower and the Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis as of the last day of
the
most recently completed fiscal year of the Borrower, or (iii) the income from
continuing operations before income taxes, extraordinary items and the
cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles of such Subsidiary is
greater than or equal to 5% of such income of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries
on a consolidated basis as of the last day of the most recently completed fiscal
year of the Borrower.
“Material
Liabilities”
means,
on any date, with respect to the Borrower, any Subsidiary, or any combination
thereof: (i) all Indebtedness (other than Indebtedness under the Loan
Documents), (ii) the net termination obligations in respect of one or more
Hedging Agreements (calculated as if such Hedging Agreements were terminated
as
of such date), and (iii) other liabilities, in each case whether as
principal, guarantor, surety or other obligor, in an aggregate principal amount
exceeding $1,000,000.00.
“Minimum
Amount”
means
in respect of (i) ABR Advances, $100,000.00 or such amount plus a whole
multiple of $50,000.00 in excess thereof, and (ii) Eurodollar Advances,
$100,000.00 or such amount plus a whole multiple of $100,000.00 in excess
thereof.
“Multiemployer
Plan”
means
a
Pension Plan which is a multiemployer plan as defined in
Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
“Non-Guarantor
Subsidiary”
at
any
time, the Excluded Subsidiaries and any other Subsidiary that is not a
Subsidiary Guarantor at such time, including, without limitation, all Foreign
Subsidiaries.
“Note”
means
a
Revolving Credit Loan Note, substantially in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit
“C”
and made
a part hereof, payable to the order of the Lender, made by the Borrower and
dated as of the Effective Date, including all replacements thereof and
substitutions therefor.
“Notice
of Conversion”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 3.3(a)
hereof.
“Obligations”
means,
collectively, the Borrower Obligations and the Guarantor
Obligations.
“Organizational
Documents”
means
as to any Person which is (i) a corporation, the certificate or articles of
incorporation and by-laws of such Person, (ii) a limited liability company,
the limited liability company agreement or similar agreement of such Person,
(iii) a partnership, the partnership agreement or similar agreement of such
Person, or (iv) any other form of entity or organization, the
organizational documents analogous to the foregoing.
“Other
Taxes”
means
any and all current or future stamp or documentary taxes or any other excise
or
property taxes, charges or similar levies that arise from any payment made
hereunder or from the execution, delivery, registration or enforcement of,
or
any amendment, supplement or modification of, or any waiver or consent under
or
in respect of, the Loan Documents or otherwise with respect to the Loan
Documents.
“Payment
Office”
means
the office of the Lender set forth in Section 9.2(b)
hereof.
“PBGC”
means
the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation established pursuant to Subtitle A
of
Title IV of ERISA, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to the functions
thereof.
“Pension
Plan”
means,
at any date of determination, any employee pension benefit plan (other than
a
Multiemployer Plan), the funding requirements of which (under Section 302
of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) are, or at any time within the six
years immediately preceding such date, were, in whole or in part, the
responsibility of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.
“Permitted
Liens”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 7.2
hereof.
“Person”
means
a
natural person, firm, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture,
corporation, association, business enterprise, joint stock company,
unincorporated association, trust, Governmental Authority or any other entity,
whether acting in an individual, fiduciary, or other capacity, and for the
purpose of the definition of “ERISA Affiliate”, a trade or
business.
“Prime
Rate”
is
a
rate set by the Lender based upon various factors including the Lender’s costs
and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used
as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above,
or
below such announced rate. Any change in such rate announced by the Lender
shall
take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public
announcement of such change.
“Regulation
D, T, U and X”
means
Regulations D, T, U and X, respectively, of the Board of Governors as from
time
to time in effect and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or
thereof.
“Related
Parties”
means,
with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective
directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors of such Person and such
Person’s Affiliates.
“Required
Payment”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 3.7(a)
hereof.
“Restricted
Payment”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 7.7
hereof.
“Revolving
Commitment”
means
the commitment of the Lender to make Revolving Loans hereunder, expressed as
an
amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of the Revolving Credit
Exposure permitted hereunder, as such commitment may be reduced or increased
from time to time pursuant to Section 2.3
hereof.
The initial amount of the Lender’s Revolving Commitment is
$20,000,000.00.
“Revolving
Credit Exposure”
means,
at any time, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Revolving Loans
at such time.
“Revolving
Loan”
means
a
loan referred to in Section 2.1
hereof and made pursuant to Section 2.4
hereof.
“Revolving
Maturity Date”
means
June 30, 2008, or such earlier date on which the Revolving Loans shall become
due and payable, whether by acceleration or otherwise.
“SEC”
means
the Securities and Exchange Commission or any Governmental Authority succeeding
to the functions thereof.
“Secured
Hedging Agreement”
means
any Hedging Agreement entered into by the Borrower with the Lender (or an
Affiliate thereof).
“Special
Counsel”
means
Reed Smith LLP, or such other counsel selected by the Lender as, special counsel
to the Lender hereunder.
“Subsidiary”
means,
with respect to any Person (the “parent”) at any date, any other Person
(i) the accounts of which would be consolidated with those of the parent in
the parent’s consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were
prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, (ii) of which securities
or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more
than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more
than 50% of the general partnership interests or more than 50% of the profits
or
losses of which are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held by the parent
or
one or more subsidiaries of the parent. Unless otherwise qualified, all
references to “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” in this Agreement shall refer to
a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Borrower.
“Subsidiary
Guarantor”
means
each Domestic Subsidiary party to this Agreement, provided that the Excluded
Subsidiaries shall not be Subsidiary Guarantors.
“Tax”
means
any present or future tax, levy, impost, duty, charge, fee, deduction or
withholding of any nature and whatever called, by a Governmental Authority,
on
whomsoever and wherever imposed, levied, collected, withheld or
assessed.
“Transactions”
means,
collectively the transactions contemplated by the Loan
Documents.
“Type”,
when
used in reference to a Loan or Advance, refers to whether the rate of interest
on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Advance, is determined by
reference to the Eurodollar Rate or the Alternate Base Rate.
“Unconsolidated
Investment”
means,
as of any date, any investment made by the Borrower or any Subsidiary in any
other Person that, pursuant to GAAP as in effect on such date, would not be
consolidated with the Borrower for financial reporting purposes immediately
after giving effect to such investment.
“United
States”
means
the United States of America.
“Upfront
Fee”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 3.2(b)
hereof.
“Wholly
Owned”
means,
with respect to any Subsidiary of any Person, 100% of the outstanding Capital
Stock of such Subsidiary is owned, directly or indirectly, by such
Person.
“Withdrawal
Liability”
means,
with respect to any Person, liability of such Person to a Multiemployer Plan
as
a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan,
as
such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
Section
1.2 Accounting
Terms
As
used
in the Loan Documents and in any certificate, opinion or other document made
or
delivered pursuant thereto, accounting terms not defined in Section 1.1
hereof,
and accounting terms partly defined in Section 1.1
hereof,
to the extent not defined, shall have the respective meanings given to them
under GAAP. If any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial
ratio or requirement set forth in this Agreement, the Lender and the Borrower
shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to reflect
such
change in GAAP, provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or
requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to
such
change and (ii) the Borrower shall provide to the Lender financial
statements and other documents required under this Agreement (or such other
items as the Lender may reasonably request) setting forth a reconciliation
between calculations of such ratio or requirement before and after giving effect
to such change.
Section
1.3 Rules
of Interpretation
(a) Unless
expressly provided in a Loan Document to the contrary, (i) the words
“hereof”, “herein”, “hereto” and “hereunder” and similar words when used in each
Loan Document shall refer to such Loan Document as a whole and not to any
particular provision thereof, (ii) article, section, subsection, schedule
and exhibit references contained therein shall refer to article, section,
subsection, schedule and exhibit thereof or thereto, (iii) the words
“include” and “including”, shall mean that the same shall be “included, without
limitation”, (iv) any definition of, or reference to, any agreement,
instrument, certificate or other document herein shall be construed as referring
to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended,
supplemented or otherwise modified, (v) any reference herein to any Person
shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns,
(vi) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same
meaning and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and
properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights,
(vii) words in the singular number include the plural, and words used
therein in the plural include the singular, (viii) any reference to a time
shall refer to such time in New York, (ix) 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 means “to but
excluding”, and (x) references therein to a fiscal period shall refer to
that fiscal period of the Borrower.
(b) Article and
Section headings have been inserted in the Loan Documents for convenience
only and shall not be construed to be a part thereof.
ARTICLE
2
AMOUNT
AND TERMS OF THE LOANS
Section
2.1 Loans
Subject
to the terms and conditions hereof, the Lender agrees to make revolving credit
loans in Dollars (each a “Revolving
Loan”
and
collectively with all other Loans of the Lender, the “Revolving
Loans”)
to the
Borrower from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the
Effective Date to the Business Day proceeding the Revolving Maturity Date,
provided that after giving effect thereto the Revolving Credit Exposure would
not exceed the Revolving Commitment. During such period, the Borrower may
borrow, prepay in whole or in part and reborrow under the Revolving Commitment,
all in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The
outstanding principal balance of each Revolving Loan shall be due and payable
on
the Revolving Maturity Date.
Section
2.2 Procedure
for Borrowing
(a) To
request a Loan, the Borrower shall notify the Lender by the delivery of a
Borrowing Request, which shall be sent by facsimile and shall be irrevocable
(confirmed promptly, and in any event within five Business Days, by the delivery
to the Lender of a Borrowing Request manually signed by the Borrower), no later
than 11:00 a.m., three Business Days prior to the requested Borrowing Date,
in
the case of Eurodollar Advances, and 11:00 a.m., one Business Day prior to
the
requested Borrowing Date, in the case of ABR Advances, specifying (i) the
aggregate principal amount to be borrowed, (ii) the requested Borrowing Date,
(iii) whether such borrowing is to consist of one or more Eurodollar Advances,
ABR Advances, or a combination thereof and (iv) if the Loan is to consist of
one
or more Eurodollar Advances, the amount and length of the Interest Period for
each Eurodollar Advance. The amount of each (a) Eurodollar Advance to be
made on a Borrowing Date, when aggregated with all amounts to be converted
to,
or continued as, a Eurodollar Advance on such date and having the same Interest
Period as such first Eurodollar Advance, shall equal the Minimum Amount and
(b) each ABR Advance made on each Borrowing Date shall equal the Minimum
Amount or, if less, the unused portion of the Revolving Commitment.
(b) Subject
to the satisfaction of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Lender
shall on the requested Borrowing Date make available the proceeds of the
requested Loan to the Borrower at the Payment Office by crediting the account
of
the Borrower on the books of the Lender at such office with said
amount.
Section
2.3 Termination
and Reduction of Revolving Commitment
(a) Voluntary
Termination or Reductions.
The
Borrower may, upon at least three (3) Business Days’ prior written notice to the
Lender, (i) at any time when the Revolving Credit Exposure shall be zero,
terminate the Revolving Commitment, and (ii) at any time and from time to time
when the Revolving Commitment shall exceed the Revolving Credit Exposure (after
giving effect to any contemporaneous payment or payment of Revolving Loans),
permanently reduce the Revolving Commitment by a sum not greater than the amount
of such excess, provided, however, that each such partial reduction shall be
in
the amount of $1,000,000.00 or such amount plus a whole multiple of $500,000.00
in excess thereof.
(b) Reductions
in General.
Simultaneously with each reduction of the Revolving Commitment, the Borrower
shall pay the Commitment Fee accrued on the amount by which the Revolving
Commitment has been reduced.
(c) Mandatory
Reductions.
Unless
previously terminated, the Revolving Commitment shall terminate on the Revolving
Maturity Date.
Section
2.4 Prepayments
of the Loans
(a) Voluntary
Prepayments.
The
Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay all
or
any portion of the Loans without premium or penalty (but subject to Section 3.5
hereof),
by delivering to the Lender an irrevocable written notice thereof at least
one
Business Day prior to the proposed prepayment date, in the case of Loans
consisting of ABR Advances, and at least three Business Days prior to the
proposed prepayment date, in the case of Loans consisting of Eurodollar
Advances, specifying whether the Loans to be prepaid consist of ABR Advances,
Eurodollar Advances, or a combination thereof, the amount to be prepaid and
the
date of prepayment, whereupon the amount specified in such notice shall be
due
and payable on the date specified. Each partial prepayment of the Loans pursuant
to this subsection shall be in an amount equal to the Minimum Amount, or, if
less, the outstanding principal balance of the Loans. After giving effect to
any
partial prepayment with respect to Eurodollar Advances which were made (whether
as the result of a borrowing, a conversion or a continuation) on the same date
and which had the same Interest Period, the outstanding principal balance of
such Eurodollar Advances shall equal or exceed (subject to Section 3.3
hereof)
the Minimum Amount.
(b) Mandatory
Prepayments of Revolving Loans.
Simultaneously with each reduction or termination of the Revolving Commitment,
the Borrower shall prepay the Loans by an amount equal to the lesser of
(i) the Revolving Credit Exposure, or (ii) the excess of the Revolving
Credit Exposure over the Revolving Commitment as so reduced or
terminated.
(c) In
General.
Simultaneously with each prepayment of a Loan, the Borrower shall prepay all
accrued interest on the amount prepaid through the date of prepayment.
Section
2.5 Payments;
Set-Off
(a) Payments.
Except
as provided below, all payments, including prepayments, of principal and
interest on the Loans, the Commitment Fee, the Upfront Fee and of all other
amounts to be paid by the Borrower under the Loan Documents, (the Commitment
Fee, the Upfront Fee together with all of such other fees, being sometimes
hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Fees”)
shall
be made to the Lender, prior to 1:00 p.m. on the date such payment is due at
the
Payment Office, in Dollars and in immediately available funds, without set-off,
offset, recoupment or counterclaim. The failure of the Borrower to make any
such
payment by such time shall not constitute a Default, provided that such payment
is made on such due date, but any such payment made after 1:00 p.m. on such
due
date shall be deemed to have been made on the next Business Day for the purpose
of calculating interest on the Loans. If any payment under the Loan Documents
shall be due and payable on a day which is not a Business Day, the due date
thereof (except as otherwise provided with respect to Interest Periods) shall
be
extended to the next Business Day and (except with respect to payments in
respect of the Fees) interest shall be payable at the applicable rate specified
herein during such extension, provided, however, that if such next Business
Day
would be after the Revolving Maturity Date, such payment shall instead be due
on
the immediately preceding Business Day.
(b) Set-Off.
In
addition to any rights and remedies of the Lender provided by law, upon the
occurrence of an Event of Default and the acceleration of the obligations owing
in connection with the Loan Documents, or at any time upon the occurrence and
during the continuance of an Event of Default under Sections 8.1(a) or
(b)
hereof,
the Lender shall have the right, without prior notice to the Borrower or any
other Loan Party, any such notice being expressly waived by the Borrower and
each other Loan Party to the extent not prohibited by applicable law, to set-off
and apply against any indebtedness, whether matured or unmatured, of the
Borrower or such other Loan Party, as the case may be, to the Lender any amount
owing from the Lender to the Borrower or such other Loan Party, as the case
may
be, at, or at any time after, the happening of any of the above-mentioned
events. To the extent not prohibited by applicable law, the aforesaid right
of
set-off may be exercised by the Lender against the Borrower or such other Loan
Party, as the case may be, or against any trustee in bankruptcy, custodian,
debtor in possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, receiver, or
execution, judgment or attachment creditor of the Borrower or such other Loan
Party, as the case may be, or against anyone else claiming through or against
the Borrower or such other Loan Party, as the case may be, or such trustee
in
bankruptcy, custodian, debtor in possession, assignee for the benefit of
creditors, receiver, or execution, judgment or attachment creditor,
notwithstanding the fact that such right of set-off shall not have been
exercised by the Lender prior to the making, filing or issuance, or service
upon
the Lender of, or of notice of, any such petition, assignment for the benefit
of
creditors, appointment or application for the appointment of a receiver, or
issuance of execution, subpoena, order or warrant. The Lender agrees promptly
to
notify the Borrower after any such set-off and application made by the Lender,
provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity
of
such set-off and application.
ARTICLE
3
INTEREST,
FEES, YIELD PROTECTIONS, ETC.
Section
3.1 Interest
Rate and Payment Dates
(a) Advances.
Each
(i) ABR Advance shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the
Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Margin and (ii) Eurodollar Advance
shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for the
applicable Interest Period plus the Applicable Margin.
(b) Event
of Default; Late Charges.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, after the occurrence and during the continuance
of an Event of Default under Section 8.1(a) or
8.1(b)
hereof,
the outstanding principal balance of the Loans shall bear interest at a rate
per
annum equal to 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable thereto as provided in
subsection (a) above. If any interest, Fee or other amount payable under
the Loan Documents is not paid when due (whether at the stated maturity thereof,
by acceleration or otherwise), such overdue amount shall bear interest at a
rate
per annum equal to the Alternate Base Rate plus 2%, from the date of such
nonpayment until paid in full (whether before or after the entry of a judgment
thereon). All such interest shall be payable on demand.
(c) Payment
of Interest.
Except
as otherwise provided in subsection
(b) above,
interest shall be payable in arrears on the following dates and upon each
payment (including prepayment) of the Loans:
(i) in
the
case of an ABR Advance, on the last Business Day of each March, June,
September and December commencing on the first of such days to occur
after such ABR Advance is made or any Eurodollar Advance is converted to an
ABR
Advance;
(ii) in
the
case of a Eurodollar Advance, on the last day of the Interest Period applicable
thereto and, if such Interest Period is longer than three months, the last
Business Day of each three month interval occurring during such Interest Period;
and
(iii) in
the
case of all Advances, the Revolving Maturity Date.
(d) Computations.
Interest
on (i) ABR Advances to the extent based on the Prime Rate shall be
calculated on the basis of a 365 or 366-day year (as the case may be), and
(ii) ABR Advances to the extent based on the Federal Funds Effective Rate
and on Eurodollar Advances shall be calculated on the basis of a 360-day year,
in each case, for the actual number of days elapsed. The Lender shall, as soon
as practicable, notify the Borrower of the effective date and the amount of
each
such change in the Prime Rate, but any failure to so notify shall not in any
manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to pay interest on the Loans in
the
amounts and on the dates required. Each determination of a rate of interest
by
the Lender pursuant to the Loan Documents shall be conclusive and binding on
all
parties hereto absent manifest error. The Borrower acknowledges that to the
extent interest payable on ABR Advances is based on the Prime Rate, such rate
is
only one of the bases for computing interest on loans made by the Lender, and
by
basing interest payable on ABR Advances on the Prime Rate, the Lender has not
committed to charge, and the Borrower has not in any way bargained for, interest
based on a lower or the lowest rate at which the Lender may now or in the future
make loans to other borrowers.
Section
3.2 Fees
(a) Commitment
Fee.
The
Borrower agrees to pay to the Lender, a fee (the “Commitment
Fee”),
during the period from the Effective Date through the Business Day immediately
preceding the Revolving Maturity Date, at a rate per annum equal to the
Applicable Margin on the average daily unused Revolving Commitment. The
Commitment Fee shall be payable (i) quarterly in arrears on the last
Business Day of each March, June, September and December during such
period, commencing on the first such day following the Effective Date,
(ii) on the date of any reduction in the Revolving Commitment (to the
extent of such reduction) and (iii) on the Revolving Maturity Date. The
Commitment Fee shall be calculated on the basis of a 360 day year, as the case
may be, for the actual number of days elapsed.
(b) Upfront
Fee.
There
shall be no upfront fee (the “Upfront
Fee”)
due
and owing to the Lender in connection with the Revolving
Commitment.
Section
3.3 Conversions
(a) The
Borrower may elect from time to time to convert one or more Eurodollar Advances
to ABR Advances by giving the Lender at least one Business Day’s prior
irrevocable notice of such election, specifying the amount to be converted,
provided, that any such conversion of Eurodollar Advances shall only be made
on
the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto. In addition, the
Borrower may elect from time to time to (i) convert ABR Advances to
Eurodollar Advances and (ii) continue Eurodollar Advances as new Eurodollar
Advances by selecting a new Interest Period therefor, in each case by giving
the
Lender at least three Business Days’ prior irrevocable notice of such election,
in the case of a conversion to, or continuation of, Eurodollar Advances,
specifying the amount to be so converted or continued and the initial Interest
Period relating thereto, provided that any such conversion of ABR Advances
to
Eurodollar Advances shall only be made on a Business Day and any such
continuation of Eurodollar Advances as new Eurodollar Advances shall only be
made on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to the Eurodollar
Advances which are to be continued as such new Eurodollar Advances. Each such
notice (each a “Notice
of Conversion”)
shall
be substantially in the form of Exhibit
“D”,
shall
be irrevocable and shall be given by facsimile (confirmed promptly, and in
any
event within five Business Days, by the delivery to the Lender of a Notice
of
Conversion manually signed by the Borrower). Advances may be converted or
continued pursuant to this Section 3.3
in whole
or in part, provided that the amount to be converted to, or continued as, each
Eurodollar Advance, when aggregated with any Eurodollar Advance to be made
on
such date in accordance with Section 2.2
hereof
and having the same Interest Period as such first Eurodollar Advance, shall
equal the Minimum Amount.
(b) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, upon the occurrence and during
the
continuance of an Event of Default, the Borrower shall have no right to elect
to
convert any existing ABR Advance to a new Eurodollar Advance or to continue
any
existing Eurodollar Advance as a new Eurodollar Advance. In such event, all
ABR
Advances shall be automatically continued as ABR Advances and all Eurodollar
Advances shall be automatically converted to ABR Advances on the last day of
the
Interest Period applicable to such Eurodollar Advance.
(c) Each
conversion or continuation shall be effected by the Lender by applying the
proceeds of the new ABR Advance or Eurodollar Advance, as the case may be,
to
the Advances (or portion thereof) being converted (it being understood that
any
such conversion or continuation shall not constitute a borrowing for purposes
of
Article 4
hereof).
Section
3.4 Concerning
Interest Periods
(a) No
Interest Period in respect of a Eurodollar Advance shall end after the Revolving
Maturity Date.
(b) Any
Interest Period which begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or
on
a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month
at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of a
calendar month.
(c) If
an
Interest Period would otherwise end on a day which is not a Business Day, such
Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, unless
the result of such extension would be to carry such Interest Period into another
calendar month, in which event such Interest Period shall end on the immediately
preceding Business Day.
(d) If
the
Borrower shall have failed to timely elect a Eurodollar Advance under
Section 3.3
hereof
in connection with any conversion to, or continuation of, a Eurodollar Advance,
such Advance requested to be converted to, or continued as, a Eurodollar Advance
shall thereafter be an ABR Advance until such time, if any, as the Borrower
shall elect a new Eurodollar Advance pursuant to Section 3.3
hereof.
(e) The
Borrower shall not be permitted to have more than eight Eurodollar Advances
outstanding at any one time.
Section
3.5 Funding
Loss
Notwithstanding
anything contained herein to the contrary, if the Borrower shall fail to borrow,
convert or continue a Eurodollar Advance on a Borrowing Date or a Conversion
Date after it shall have given notice to do so in which it shall have requested
a Eurodollar Advance, or if a Eurodollar Advance shall be terminated for any
reason prior to the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, or
if,
while a Eurodollar Advance is outstanding, any repayment or prepayment of such
Eurodollar Advance is made for any reason (including as a result of acceleration
or illegality) on a date which is prior to the last day of the Interest Period
applicable thereto, the Borrower agrees to indemnify the Lender against, and
to
pay on demand to the Lender the amount (calculated by the Lender using any
reasonable method chosen by it which is customarily used by it for such purpose)
equal to any loss or out-of-pocket expense suffered by the Lender as a result
of
such failure to convert, or continue, or such termination, repayment or
prepayment, including any loss, cost or expense suffered by the Lender in
liquidating or employing deposits acquired to fund or maintain the funding
of
such Eurodollar Advance or redeploying funds prepaid or repaid, in amounts
which
correspond to such Eurodollar Advance and any reasonable internal processing
charge customarily charged by the Lender in connection therewith.
Section
3.6 Increased
Costs; Illegality, etc.
(a) Increased
Costs.
If any
Change in Law shall impose, modify or make applicable any reserve, special
deposit, compulsory loan, assessment, increased cost or similar requirement
against assets held by, or deposits of, or advances or loans by, or other credit
extended by, or any other acquisition of funds by, any office of the Lender
in
respect of its Eurodollar Advances which is not otherwise included in the
determination of a Eurodollar Rate and the result thereof is to increase the
cost to the Lender of making, renewing, converting or maintaining its Eurodollar
Advances or its commitment to make such Eurodollar Advances, or to reduce any
amount receivable under the Loan Documents in respect of its Eurodollar
Advances, then, in any such case, the Borrower shall pay the Lender such
additional amounts as is sufficient to compensate the Lender for such additional
cost or reduction in such amount receivable which the Lender deems to be
material (as determined by the Lender.)
(b) Capital
Adequacy.
If the
Lender determines that any Change in Law relating to capital requirements has
or
would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on the Lender’s capital or
on the capital of the Lender’s holding company on the Loans to a level below
that which the Lender (or its holding company) would have achieved or would
thereafter be able to achieve but for such Change in Law (after taking into
account the Lender’s (or such holding company’s) policies regarding capital
adequacy), the Borrower shall pay to the Lender (or such holding company) such
additional amount or amounts as will compensate the Lender (or such holding
company) for such reduction.
(c) Illegality.
Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, if the Lender shall reasonably
determine that any law, regulation, treaty or directive, or any change therein
or in the interpretation or application thereof, shall make it unlawful for
it
to make or maintain any Eurodollar Advance as contemplated by this Agreement,
the Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower thereof, and (i) the
commitment of the Lender to make such Eurodollar Advances or convert ABR
Advances to Eurodollar Advances shall forthwith be suspended, (ii) the
Lender shall fund each requested Eurodollar Advance as an ABR Advance and
(iii) the portion of the Loans then outstanding as such Eurodollar
Advances, if any, shall be converted automatically to ABR Advances on the last
day of the then current Interest Period applicable thereto or at such earlier
time as may be required by law. The commitment of the Lender with respect to
Eurodollar Advances shall be suspended until the Lender shall notify the
Borrower that the circumstances causing such suspension no longer exist. Upon
receipt of such notice by the Borrower, the Lender’s commitment to make or
maintain Eurodollar Advances shall be reinstated.
(d) Substituted
Interest Rate.
In the
event that the Lender shall have determined (which determination shall be
conclusive and binding upon the Borrower) that (i) by reason of
circumstances affecting the interbank eurodollar market either adequate and
reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Eurodollar Rate applicable
pursuant to Section 3.1
hereof
or (ii) the applicable Eurodollar Rate will not adequately and fairly
reflect the cost to the Lender of maintaining or funding loans bearing interest
based on such Eurodollar Rate, with respect to any portion of the Loans that
the
Borrower has requested be made as Eurodollar Advances or Eurodollar Advances
that will result from the requested conversion or continuation of any portion
of
the Advances into or of Eurodollar Advances (each, an “Affected
Advance”),
the
Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower (by telephone or otherwise, to be
promptly confirmed in writing) of such determination, on or, to the extent
practicable, prior to the requested Conversion Date for such Affected Advances.
If the Lender shall give such notice, (a) any Affected Advances shall be made
as
ABR Advances, (b) the Advances (or any portion thereof) that were to have
been converted to Affected Advances shall be converted to ABR Advances and
(c) any outstanding Affected Advances shall be converted, on the last day
of the then current Interest Period with respect thereto, to ABR Advances.
Until
any notice under clauses
(i) or (ii)
above,
as the case may be, of this subsection (d) has been withdrawn by the
Lender, no further Eurodollar Advances shall be required to be made by the
Lender, nor shall the Borrower have the right to convert all or any portion
of
the Loans to Eurodollar Advances.
(e) Payment;
Certificates.
Each
payment pursuant to subsections
(a) or (b) above
shall be made within 10 days after demand therefor, which demand shall be
accompanied by a certificate of the Lender demanding such payment setting forth
the calculations of the additional amounts payable pursuant thereto. Each such
certificate shall be presumptively correct absent manifest error. No failure
by
the Lender to demand, and no delay in demanding, compensation for any increased
cost shall constitute a waiver of its right to demand such compensation at
any
time. Failure or delay on the part of the Lender to demand compensation pursuant
to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of the Lender’s right to
demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required
to
compensate the Lender pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or
reductions incurred more than 90 days prior to the date that the Lender notifies
the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or
reductions and of the Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor;
provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs
or reductions is retroactive, then the 90-day period referred to above shall
be
extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
Section
3.7 Taxes
(a) Payments
Free of Taxes.
All
payments by or on account of the Borrower under any Loan Document to or for
the
account of the Lender shall be made free and clear of, and without any deduction
or withholding for or on account of, any and all present or future Indemnified
Taxes or Other Taxes, provided that if the Borrower or any other Person is
required by any law, rule, regulation, order, directive, treaty or guideline
to
make any deduction or withholding in respect of such Indemnified Tax or Other
Tax from any amount required to be paid by the Borrower to or on behalf of
the
Lender under any Loan Document (each, a “Required
Payment”),
then
(i) the Borrower shall notify the Lender of any such requirement or any
change in any such requirement as soon as the Borrower becomes aware thereof,
(ii) the Borrower shall pay such Indemnified Tax or Other Tax prior to the
date on which penalties attach thereto, such payment to be made (to the extent
that the liability to pay is imposed on the Borrower) for its own account or
(to
the extent that the liability to pay is imposed on the Lender) on behalf and
in
the name of the Lender, (iii) the Borrower shall pay to the Lender an
additional amount such that the Lender shall receive on the due date therefor
an
amount equal to the Required Payment had no such deduction or withholding been
made or required, and (iv) the Borrower shall, within 30 days after paying
such Indemnified Tax or Other Tax, deliver to the Lender satisfactory evidence
of such payment to the relevant Governmental Authority.
(b) Reimbursement
for Taxes and Other Taxes Paid by the Lender.
The
Borrower shall reimburse the Lender, within ten days after written demand
therefor, for the full amount of all Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes paid
by
the Lender on or with respect to any payment by or on account of any obligation
of the Borrower under the Loan Documents (including Indemnified Taxes or Other
Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this
Section 3.7)
and any
penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect
thereto (other than any such penalties, interest or expenses that are incurred
by the Lender’s unreasonably taking or omitting to take action with respect to
such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes), whether or not such Indemnified Taxes
or
Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant
Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or
liability delivered to the Borrower by the Lender shall be presumptively correct
absent manifest error. In the event that the Lender determines that it received
a refund or credit for Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes paid, or expenses
reimbursed, by the Borrower under this Section 3.7,
the
Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower of such fact and shall remit to the
Borrower the amount of such refund or credit.
Section
3.8 Changes
of Lending Offices
If
the
Lender (or its holding company, if any) requests compensation under Section 3.6(a) or
(b) hereof
or if the Borrower is required to pay an additional amount to the Lender or
any
Governmental Authority for the account of the Lender pursuant to Section 3.7
hereof,
the Lender will, upon the request of the Borrower, use reasonable efforts
(subject to its overall policy considerations) to designate a different lending
office for funding or booking the Loans or to assign its rights and obligations
hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in its good
faith judgment, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or
reduce future amounts payable under Section 3.6(a) or
(b)
hereof
or Section 3.7
hereof,
as the case may be, (ii) would not subject the Lender to any unreimbursed
cost or expense and (iii) would not otherwise be disadvantageous to the
Lender. The Borrower agrees to pay the reasonable costs and expenses incurred
in
connection with any such designation or assignment and the Lender agrees that
no
assignment fee shall be payable to it pursuant to Section 9.5(b)
hereof in connection therewith. Nothing in Section 3.7
hereof
shall affect or postpone any of the obligations of the Borrower to make the
payments required to the Lender under Section 3.6(a) or
(b) hereof
or Section 3.7
hereof,
incurred prior to any such designation or assignment.
ARTICLE
4
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
The
Borrower hereby represents and warrants to the Lender as follows:
Section
4.1 Organization
and Power
The
Borrower and each Subsidiary (i) is duly organized or formed, validly
existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
organization, (ii) has all requisite power and authority to own its
property and to carry on its business as now conducted, and (iii) is duly
qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which
the nature of the business conducted therein or the property owned by it therein
makes such qualification necessary, except where such failure to qualify or
be
in good standing, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse effect.
Section
4.2 Authorization;
Enforceability
The
Transactions are within the corporate, partnership or other analogous powers
of
The Borrower and each Subsidiary party thereto and have been duly authorized
by
its Managing Person and, if required, by any other Person including holders
of
its Capital Stock. Each Loan Document has been validly executed and delivered
by
each Loan Party thereto and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation
of
each such Loan Party, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws
affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of
equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at
law.
Section
4.3 Governmental
Approvals; No Conflicts
The
Transactions (i) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or
filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except such
as
have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (ii) will not
violate any applicable law, rule or regulation or any order of any Governmental
Authority applicable to the Borrower or any Subsidiary, which violation would
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse effect, (iii) will not
violate the Organizational Documents of the Borrower or any Subsidiary,
(iv) will not violate or result in a default under any indenture, agreement
or other instrument binding upon the Borrower or any Subsidiary or their assets,
or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by the
Borrower or any Subsidiary which defaults or payments individually or in the
aggregate would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect,
and (v) will not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any
asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary other than Permitted Liens.
Section
4.4 Financial
Condition; No Material Adverse Change
(a) The
Borrower has heretofore furnished to the Lender:
(i) a
copy of
its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, containing the
audited consolidated balance sheets of the Borrower and its consolidated
Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, and the
related consolidated statements of income and stockholder’s equity and cash
flows for the periods then ended; and
(ii) the
consolidating balance sheets of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries and the
related consolidating statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows
as of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, certified by a
Financial Officer.
Such
financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated
financial position and results of operations and cash flows of the Borrower
and
its Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods in accordance with GAAP,
subject to year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes in the case
of the quarterly statements referred to above. Except as fully reflected in
such
financial statements, there are no material liabilities or obligations with
respect to the Borrower or any Subsidiary of any nature whatsoever (whether
absolute, contingent or otherwise and whether or not due) which are required
by
GAAP to be disclosed in such financial statements.
(b) Since
December 31, 2005, except for the Transactions, The Borrower and each
Subsidiary has conducted its business only in the ordinary course and there
has
been no Material Adverse change.
Section
4.5 Properties
(a) Except
as
set forth on Schedule
4.5
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, The Borrower and each Subsidiary has good and
marketable title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all of its property,
real
and personal, material to its business, subject to no Liens, except Permitted
Liens and except for minor defects in title that do not interfere with its
ability to conduct its business as currently conducted or to utilize such
properties for their intended purposes.
(b) Except
as
set forth on Schedule
4.5
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, The Borrower and each Subsidiary owns or is
licensed to use all patents, trademarks, tradenames, copyrights and other
intellectual property material to its business, and the use thereof by the
Borrower or any Subsidiary does conflict with or infringe upon the valid rights
of others, except for any such conflicts or infringements that individually
or
in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse effect.
Section
4.6 Litigation
Except
as
set forth on Schedule
4.6
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, there are no actions, suits or proceedings at
law
or in equity or by or before any Governmental Authority (whether purportedly
on
behalf of the Borrower or any Subsidiary) pending or, to the knowledge of the
Borrower, threatened against the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or maintained
by
the Borrower or any Subsidiary or which may affect the property of the Borrower
or any Subsidiary, (i) that, in the good faith opinion of the Borrower,
would reasonably be expected to have an adverse determination and that, if
adversely determined, would reasonably be expected, individually or in the
aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse effect or (ii) that involve any
of the Transactions.
Section
4.7 Environmental
Matters
Except
as
set forth on Schedule
4.7
attached
hereto and made a part hereof and except with respect to any other matters
that,
individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to result
in
a Material Adverse effect, neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary has
(i) received written notice or otherwise learned of any claim, demand,
action, event, condition, report or investigation indicating or concerning
any
potential or actual liability which individually or in the aggregate would
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect, arising in
connection with any non-compliance with or violation of the requirements of
any
applicable laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, orders, decrees,
judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued, promulgated or
entered into by any Governmental Authority, relating in any way to the
environment, preservation or reclamation of natural resources, the management,
release or threatened release of any Hazardous Substance (as defined below)
or
to health and safety matters (collectively, “Environmental
Laws”),
(ii) to the best knowledge of the Borrower, any threatened or actual
liability in connection with the release or threatened release of any Hazardous
Substance into the environment which individually or in the aggregate would
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect,
(iii) received notice of any federal or state investigation evaluating
whether any remedial action is needed to respond to a release or threatened
release of any Hazardous Substance into the environment for which the Borrower
or any of its Subsidiaries is or would be liable, which liability would
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect, or (iv) has
received notice that the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is or may be liable
to any Person under any Environmental Law, which liability would reasonably
be
expected to result in a Material Adverse effect. The Borrower and each of its
Subsidiaries is in compliance with the financial responsibility requirements
of
Environmental Laws to the extent applicable, except in those cases in which
the
failure so to comply would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse effect. For purposes hereof, “Hazardous Substance” shall mean any
hazardous or toxic substance, material, waste or other pollutants, including
petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos containing materials,
polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes, radioactive
materials or any other substance or waste regulated pursuant to any
Environmental Law.
Section
4.8 Compliance
with Laws and Agreements; No Default
The
Borrower and each Subsidiary is in compliance with all laws, regulations and
orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property and all
indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property,
except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, would
not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect.
Section
4.9 Investment
Companies and other Regulated Entities
Neither
the Borrower, any Subsidiary nor any Person controlled by, controlling, or
under
common control with, the Borrower or any Subsidiary, is (i) an “investment
company” as defined in, or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended, (ii) a “holding company” as defined in, or subject
to regulation under, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or the
Federal Power Act, as amended, or (iii) subject to any statute or
regulation which prohibits or restricts the incurrence of Indebtedness for
borrowed money, including statutes or regulations relative to common or contract
carriers or to the sale of electricity, gas, steam, water, telephone, telegraph
or other public utility services.
Section
4.10 Federal
Reserve Regulations
(a) Neither
the Borrower nor any Subsidiary is engaged principally, or as one of its
important activities, in the business of extending credit for the purpose of
purchasing or carrying any Margin Stock. After giving effect to the Transactions
and the making of the Loans, Margin Stock will constitute less than 25% of
the
consolidated assets (as determined by any reasonable method) of the Borrower
and
the Subsidiaries.
(b) No
part
of the proceeds of the Loans will be used, whether directly or indirectly,
and
whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, for any purpose that entails
a
violation of, or that is inconsistent with, the provisions of Regulation U
or
X.
Section
4.11 ERISA
Each
Pension Plan is in compliance with ERISA and the Code, where applicable, in
all
material respects and no ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected
to
occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA Events for which
liability is reasonably expected to occur, would reasonably be expected to
result in a Material Adverse effect. The present value of all accumulated
benefit obligations under each Pension Plan (based on the assumptions used
for
purposes of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 87) did not, as
of
the date of the most recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, exceed
by more than $0 the fair market value of the assets of such Pension Plan, and
the present value of all accumulated benefit obligations of all underfunded
Pension Plans (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 87) did not, as of the date of the most
recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, exceed by more than $0
the
fair market value of the assets of all such underfunded Pension
Plans.
Section
4.12 Taxes
The
Borrower and each Subsidiary has timely filed or caused to be filed all tax
returns and reports required to have been filed and has paid, or caused to
be
paid, all Taxes required to have been paid by it except (i) Taxes being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which the Borrower
or
such Subsidiary, as applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves,
and (ii) to the extent that the failure to do so would not reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse effect.
Section
4.13 Subsidiaries
As
of the
Effective Date, (i) the Borrower has only the Subsidiaries set forth on
Schedule
4.13
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, and (ii) the ownership interests in each
Subsidiary of the Borrower are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid
and
nonassessable and are owned beneficially and of record by the Persons set forth
on such Schedule
4.13
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, free and clear of all Liens (other than Permitted
Liens). Except as set forth on Schedule
4.13
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, none of the Subsidiaries (other than the Excluded
Subsidiaries) has issued any securities convertible into, or options or warrants
for, any common or preferred equity securities thereof and there are no
agreements, voting trusts or understandings binding upon the Borrower or any
Subsidiary (other than the Excluded Subsidiaries) with respect to the voting
securities of the Borrower or any Subsidiary (other than the Excluded
Subsidiaries) or affecting in any manner the sale, pledge, assignment or other
disposition thereof, including any right of first refusal, option, redemption,
call or other right with respect thereto, whether similar or dissimilar to
any
of the foregoing. None of the Excluded Subsidiaries (other than Bel Delaware
LLC
referred to in clause
(i) of
the definition thereof) is engaged in the active conduct of a trade or business
or holds any assets (other than immaterial assets). The Borrower is currently
in
the process of dissolving its Subsidiary Bel Fuse Delaware, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, and shall notify the Lender in writing at such time as said
Subsidiary has been dissolved.
Section
4.14 Absence
of Certain Restrictions
No
indenture, certificate of designation for preferred stock, agreement or
instrument to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary is a party (other than this
Agreement), prohibits or limits in any way, directly or indirectly the ability
of any Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments or loans to, to make any advance
on behalf of, or to repay any Indebtedness to, the Borrower or to another
Subsidiary.
Section
4.15 Labor
Relations
As
of the
Effective Date, there are no material controversies pending between the Borrower
or any Subsidiary and its employees which might result in a Material Adverse
effect.
Section
4.16 Insurance
Schedule
4.16
attached
hereto and made a part hereof sets forth a description of all insurance
maintained by or on behalf of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries as of the
Effective Date. As of the Effective Date, all premiums in respect of such
insurance that are due and payable have been paid.
Section
4.17 Financial
Condition
On
the
Effective Date and after giving affect to the consummation of the Transactions,
neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary Guarantor is Insolvent.
Section
4.18 No
Misrepresentation
No
certificate or report from time to time furnished by any of the Loan Parties
in
connection with the Transactions contains or will contain a misstatement of
material fact, or omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be
stated in order to make the statements therein contained not misleading in
the
light of the circumstances under which made, provided that any projections
or
pro-forma financial information contained therein are based upon good faith
estimates and assumptions believed by the Borrower to be reasonable at the
time
made, it being recognized by the Lender that such projections as to future
events are not to be viewed as facts, and that actual results during the period
or periods covered thereby may differ from the projected results.
ARTICLE
5
CONDITIONS
Section
5.1 Effective
Date
The
obligations of the Lender to make Loans hereunder shall not become effective
until the date on which each of the following conditions is satisfied (or waived
in accordance with Section 9.1
hereof):
(a) The
Lender shall have received a certificate of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary
or other analogous counterpart of each Loan Party dated as of the Effective
Date:
(i) attaching
a true and complete copy of the resolutions of its Managing Person and of all
other documents evidencing all necessary corporate, partnership or other action
(in form and substance satisfactory to the Lender) taken to authorize the Loan
Documents to which it is a party and the transactions contemplated
thereby;
(ii) attaching
a true and complete copy of its Organizational Documents;
(iii) setting
forth the incumbency of its officer or officers (or other analogous counterpart)
who may sign the Loan Documents, including therein a signature specimen of
such
officer or officers (or other analogous counterpart); and
(iv) attaching
a certificate of good standing of the Secretary of State of the jurisdiction
of
its formation and of each other jurisdiction in which it is qualified to do
business.
(b) The
Lender (or Special Counsel) shall have received, in respect of each Person
listed on the signature pages of this Agreement, either (i) a counterpart
signature page hereof signed on behalf of such Person, or (ii) written evidence
satisfactory to the Lender (which may include a facsimile transmission of a
signed signature page of this Agreement) that a counterpart signature page
hereof has been signed on behalf of such Person.
(c) The
Lender shall have received the Note, dated the Effective Date, duly executed
by
a duly authorized officer of the Borrower.
(d) The
Lender shall have received a favorable opinion of Lowenstein Sandler PC, special
counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Lender, dated the Effective Date,
and in form and substance satisfactory to the Lender.
(e) All
approvals and consents of all Persons required to be obtained in connection
with
the consummation of the Transactions have been obtained, all required notices
have been given and all required waiting periods have expired and the Lender
shall have received a certificate of an officer of the Borrower to such
effect.
(f) The
Lender shall have received a certificate, signed by a Financial Officer of
the
Borrower, in all respects reasonably satisfactory to the Lender, dated as of
the
Effective Date:
(i) certifying
that on the Effective Date and after giving effect to the making of the Loans
and the consummation of the Transactions (i) no Default shall have occurred
or be continuing and (ii) the representations and warranties contained in
the Loan Documents are true and correct;
(ii) certifying
that the Borrower is in compliance with all covenants set forth in Section 7.14
hereof
on a pro-forma basis after giving effect to the Transactions and attaching
a
copy of a pro-forma consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower utilized for
purposes of preparing such Compliance Certificate, which pro-forma consolidated
balance sheet presents the Borrower’s good faith estimate of its pro-forma
consolidated financial condition at the date thereof, after giving effect to
the
Transactions; and
(iii) setting
forth the Consolidated Leverage Ratio on the Effective Date and after giving
effect to the Transactions, including calculations in reasonable detail,
provided, however, for purposes of calculating the Consolidated Leverage Ratio,
Consolidated EBITDA for the four quarters ended December 31, 2005 shall be
used.
(g) The
Lender shall have received all fees and other amounts due and payable to the
Lender under the Loan Documents on or prior to the Effective Date, including,
to
the extent invoiced, reimbursement or payment of the fees and disbursements
of
Special Counsel and all other out-of-pocket expenses required to be reimbursed
or paid by the Borrower hereunder.
(h) The
Lender shall have received such other documents, each in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to it, as it shall reasonably request.
Section
5.2 Each
Borrowing
The
obligation of the Lender to make a Loan on the occasion of any Borrowing is
subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) The
representations and warranties of each Loan Party set forth in each Loan
Document shall be true and correct on and as of the date of such Borrowing
(except for representations and warranties expressly made as of a specified
earlier date, which shall be true as of such date).
(b) At
the
time of and immediately after giving effect to such Borrowing, no Default shall
have occurred and be continuing.
(c) The
Lender shall have received a Borrowing Request and such other documentation
and
assurances as shall be reasonably required by it in connection
therewith.
Each
Borrowing shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the
Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section.
ARTICLE
6
AFFIRMATIVE
COVENANTS
The
Borrower agrees that (unless otherwise consented to in writing by the Lender
pursuant to Section 9.1
hereof)
until the Revolving Commitment has expired or been terminated and the principal
of, and interest on the Loans, all Fees and all other amounts payable under
the
Loan Documents shall have been paid in full:
Section
6.1 Financial
Statements and Information
The
Borrower shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Lender:
(a) within
90
days after the end of each fiscal year:
(i) a
copy of
the Borrower’s Annual Report on Form 10-K in respect of such fiscal year,
together with the financial statements required to be attached thereto, which
statements above shall be audited and reported on by the Accountants (without
(x) a “going concern” or like qualification or exception, (y) any
qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit or (z) any exception
or
qualification which relates to the treatment or classification of any item
and
which, as a condition to the removal of such qualification, would require an
adjustment to such item, the effect of which would be to cause the Borrower
to
be in default of any of its obligations under Section 7.14
hereof
(each, an “Impermissible
Qualification”))
to
the effect that such consolidated financial statements present fairly in all
material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the
Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance
with GAAP consistently applied; and
(ii) a
copy of
its unaudited consolidating balance sheet and related unaudited statements
of
income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such year,
setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous
fiscal year, all certified by one of its Financial Officers as presenting fairly
in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations
of
the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidating basis in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to the absence of footnotes,
together with a schedule of other financial information consisting of
consolidating or combining details in columnar form with such consolidating
Subsidiaries separately identified, in accordance with GAAP consistently
applied; and
(iii) a
copy of
the unaudited combined balance sheet and related unaudited statements of income,
stockholders equity and cash flows with respect to all Domestic Subsidiaries
as
of the end of and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative
form
the figures for the previous fiscal year, all certified by one of the Borrower’s
Financial Officers as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial
conditions and results of operations of said Domestic Subsidiaries on a
combining basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to the
absence of footnotes, together with a schedule of other financial information
consisting of combined and combining details in columnar form with said Domestic
Subsidiaries separately identified, all in accordance with GAAP consistently
applied;
(b) within
45
days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal
year:
(i) a
copy of
the Borrower’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in respect of such fiscal quarter,
together with the financial statements required to be attached thereto;
and
(ii) a
copy of
its unaudited consolidating balance sheet and related unaudited statements
of
income and cash flows as of the end of and for such fiscal quarter and the
then
elapsed portion of such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative
form the figures for the corresponding period or periods of (or, in the case
of
the balance sheet, as of the end of) the previous fiscal year, all certified
by
one of its Financial Officers as presenting fairly in all material respects
the
financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its
consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidating basis in accordance with GAAP
consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the
absence of footnotes, together with a schedule of other financial information
consisting of consolidating or combining details in columnar form with such
consolidating Subsidiaries separately identified, in accordance with GAAP
consistently applied; and
(iii) a
copy of
the unaudited combined balance sheet and related unaudited statements of income
and cash flows with respect to all Domestic Subsidiaries as of the end of and
for such fiscal quarter and the then elapsed portion of such fiscal year,
setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding
period or periods of (or, in the case of the balance sheet, as of the end of)
the previous fiscal year, all certified by one of the Borrower’s Financial
Officers as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition
and results of operations of said Domestic Subsidiaries on a combining basis
in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end
adjustments and the absence of footnotes, together with a schedule of other
financial information consisting of combined and combining details in columnar
form with said Domestic Subsidiaries separately identified, all in accordance
with GAAP consistently applied;
(c) concurrently
with any delivery of financial statements under subsections (a) or
(b) above, a certificate (a “Compliance
Certificate”)
signed
by a Financial Officer of the Borrower, substantially in the form attached
hereto as Exhibit
“E”
and made
a part hereof, (i) certifying as to whether a Default has occurred and, if
so, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or proposed to be taken
with respect thereto, (ii) setting forth reasonably detailed calculations
demonstrating compliance with Section 7.14
hereof,
(iii) stating whether any change in GAAP or in the application thereof has
occurred since the date of the audited financial statements referred to in
Section 4.4
hereof
and, if any such change has occurred, specifying the effect of such change
on
the financial statements accompanying such Compliance Certificate, and
(iv) listing the Subsidiary Guarantors as of the date of such Compliance
Certificate;
(d) concurrently
with any delivery of financial statements under subsections (a) or
(b) above, a report of sales backlogs for major product lines as of the end
of the relevant quarterly or annual period;
(e) promptly
after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other
reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by the Borrower or any
Subsidiary with the SEC or with any national securities exchange, or distributed
by the Borrower to its shareholders generally, as the case may be;
and
(f) promptly
following any request therefor, such other information regarding the Borrower
or
any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement, as the Lender
may reasonably request.
Section
6.2 Notice
of Material Events
The
Borrower shall furnish to the Lender prompt written notice of the following
together with a statement of a Financial Officer or other executive officer
of
the Borrower setting forth the details of the event or development requiring
such notice and, if applicable, any action taken or proposed to be taken with
respect thereto:
(a) the
occurrence of any Default;
(b) the
filing or commencement of any action, suit or proceeding by or before any
Governmental Authority against or affecting the Borrower or any Subsidiary
that,
if adversely determined, would in the good faith opinion of the Borrower
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect;
(c) any
lapse, refusal to renew or extend or other termination of any material license,
permit, franchise or other authorization issued to the Borrower or any
Subsidiary by any Person or Governmental Authority, which lapse, refusal or
termination, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
effect;
(d) the
occurrence of any ERISA Event that, alone or together with any other ERISA
Events that have occurred, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse effect; or
(e) the
occurrence of any other development that has or would reasonably be expected
to
result in, a Material Adverse effect.
Section
6.3 Existence;
Conduct of Business
The
Borrower shall, and shall cause each Subsidiary to, do or cause to be done
all
things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect
(i) its legal existence (provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any
merger, consolidation or dissolution not prohibited by Section 7.3
hereof),
and (ii) all rights, licenses, permits, privileges and franchises the
absence of which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
effect.
Section
6.4 Payment
of Obligations
The
Borrower shall, and shall cause each Subsidiary to, pay and discharge when
due,
its obligations, including obligations with respect to Taxes, which, if unpaid,
would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse effect, except
where (i) the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith
by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, (ii) the Borrower or such
Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto
in
accordance with GAAP and (iii) the failure to make payment pending such
contest would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
effect.
Section
6.5 Maintenance
of Properties
The
Borrower shall, and shall cause each Subsidiary to, maintain, protect and keep
in good repair, working order and condition (ordinary wear and tear excepted)
at
all times, all of its property other than property, the loss of which would
not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse effect.
Section
6.6 Insurance
The
Borrower shall, and shall cause each Subsidiary to, maintain with financially
sound and reputable insurance companies, in at least such amounts and against
at
least such risks (but including in any event public liability, product liability
and business interruption coverage) as are usually insured against in the same
general area by companies engaged in the same or a similar business, and furnish
to the Lender, upon written request, full information as to the insurance
carried.
Section
6.7 Books
and Records: Inspection Rights
The
Borrower shall, and shall cause each Subsidiary to, keep proper books of record
and account in which full, true and correct entries are made of all dealings
and
transactions in relation to its business and activities and, at all reasonable
times upon reasonable prior notice, permit representatives of the Lender to
(i) visit the offices of the Borrower and each Subsidiary,
(ii) examine such books and records and Accountants’ reports relating
thereto, (iii) make copies or extracts therefrom, (iv) discuss the
affairs of the Borrower and each such Subsidiary with the respective officers
thereof, (v) examine and inspect the property of the Borrower and each such
Subsidiary and (vi) meet and discuss the affairs of the Borrower and each
such Subsidiary with the Accountants.
Section
6.8 Compliance
with Laws
The
Borrower shall, and shall cause each Subsidiary to, comply with all laws, rules,
regulations and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its
property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate,
would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
effect.
Section
6.9 Additional
Subsidiaries
In
the
event that on or after the Effective Date, any Person (other than the Excluded
Subsidiaries) shall become a Domestic Subsidiary or any Excluded Subsidiary
shall cease to be an Excluded Subsidiary, the Borrower shall
(i) notify
the Lender in writing thereof within three (3) Business Days
thereof,
(ii) cause
such Person to execute and deliver to the Lender a Guaranty Supplement within
five (5) Business Days thereafter, and
(iii) deliver
to the Lender such additional certificates, instruments and opinions (including
opinions of foreign counsel) as the Lender may request.
Section
6.10 Maintenance
of Licenses
The
Borrower shall do, and cause each Subsidiary to do, all things necessary, to
renew, extend and continue in effect all permits, licenses and authorizations
which may at any time and from time to time be necessary to operate the business
of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries in compliance with all applicable laws
and
regulations, the failure to comply with which would reasonably be expected
to
have a Material Adverse effect.
ARTICLE
7
NEGATIVE
COVENANTS
The
Borrower agrees that (unless otherwise consented to in writing by the Lender
pursuant to Section 9.1
hereof)
until the Revolving Commitment has expired or been terminated and the principal
of, and interest on the Loans, all Fees and all other amounts payable under
the
Loan Documents shall have been paid in full:
Section
7.1 Indebtedness
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur,
assume or suffer to exist any liability for Indebtedness, except:
(a) Indebtedness
under the Loan Documents;
(b) Indebtedness
of the Borrower or any Subsidiary existing on the Effective Date as set forth
on
Schedule
7.1
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, and any extensions, renewals and replacements
of
any such Indebtedness that do not increase the outstanding principal amount
thereof;
(c) Indebtedness
of the Borrower to any Subsidiary or of any Subsidiary to the Borrower or any
other Subsidiary (other than an Excluded Subsidiary), provided
that:
(i) all
Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor to any Non-Guarantor
Subsidiary shall be subordinated in a manner in all respects acceptable to
the
Lender, which acceptance shall not be unreasonably withheld, and
(ii) immediately
after giving effect to any Indebtedness of any Non-Guarantor Subsidiary to
the
Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor, the sum of, without duplication, the
following (at any time, the “Intercompany
Transaction Amount”)
shall
not exceed $1,000,000.00: (A) the aggregate outstanding principal balance of
all
such Indebtedness permitted by this Section 7.1(c),
plus
(B) the aggregate amount of all Guaranties of the Borrower or any Subsidiary
Guarantor permitted by Section 7.1(d) hereof
in respect of Indebtedness of any Non-Guarantor Subsidiary, plus (C) the
aggregate fair market value of all consideration paid by the Borrower or any
Subsidiary Guarantor on or after the Effective Date to any Non-Guarantor
Subsidiary in connection with any one or more of the following: (1) each
sale, assignment, lease, transfer or other disposition permitted by Section
7.6(iv)
hereof (including each merger permitted by Section 7.3(b) hereof
which shall be treated as such), (2) each Acquisition permitted by
Section 7.5(b)
hereof
(including each merger permitted by Section 7.3(b) which
shall be treated as such), (3) each Investment permitted by Section 7.4(c),
and
(4) each Restricted Payment permitted by Section 7.7;
(d) Guaranties
of the Borrower in respect of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary and Guaranties
of
any Subsidiary in respect of Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other
Subsidiary in each case to the extent such Indebtedness is permitted by this
Section 8.1,
provided that, with respect to Guaranties of the Borrower or any Subsidiary
Guarantor in respect of Indebtedness of any Non-Guarantor Subsidiary,
(i) such Guaranties shall be subordinated in a manner in all respects
acceptable to the Lender, which acceptance shall not be unreasonably withheld,
and (ii) immediately after giving effect thereto, the Intercompany
Transaction Amount shall not exceed $1,000,000.00; and
(e) Other
unsecured Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate
amount not in excess of $10,000,000.00 at any one time outstanding.
Section
7.2 Negative
Pledge
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur,
assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property (including, without
limitation, the Capital Stock of any Foreign Subsidiary owned by the Borrower
or
such Subsidiary), whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or assign or sell
any
income or revenues (including accounts receivable) or rights in respect of
any
thereof, except for the following (collectively, “Permitted
Liens”):
(a) any
Customary Lien;
(b) any
Lien
on any property or asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary existing on the
Effective Date and set forth on Schedule
7.2
attached
hereto and made a part hereof, provided that (i) such Lien shall not apply
to any property or asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary other than the
property and assets referred to in Schedule
7.2
attached
hereto and made a part hereof and (ii) such Lien shall secure only those
obligations which it secures on the Effective Date and extensions, renewals
and
replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount
thereof; and
(c) Liens
securing Capital Lease Obligations and Liens on property (including, in the
event such property constitutes Capital Stock of a newly acquired Subsidiary,
Liens on the property of such Subsidiary) acquired after the Effective Date
and
either existing on such property when acquired, or created contemporaneously
with such acquisition, to secure the payment or financing of the purchase price
thereof, provided that such Liens attach only to the property so purchased
or
acquired and, provided further, that the Indebtedness secured by such Liens
is
permitted by Section 7.1(f)
hereof.
Section
7.3 Fundamental
Changes
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary, to consolidate or
merge
into or with any other Person, or permit any other Person to merge into or
consolidate with it or any of the Subsidiaries, or sell, transfer, lease or
otherwise dispose of (in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all
or
substantially all of its assets, or all or substantially all of any class of
the
Capital Stock of any of the Subsidiaries (in each case, whether now owned or
hereafter acquired), or liquidate or dissolve, or permit any Subsidiaries to
do
any of the foregoing, except that, so long as immediately before and after
giving effect thereto, no Default shall or would exist:
(a) any
Non-Guarantor Subsidiary may merge with any other Non-Guarantor
Subsidiary;
(b) any
Non-Guarantor Subsidiary may merge with any Subsidiary Guarantor, and any
Subsidiary Guarantor may merge with any Non-Guarantor Subsidiary; provided that,
(i) immediately after giving effect to any such merger in which such
Subsidiary Guarantor is the survivor, the Intercompany Transaction Amount shall
not exceed $1,000,000.00, and such merger shall be treated as an Acquisition
for
all purposes of Section 7.5(b) or
7.5(c)
hereof,
as the case may be, and (ii) with respect to any merger in which such
Subsidiary Guarantor is not the survivor, such merger shall be treated as a
sale, assignment, transfer or other disposition for all purposes of Section 7.6(iv)
hereof;
(c) the
Borrower and any Subsidiary may make any sale, assignment, transfer or other
disposition permitted by Section 7.6(iv)
hereof;
and
(d) any
Non-Guarantor Subsidiary may liquidate or dissolve if the Borrower determines
in
good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of
the
Borrower and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lender.
Section
7.4 Investments,
Loans, Advances and Guaranties
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, at any time,
purchase or otherwise acquire (including pursuant to any merger with any Person
that was not a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Borrower prior to such merger),
hold or invest in any Capital Stock, evidences of indebtedness or other
securities (including any option, warrant or other right to acquire any of
the
foregoing and any derivative product) of, make or permit to exist any loans
to
or advances on behalf of, incur any Guaranties in respect of any obligations
of,
or make or permit to exist any investment or any other interest in, any other
Person (all of which are sometimes referred to herein as “Investments”),
except:
(a) Investments
in Cash Equivalents and in normal business banking accounts or issued by
federally insured institutions in amounts not exceeding the limits of such
insurance;
(b) Investments
existing on the Effective Date as set forth on Schedule
7.4
attached
hereto and made a part hereof;
(c) Investments
by the Borrower in any Subsidiary and Investments by any Subsidiary in the
Borrower or any other Subsidiary; provided that
(i) the proceeds of such Investment in the Borrower or any Subsidiary
Guarantor shall be received by the Borrower or such Subsidiary Guarantor, as
the
case may be, and (ii) immediately after giving effect to each Investment by
the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor in any Non-Guarantor Subsidiary, the
Intercompany Transaction Amount shall not exceed $1,000,000.00;
(d) Acquisitions
permitted by Section 7.5
hereof;
(e) other
Investments in marketable securities (other than Cash Equivalents) in an amount
not in excess of 10% of Consolidated Net Worth; provided,
however,
that
after giving effect to any Investment described in this Section
7.4(e),
Margin
Stock shall constitute less than 25% of the consolidated assets (as determined
by any reasonable method) of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries;
(f) Guaranties
permitted by Section 7.1
hereof
and Secured Hedging Agreements permitted by Section 7.8
hereof;
and
(g) Unconsolidated
Investments made on or after the Effective Date, provided that,
(i) immediately before and after giving effect thereto, no Default shall or
would exist, (ii) immediately after giving effect thereto, all of the
representations and warranties contained in the Loan Documents shall be true
and
correct with the same effect as though then made, (iii) the Person in which
such Unconsolidated Investment is made is engaged in the Line of Business,
and
(iv) the aggregate amount of all such Unconsolidated Investments does not
exceed an amount (not less than zero) equal to $10,000,000.00 minus the
Acquisition Consideration paid by the Borrower or any Subsidiary in respect
of
all Acquisitions made on or after the Effective Date and on or before the date
of the making of such Unconsolidated Investment.
Section
7.5 Acquisitions
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, at any time, make
any purchase or other acquisition (whether in a single transaction or in a
series of related transactions) of (i) any assets of any other Person that,
taken together, constitute a business unit, (ii) any Capital Stock of any
other Person if, immediately thereafter, such other Person would be a Subsidiary
of the Borrower, (iii) any assets of any other Person otherwise not in the
ordinary course of business, (iv) enter into any binding agreement to
perform any transaction described in clauses
(i), (ii) or (iii) above
which is not contingent on obtaining the consent of the Lender (each transaction
described in clauses
(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) above
being referred to as an “Acquisition”), or (v) make any deposit in
connection with any potential Acquisition, except:
(a) Acquisitions
of Investments permitted by Section 7.4
hereof;
(b) Acquisitions
by the Borrower or any Subsidiary from any other Subsidiary and Acquisitions
by
any Subsidiary from the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, provided that,
immediately after giving effect to any Acquisition between a Loan Party, as
purchaser, and a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary, as seller, the Intercompany
Transaction Amount shall not exceed $1,000,000.00;
(c) other
Acquisitions, provided that:
(i) immediately
before or after giving effect to each such Acquisition, no Default shall or
would exist, and immediately after giving effect thereto, all of the
representations and warranties contained in the Loan Documents shall be true
and
correct with the same effect as though then made,
(ii) the
Person or business acquired is engaged in the Line of Business,
(iii) the
Borrower or Subsidiary Guarantor making the Acquisition shall have complied
with
the provisions of Sections
6.9 and 6.10
hereof,
(iv) the
Borrower shall have delivered to the Lender (1) notice thereof not less than
ten
days prior to the consummation of such Acquisition, and (2) a certificate of
a
Financial Officer thereof, in all respects reasonably satisfactory to the Lender
and dated the date of such consummation, certifying that no Default has occurred
and is continuing, and
(v) in
connection with each Acquisition, the Acquisition Consideration of which exceeds
$10,000,000.00, the Borrower shall have delivered to the Lender (1) reasonably
detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Section
7.14
hereof
on a pro-forma basis (after giving effect to such Acquisition and based on
the
most recent financial statements delivered pursuant to Section
6.1
hereof),
(2) historical financial statements for the period of two years preceding such
acquisition of the Person or business being acquired in such Acquisition, which
financial statements shall be audited, if available, or if audited financial
statements are not available, shall be unaudited and prepared by the management
of such Person or the Person owning such business and (3) such other
information, documents and other items as the Lender shall have reasonably
requested.
Section
7.6 Dispositions
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, sell, assign, lease,
transfer or otherwise dispose of any property or assets, except: (i) sales
of inventory in the ordinary course of business, (ii) sales, assignments,
transfers or other dispositions of any property or assets that, in the
reasonable opinion of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be,
are
obsolete or no longer useful in the conduct of its business, (iii) sales or
other dispositions of Cash Equivalents and Investments permitted by Section 7.4(e)
hereof;
and (iv) sales, assignments, transfers or other dispositions of any
property or assets by the Borrower to any Subsidiary or by any Subsidiary to
the
Borrower or any other Subsidiary, provided that, immediately after giving effect
to any such transaction between a Loan Party and a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary,
the
Intercompany Transaction Amount shall not exceed $1,000,000.00.
Section
7.7 Restricted
Payments
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, declare, pay or
make
any dividend or other distribution, direct or indirect, on account of any
Capital Stock issued by such Person now or hereafter outstanding (other than
a
dividend payable solely in shares or other units of Capital Stock of such
Person) or any redemption, retirement, sinking fund or similar payment, purchase
or other acquisition, direct or indirect, of any shares of any class of its
Capital Stock now or hereafter outstanding (collectively, “Restricted
Payments”),
except:
(a) Restricted
Payments made by any Subsidiary to the Borrower or other Subsidiary, provided
that, (i) immediately before and after giving effect thereto, no Default
shall or would exist, and (ii) in the case of a Restricted Payment made by
a Loan Party to a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary, immediately after giving effect
thereto, the Intercompany Transaction Amount shall not exceed $1,000,000.00;
(b) repurchases
of Capital Stock of the Borrower from participants or beneficiaries of qualified
employee benefit plans in the ordinary course of the operation of such plans,
provided that immediately before and after giving effect thereto, no Default
shall or would exist;
(c) cash
dividends on its common stock, provided
that
immediately before and after giving effect thereto, no Default shall or would
exists; and
(d) if
at the
time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Default shall have
occurred and be continuing, the Borrower may repurchase shares of its Capital
Stock in an aggregate amount not in excess of $60,000,000.00.
Section
7.8 Hedging
Agreements
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any
Hedging Agreements, other than Hedging Agreements entered into in the ordinary
course of business to hedge or mitigate risks to which the Borrower or any
Subsidiary is exposed in the conduct of its business or the management of its
liabilities.
Section
7.9 Sale
and Lease-Back Transactions
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into an
arrangement with any Person or group of Persons providing for the renting or
leasing by the Borrower or any Subsidiary of any property or asset which has
been or is to be sold or transferred by the Borrower or any Subsidiary to any
such Person.
Section
7.10 Lines
of Business
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, engage in any
business other than the Line of Business.
Section
7.11 Transactions
with Affiliates
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, become a party
to
any transaction with an Affiliate, unless the Borrower’s or such Subsidiary’s
Managing Person shall have determined that the terms and conditions relating
thereto are as favorable to the Borrower or such Subsidiary as those which
would
be obtainable at the time in a comparable arms-length transaction with a Person
other than an Affiliate.
Section
7.12 Use
of
Proceeds
The
Borrower shall not use the proceeds of the Loans for any purpose other than
to
(i) pay all of the Fees due hereunder, (ii) pay the reasonable
out-of-pocket fees and expenses incurred by the Borrower in connection with
the
Loan Documents, and (iii) for the Borrower’s general corporate purposes not
inconsistent with the provisions hereof.
Section
7.13 Restrictive
Agreements
The
Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, directly or
indirectly, enter into, incur or permit to exist any agreement or other
arrangement that prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition upon (i) the
ability of the Borrower or any such Subsidiary to create, incur or permit to
exist any Lien upon any of its property or assets, or (ii) the ability of
any such Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to
any
shares of its Capital Stock or to make or repay loans or advances to the
Borrower or any other Subsidiary of the Borrower or to Guaranty Indebtedness
of
the Borrower or any other Subsidiary of the Borrower, provided that the
foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions imposed by applicable
law or by the Loan Documents.
Section
7.14 Financial
Covenants
(a) Minimum
Consolidated Net Worth.
The
Borrower shall not permit its Consolidated Net Worth to be less than, as of
the
last day of any fiscal quarter, an amount equal to $200,000,000.00 plus the
sum
for each fiscal quarter ending after the Effective Date of 50% of the net
income, if positive, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated
basis for each such fiscal quarter plus
an
amount equal to 75% of the net proceeds of any issuance of equity by the
Borrower.
(b) Minimum
Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio.
The
Borrower shall not permit its Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio as of the last
day
of any fiscal quarter to be less than 1.25:1.00.
(c) Maximum
Consolidated Leverage Ratio.
The
Borrower shall not permit its Consolidated Leverage Ratio as of the last day
of
any fiscal quarter to be greater than 3.00:1.00.
(d) Minimum
Combined Current Ratio.
The
Domestic Subsidiaries shall not permit their Combined Current Ratio as of the
last day of any fiscal quarter to be less than 2.50:1.00.
Section
7.15 Excluded
Subsidiaries
The
Borrower shall not permit any Excluded Subsidiary (other than Bel Delaware
LLC
referred to in clause
(i) of
the definition thereof) to engage in the active conduct of a trade or business
or hold any assets (other than immaterial assets).
ARTICLE
8
DEFAULTS
Section
8.1 Events
of Default
The
following shall each constitute an “Event of Default” hereunder:
(a) the
failure of the Borrower to make any payment of principal on the Loans when
due
and payable; or
(b) the
failure of the Borrower to make any payment of interest, Fees, expenses or
other
amounts payable under any Loan Document or otherwise to the Lender with respect
to the loan facilities established hereunder within three Business Days of
the
date when due and payable; or
(c) the
failure of the Borrower to observe or perform any covenant or agreement
contained in Sections 6.3(i),
6.9, 6.10
or
Article 7
hereof;
or
(d) the
failure of any Loan Party to observe or perform any other term, covenant, or
agreement contained in any Loan Document to which it is a party and such failure
shall have continued unremedied for a period of 30 days after such Loan Party
shall have obtained knowledge thereof; or
(e) any
representation or warranty made by the Borrower or any Subsidiary (or by an
officer thereof on its behalf) in any Loan Document or in any certificate,
report, opinion (other than an opinion of counsel) or other document delivered
or to be delivered pursuant thereto, shall prove to have been incorrect or
misleading (whether because of misstatement or omission) in any material respect
when made; or
(f) the
failure of the Borrower to make any payment when due or within any grace period,
or the failure of the Borrower or any Subsidiary to make any payment (whether
of
principal or interest and regardless of amount) in respect of Material
Liabilities when due or within any grace period for the payment thereof;
or
(g) any
event
or condition occurs that results in any Material Liabilities becoming or being
declared to be due and payable prior to the scheduled maturity thereof, or
that
enables or permits (with or without the giving of notice, the lapse of time
or
both) the holder or holders of any Material Liabilities or any trustee or agent
on its or their behalf to cause any Material Liabilities to be due and payable,
or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof,
in
each case prior to the scheduled maturity thereof (in each case after giving
effect to any applicable grace period), provided that this clause (g) shall
not apply to secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary
sale or transfer of the properly or assets securing such Indebtedness;
or
(h) the
Borrower or any Material Subsidiary shall (i) suspend or discontinue its
business (except to the extent permitted by Section 6.3
hereof),
(ii) make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, (iii) generally
not be paying its debts as such debts become due, (iv) admit in writing its
inability to pay its debts as they become due, (v) file a voluntary
petition in bankruptcy, (vi) become insolvent (however such insolvency
shall be evidenced), (vii) file any petition or answer seeking for itself
any reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment of debt, liquidation
or dissolution or similar relief under any present or future statute, law or
regulation of any jurisdiction, (viii) petition or apply to any tribunal
for any receiver, custodian or any trustee for any substantial part of its
property, (ix) be the subject of any such proceeding filed against it which
remains undismissed for a period of 45 days, (x) file any answer admitting
or not contesting the material allegations of any such petition filed against
it
or any order, judgment or decree approving such petition in any such proceeding,
(xi) seek, approve, consent to, or acquiesce in any such proceeding, or in
the appointment of any trustee, receiver, sequestrator, custodian, liquidator,
or fiscal agent for it, or any substantial part of its property, or an order
is
entered appointing any such trustee, receiver, custodian, liquidator or fiscal
agent and such order remains in effect for 45 days, or (xii) take any
formal action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing or looking
to
the liquidation or dissolution of the Borrower or such Material Subsidiary;
or
(i) an
(i) order or decree is entered by a court having jurisdiction (A) adjudging
the Borrower or any Material Subsidiary bankrupt or insolvent, (B) approving
as
properly filed a petition seeking reorganization, liquidation, arrangement,
adjustment or composition of or in respect of the Borrower or any Material
Subsidiary under the bankruptcy or insolvency laws of any jurisdiction, (C)
appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator
(or other similar official) of the Borrower or any Material Subsidiary or of
any
substantial part of the property of any thereof, or (D) ordering the winding
up
or liquidation of the affairs of the Borrower or any Material Subsidiary, and
any such decree or order continues unstayed and in effect for a period of 45
days or (ii) order for relief against the Borrower or any Material
Subsidiary is entered under the bankruptcy or insolvency laws of any
jurisdiction; or
(j) judgments
or decrees against the Borrower or any Subsidiary aggregating in excess of
$1,000,000.00 (unless adequately insured by a solvent unaffiliated insurance
company which has acknowledged coverage) shall remain unpaid, unstayed on
appeal, undischarged, unbonded or undismissed for a period of 30 days;
or
(k) any
Loan
Document shall cease, for any reason, to be in full force and effect (other
than
in accordance with its terms), or any Loan Party shall so assert in writing
or
shall disavow any of its obligations thereunder; or
(l) an
ERISA
Event shall have occurred that, in the opinion of the Lender, when taken
together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, would reasonably be
expected to result in liability of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries which
would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse effect;
or
(m) the
occurrence of a Change of Control.
Section
8.2 Contract
Remedies
(a) Upon
the
occurrence of an Event of Default or at any time thereafter during the
continuance thereof,
(i) in
the
case of an Event of Default specified in Section 8.1(h)
or 8.1(i)
hereof,
without declaration or notice to the Borrower, the Loans, all accrued and unpaid
interest thereon and all other amounts owing under the Loan Documents shall
immediately become due and payable, and
(ii) in
all
other cases the Lender may, by notice to the Borrower, declare the Loans, all
accrued and unpaid interest thereon and all other amounts owing under the Loan
Documents to be due and payable forthwith, whereupon the same shall immediately
become due and payable.
In
the
event that the Loans, all accrued and unpaid interest thereon and all other
amounts owing under the Loan Documents shall have been declared due and payable
pursuant to the provisions of this Section 8.2,
the
Lender may (A) proceed to enforce its rights under the Loan Documents by suit
in
equity, action at law and/or other appropriate proceedings, whether for payment
or the specific performance of any covenant or agreement contained in the Loan
Documents and (B) exercise any and all rights and remedies provided to the
Lender by the Loan Documents. Except as otherwise expressly provided in the
Loan
Documents, the Borrower expressly waives presentment, demand, protest and all
other notices of any kind in connection with the Loan Documents. The Borrower
hereby further expressly waives and covenants not to assert any appraisement,
valuation, stay, extension, redemption or similar laws, now or at any time
hereafter in force which might delay, prevent or otherwise impede the
performance or enforcement of any Loan Document.
(b) In
the
event that the Loans, all accrued and unpaid interest thereon and all other
amounts owing under the Loan Documents shall have been declared due and payable
pursuant to the provisions of this Section 8.2,
any
funds received by the Lender from or on behalf of the Borrower shall be remitted
to, and applied by, the Lender in the following manner and order:
(i) first,
to
reimburse the Lender for any expenses due from the Borrower pursuant to the
provisions of Section 9.4
hereof,
(ii) second,
to the payment of the Fees due and owing the Lender,
(iii) third,
to
the payment of any other fees, expenses or other amounts (other than the
principal of and interest on the Loans) payable by the Loan Parties to the
Lender under the Loan Documents,
(iv) fourth,
to the payment of interest due on the Loans,
(v) fifth,
to
the payment to the Lender of the unpaid principal amount of the Loans and each
amount then due and payable under each Secured Hedging Agreement,
and
(vi) sixth,
any remaining funds shall be paid to the Borrower or as a court of competent
jurisdiction shall direct.
ARTICLE
9
OTHER
PROVISIONS
Section
9.1 Amendments
and Waivers
Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the Lender and the
appropriate parties to the Loan Documents may from time to time enter into
written amendments, supplements or modifications thereof, and the Lender may
execute and deliver to any such parties a written instrument waiving or
consenting to the departure from, on such terms and conditions as the Lender
may
specify in such instrument, any of the requirements of the Loan Documents or
any
Default or Event of Default and its consequences. Any such amendment,
supplement, modification, waiver or consent shall be binding upon the parties
to
the applicable agreement, the Lender and all future holders of the Loans. In
the
case of any waiver, the parties to the applicable agreement and the Lender
shall
be restored to their former position and rights hereunder and under the Loan
Documents, and any Default waived shall not extend to any subsequent or other
Default, or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section
9.2 Notices
All
notices, requests and demands to or upon the respective parties to the Loan
Documents to be effective shall be in writing and, unless otherwise expressly
provided therein, shall be deemed to have been duly given or made when delivered
by hand, one Business Day after having been sent by overnight courier service,
two Business Days after having been deposited in the mail, first-class postage
prepaid, or, in the case of notice by facsimile, when sent, to the last address
(including telephone and facsimile numbers) for such party specified by such
party in a written notice delivered to the Lender and the Borrower or, if no
such written notice was so delivered, as follows:
(a) in
the
case of any Loan Party, to such Loan Party c/o Bel Fuse Inc., 206 Van Vorst
Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302; Attention: Colin Dunn, Vice
President-Finance, Telephone: (201) 432-0463; Facsimile (201) 432-9542;
and
(b) in
the
case of the Lender, to Bank of America, N.A., Mail Stop: NJ6-502-01-05, 750
Walnut Avenue, 1st
Floor,
Cranford, New Jersey 07016; Attention: David J. Bardwil, Senior Vice President;
Telephone: (908) 709-6668, Facsimile (908) 709-6055;
provided,
however, that any notice, request
or demand by the Borrower pursuant to Sections 2.2
or 3.3
shall
not be effective until received. Any party to a Loan Document may rely on
signatures of the parties thereto which are transmitted by facsimile or other
electronic means as fully as if originally signed.
Section
9.3 Survival
All
covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Borrower
herein and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection
with
or pursuant to this Agreement shall be considered to have been relied upon
by
the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of this
Agreement and the making of the Loans, regardless of any investigation made
by
any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Lender may
have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or
warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder.
Section
9.4 Expenses;
Indemnity
(a) The
Borrower agrees, on demand therefor and whether the Loans are made to pay or
reimburse the Lender (i) for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred
thereby, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel,
in
connection with the development, preparation, execution and administration
of,
the Loan Documents (including any amendment, supplement or other modification
thereto (whether or not executed or effective)), any documents prepared in
connection therewith and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
thereby and (ii) for all of its costs and expenses, including reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel, incurred in connection with (A) the
protection or enforcement of its rights under the Loan Documents, including
any
related collection proceedings and any negotiation, restructuring or “work-out”,
and (B) the enforcement of this Section.
(b) The
Borrower shall, on demand therefor, indemnify the Lender and each of its Related
Parties (each, an “Indemnified
Person”)
against, and hold each Indemnified Person harmless from, any and all losses,
claims, damages, penalties, liabilities and related expenses, including the
fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel, incurred by or asserted against
any Indemnified Person in connection with or in any way arising out of any
Loan
Document, any other Transaction Document or any Transaction, including as a
result of (i) any breach by the Borrower of the terms of any Loan Document,
the use of proceeds of the Loans or any action or failure to act on the part
of
the Borrower, (ii) the consummation or proposed consummation of the
Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (iii) the Loans
or the use of the proceeds therefrom, (iv) any actual or alleged presence
or release of Hazardous Substance on or from any property owned or operated
by
the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any liability in respect of any
Environmental Law related in any way to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries,
(v) any action or failure to act on the part of the Borrower or
(vi) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or
proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort
or
any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnified Person is a party
thereto (collectively, the “Indemnified
Liabilities”),
provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnified Person, be
available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
related expenses resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of
such Indemnified Person.
(c) To
the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Borrower shall not assert,
and
hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnified Person, on any theory of
liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed
to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result
of, this Credit and Guaranty Agreement, the other Loan Documents or any
agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated
hereby or thereby, the Loans or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnified
Person shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended
recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended
recipients by such Indemnified Person through telecommunications, electronic
or
other information transmission systems in connection with this Credit and
Guaranty Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated
hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the
gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnified Person as determined
by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent
jurisdiction.
Section
9.5 Successors
and Assigns
(a) The
Loan
Documents shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of each of the parties
thereto, all future holders of the Loans, and their respective successors and
assigns, except that no Loan Party may assign, delegate or transfer any of
its
rights or obligations under the Loan Documents (other than in connection with
a
dissolution or a transaction involving a merger or consolidation, in each case
otherwise permitted by this Agreement) without the prior written consent of
the
Lender.
(b) In
addition to its rights under Section 9.5(d)
hereof,
the Lender shall have the right to sell, assign, transfer or negotiate one
hundred percent of its rights and obligations under the Loan Documents to any
subsidiary or affiliate of the Lender or to any other bank, insurance company,
financial institution, pension fund, mutual fund or other similar fund, provided
that (i) unless the assignee is a subsidiary or affiliate of the Lender (in
which case no claims may be made by such assignee pursuant to Section 3.5,
3.6 or 3.7
hereof,
in each case except to the extent that the Lender would otherwise have the
right
to do so), the Borrower shall have consented thereto in writing (which consent
shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed and shall not be required upon
the
occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default) and (ii) the
Lender and such assignee shall execute and deliver an assignment and acceptance
agreement and cause one photocopy thereof, as executed, to be delivered to
the
Borrower. From and after the effective date specified in such assignment and
acceptance agreement, the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and shall,
for all purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, be deemed
the
“Lender”, and the assignor thereunder shall be released from its obligations
under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
(c) The
Lender may grant participations in all or any part of its rights under the
Loan
Documents to one or more Persons, provided that (i) the Lender’s
obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall remain
unchanged, (ii) the Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other
parties to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents for the performance
of
such obligations, and (iii) the Borrower shall continue to deal solely and
directly with the Lender in connection with the Lender’s rights and obligations
under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. The Borrower agrees that
each
participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.5,
3.6 and 3.7
hereof
to the same extent as if it were the Lender and had acquired its interest by
assignment pursuant to Section 9.5(b)
hereof,
provided, however, that (A) no participant shall be entitled to receive any
greater payment under such Sections than the Lender would have been
entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such participant,
unless the sale of the participation to such participant is made with the
Borrower’s prior written consent, and (B) no participant that is organized under
the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United States or any political
subdivision thereof shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.7,
unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such participant
and such participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with
Section 3.7
hereof
as thought it were the Lender. To the extent permitted by law, each participant
also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.3(b)
hereof as though it were the Lender.
(d) The
Lender may at any time or from time to time assign all or any portion of its
rights under the Loan Documents to a Federal Reserve Bank, provided that any
such assignment shall not release such assignor from its obligations
thereunder.
Section
9.6 Interest
Rate Limitation.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the
interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed
the
maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “Maximum
Rate”). If the Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the
Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the
Loans
or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to Borrower. In determining
whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Lender exceeds
the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law,
(a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or
premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects
thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal
parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the
Borrower Obligations hereunder.
Section
9.7 Counterparts;
Integration
Each
Loan
Document (other than the Note) may be executed by one or more of the parties
thereto on any number of separate counterparts and all of said counterparts
taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same document. It
shall
not be necessary in making proof of any Loan Document to produce or account
for
more than one counterpart signed by the party to be charged. Delivery of an
executed counterpart of a signature page of any Loan Document by facsimile
shall
be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of such Loan
Document. The Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements between the
Borrower and the Lender with respect to fees embody the entire agreement and
understanding among the Loan Parties and the Lender with respect to the subject
matter thereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings among
the
Loan Parties and the Lender with respect to the subject matter
thereof.
Section
9.8 Severability
Every
provision of the Loan Documents is intended to be severable, and if any term
or
provision thereof shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason,
the
validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions thereof shall
not be affected or impaired thereby, and any invalidity, illegality or
unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not affect the validity, legality
or
enforceability of any such term or provision in any other
jurisdiction.
Section
9.9 GOVERNING
LAW
(a) GOVERNING
LAW.
THIS CREDIT AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.
(b) SUBMISSION
TO JURISDICTION.
THE BORROWER AND THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS,
FOR ITSELF AND ITS PROPERTY, TO THE NONEXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS
OF
THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE DISTRICT
OF NEW JERSEY, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, IN ANY ACTION OR
PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS CREDIT AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT
OR
LOAN DOCUMENTS, OR FOR RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT, AND EACH
OF
THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN
RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH
NEW
JERSEY STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN
SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT
IN
ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER
JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW.
NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT
THAT THE LENDER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING
TO
THIS CREDIT AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT OR THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS AGAINST THE
BORROWER OR THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY
JURISDICTION.
(c) WAIVER
OF VENUE.
THE BORROWER AND THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES,
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY
NOW
OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING
OUT
OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT
REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO
HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW,
THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR
PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.
(d) SERVICE
OF PROCESS.
EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER
PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 9.2
HEREOF. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO
TO
SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE
LAW.
Section
9.10 Jurisdiction;
Service of Process
Each
party to a Loan Document hereby irrevocably submits to the nonexclusive
jurisdiction of any New Jersey State or Federal court over any suit, action
or
proceeding arising out of or relating to the Loan Documents. Each party to
a
Loan Document hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted or
not
prohibited by law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the
laying of the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such
a
court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such
a
court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Each Loan Party hereby agrees
that a final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such
a
court, after all appropriate appeals, shall be conclusive and binding upon
it
and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any
other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right
that the Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating
to
Loan Documents against the Borrower or its properties in the courts of any
jurisdiction. Each party to a Loan Document hereby irrevocably consents to
service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.2
hereof.
Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to a Loan Document
to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
Section
9.11 WAIVER
OF TRIAL BY JURY
EACH
PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY
APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS CREDIT AND GUARANTY
AGREEMENT OR THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY
OR
THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO
(A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON
HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT,
IN
THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND
(B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO
ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS,
THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
Section
9.12 No
Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility.
In
connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby, the
Borrower and the other Loan Parties acknowledge and agree that:
(i)
the credit facilities provided for hereunder and any related arranging or other
services in connection therewith (including in connection with any amendment,
waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document) are an
arm’s-length commercial transaction between Borrower, each of the other Loan
Parties and their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Lender, on
the
other hand, and Borrower and each of the other Loan Parties is capable of
evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and
conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan
Documents (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or
thereof); (ii) in connection with the process leading to such transaction,
the
Lender is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the financial
advisor, agent or fiduciary, for Borrower, any of the other Loan Parties or
any
of their respective Affiliates, stockholders, creditors or employees or any
other Person; (iii) the Lender has not assumed and will not assume an advisory,
agency or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Borrower or any of the other
Loan Parties with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or
the
process leading thereto, including with respect to any amendment, waiver or
other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document (irrespective of whether
the Lender has advised or is currently advising Borrower, any of the other
Loan
Parties or any of their respective Affiliates on other matters) and the Lender
has no obligation to the Borrower, any of the other Loan Parties or any of
their
respective Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby
except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan
Documents; (iv) the Lender and its Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range
of
transactions that involve interests that differ from those of Borrower, the
other Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates, and the Lender has no
obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any advisory, agency
or fiduciary relationship; and (v) the Lender has not provided and will not
provide any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to any
of
the transactions contemplated hereby (including any amendment, waiver or other
modification hereof or of any of the other Loan Documents) and the Borrower
and
the other Loan Parties has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory
and
tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate. Each of Borrower and
the
other Loan Parties hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted
by law, any claims that it may have against the Lender with respect to any
breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty.
ARTICLE
10
SUBSIDIARY
GUARANTY
The
Subsidiary Guarantors agree that until the principal of, and interest on, the
Loans, all Fees and all other amounts payable under the Loan Documents shall
have been paid in full:
Section
10.1 Guaranty
(a) Subject
to Section 10.1(b)
hereof,
each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby absolutely, irrevocably and unconditionally
Guaranties the full and prompt payment when due (whether at stated maturity,
by
acceleration or otherwise) of the Borrower Obligations. The agreements of each
Subsidiary Guarantor under this Article 10
constitute a Guaranty of payment, and the Lender shall not have any obligation
to enforce any Loan Document or exercise any right or remedy with respect to
any
collateral security thereunder by any action, including making or perfecting
any
claim against any Person or any collateral security for any of the Borrower
Obligations prior to being entitled to the benefits of this Agreement. The
Lender may, at its option, proceed against the Subsidiary Guarantors, or any
one
or more of them, in the first instance, to enforce the Guarantor Obligations
without first proceeding against the Borrower or any other Person, and without
first resorting to any other rights or remedies, as the Lender may deem
advisable. In furtherance hereof, if the Lender is prevented by law from
collecting or otherwise hindered from collecting or otherwise enforcing any
Borrower Obligation in accordance with its terms, the Lender shall be entitled
to receive hereunder from the Subsidiary Guarantors after demand therefor,
the
sums that would have been otherwise due had such collection or enforcement
not
been prevented or hindered.
(b) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained herein, the maximum aggregate amount of
the
obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder shall not, as of any date
of
determination, exceed the lesser of (i) the greatest amount that is valid
and enforceable against such Subsidiary Guarantor under principles of New Jersey
State contract law, and (ii) the greatest amount that would not render such
Subsidiary Guarantor’s liability hereunder subject to avoidance as a fraudulent
transfer or conveyance under Section 548 of Title 11 of the United States
Code or any applicable provisions of state law (collectively, the “Fraudulent
Transfer Laws”),
in
each case after giving effect to all other liabilities of such Subsidiary
Guarantor, contingent or otherwise, that are relevant under the Fraudulent
Transfer Laws (specifically excluding, however, any liability (A) in respect
of
intercompany indebtedness to the Borrower or any affiliate or subsidiary of
the
Borrower, to the extent that such intercompany indebtedness would be discharged
in an amount equal to the amount paid by such Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder,
and (B) under any Guaranty of (1) senior unsecured indebtedness, or
(2) indebtedness subordinated in right of payment to any Borrower
Obligation, in either case that contains a limitation as to maximum liability
similar to that set forth in this Section 10.1(b) and
pursuant to which the liability of such Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder is
included in the liabilities taken into account in determining such maximum
liability) and after giving effect as assets to the value (as determined under
the applicable provisions of the Fraudulent Transfer Laws) of any rights to
subrogation, contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or similar rights of such
Subsidiary Guarantor pursuant to applicable law or any agreement providing
for
an equitable allocation among such Subsidiary Guarantor and other affiliates
or
subsidiaries of the Borrower of obligations arising under Guaranties by such
parties.
(c) Each
Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that the Guarantor Obligations may at any time
and
from time to time exceed the maximum aggregate amount of the obligations of
such
Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder without impairing this Agreement or affecting
the
rights and remedies of the Lender hereunder.
Section
10.2 Absolute
Obligation
Subject
to Section 10.5(c)
hereof,
no Subsidiary Guarantor shall be released from liability hereunder unless and
until either (i) the Borrower shall have paid in full the outstanding
principal balance of the Loans, together with all accrued and unpaid interest
thereon, and all other amounts then due and owing under the Loan Documents,
or
(ii) the Guarantor Obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor shall have been
paid in full in cash. Each Subsidiary Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that
(a) the Lender has not made any representation or warranty to such
Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries,
any
Loan Document, or any agreement, instrument or document executed or delivered
in
connection therewith, or any other matter whatsoever, and (b) such
Subsidiary Guarantor shall be liable hereunder, and such liability shall not
be
affected or impaired, irrespective of (A) the validity or enforceability of
any
Loan Document, or any agreement, instrument or document executed or delivered
in
connection therewith, or the collectability of any of the Borrower Obligations,
(B) the preference or priority ranking with respect to any of the Borrower
Obligations, (C) the existence, validity, enforceability or perfection of any
security interest or collateral security under any Loan Document, or the
release, exchange, substitution or loss or impairment of any such security
interest or collateral security, (D) any failure, delay, neglect or omission
by
the Lender to realize upon or protect any direct or indirect collateral
security, indebtedness, liability or obligation, any Loan Document, or any
agreement, instrument or document executed or delivered in connection therewith,
or any of the Borrower Obligations, (E) the existence or exercise of any right
of set-off by the Lender, (F) the existence, validity or enforceability of
any
other Guaranty with respect to any of the Borrower Obligations, the liability
of
any other Person in respect of any of the Borrower Obligations, or the release
of any such Person or any other guarantor of any of the Borrower Obligations,
(G) any act or omission of the Lender in connection with the administration
of
any Loan Document or any of the Borrower Obligations, (H) the bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization or receivership of, or any other proceeding for
the
relief of debtors commenced by or against, any Person, (I) the disaffirmance
or
rejection, or the purported disaffirmance or purported rejection, of any of
the
Borrower Obligations, any Loan Document, or any agreement, instrument or
document executed or delivered in connection therewith, in any bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization or receivership, or any other proceeding for the
relief of debtor, relating to any Person, (J) any law, regulation or decree
now
or hereafter in effect that might in any manner affect any of the terms or
provisions of any Loan Document, or any agreement, instrument or document
executed or delivered in connection therewith or any of the Borrower
Obligations, or that might cause or permit to be invoked any alteration in
the
time, amount, manner or payment or performance of any of the Borrower’s
obligations and liabilities (including the Borrower Obligations), (K) the merger
or consolidation of the Borrower into or with any Person, (L) the sale by the
Borrower of all or any part of its assets, (M) the fact that at any time and
from time to time none of the Borrower Obligations may be outstanding or owing
to the Lender, (N) any amendment or modification of, or supplement to, any
Loan
Document, or (O) any other reason or circumstance that might otherwise
constitute a defense available to or a discharge of the Borrower in respect
of
its obligations or liabilities (including the Borrower Obligations) or of such
Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of any of the Guarantor Obligations (other
than
by the performance in full thereof).
Section
10.3 Repayment
in Bankruptcy, etc
If,
at
any time or times subsequent to the payment of all or any part of the Borrower
Obligations or the Guarantor Obligations, the Lender shall be required to repay
any amounts previously paid by or on behalf of the Borrower or any Subsidiary
Guarantor in reduction thereof by virtue of an order of any court having
jurisdiction in the premises, including as a result of an adjudication that
such
amounts constituted preferential payments or fraudulent conveyances, the
Subsidiary Guarantors unconditionally agree to pay to the Lender, within 10
days
after demand, a sum in cash equal to the amount of such repayment, together
with
interest on such amount from the date of such repayment by the Lender to the
date of payment to the Lender at the applicable after-maturity rate set forth
in
Section 3.1(b)
hereof.
Section
10.4 Additional
Subsidiary Guarantors
Upon
the
execution and delivery to the Lender of a Guaranty Supplement by any Person,
appropriately acknowledged, such Person shall be a Subsidiary
Guarantor.
Section
10.5 Miscellaneous
(a) Each
Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that any statement of account with respect to the
Borrower Obligations from the Lender that binds the Borrower shall also be
binding upon such Subsidiary Guarantor, and that copies of said statements
of
account maintained in the regular course of the Lender’s business may be used in
evidence against such Subsidiary Guarantor in order to establish its Guarantor
Obligations.
(b) Subject
to the limitations set forth in Section 10.1(b),
the
Guarantor Obligations shall be joint and several.
(c) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, on and as of the date
of
any merger, consolidation or Acquisition permitted by Section 7.3
or 7.5
hereof,
as the case may be, that shall result in any Subsidiary Guarantor ceasing to
be
a Subsidiary, such Subsidiary Guarantor shall, without the consent of the
Lender, cease to be a Subsidiary Guarantor and shall have no further liability
hereunder.
(d) The
Lender hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the
USA
Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107−56 (signed into law October 26, 2001))
(the “Patriot
Act”),
it is
required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Loan
Party, which information includes the name and address of each Loan Party and
other information that will allow the Lender to identify each Loan Party in
accordance with the Patriot Act. The Borrower agrees to furnish and cause each
of its Subsidiaries to promptly furnish to the Lender such information with
documentation required by bank regulatory authorities under applicable “know
your customer” and Anti-Money Laundering rules and regulations (including,
without limitation, the Patriot Act), as from time to time may be reasonably
requested by the Lender.
Section
10.6 Dispute
Resolution.
(a) Arbitration.
Except
to the extent expressly provided below, any Dispute shall, upon the request
of
any party thereto, be determined by binding arbitration in accordance with
the
Federal Arbitration Act, Title 9, United States Code (or if not applicable,
the
applicable state law), the then-current rules for arbitration of financial
services disputes of AAA and the “Special Rules” set forth below. In the event
of any inconsistency, the Special Rules shall control. The filing of a court
action is not intended to constitute a waiver of the right of the Borrower
or
any of the other Loan Parties or their Affiliates or the Lender, including
the
suing party, thereafter to require submittal of the Dispute to arbitration.
Any
party to this Agreement may bring an action, including a summary or expedited
proceeding, to compel arbitration of any Dispute in any court having
jurisdiction over such action. For the purposes of this Dispute Resolution
Section only, the terms “party” and “parties” shall include any
parent corporation, subsidiary or affiliate of the Lender involved in the
servicing, management or administration of any obligation described in or
evidenced by this Credit and Guaranty Agreement, together with the officers,
employees, successors and assigns of each of the foregoing.
(b) Special
Rules.
(i) The
arbitration shall be conducted in any U.S. state where real or tangible personal
property collateral is located, or if there is no such collateral, in the City
and County where Lender is located pursuant to its address for notice purposes
in this Agreement.
(ii) The
arbitration shall be administered by AAA, who will appoint an arbitrator. If
AAA
is unwilling or unable to administer the arbitration, or if AAA is unwilling
or
unable to enforce or legally precluded from enforcing any and all provisions
of
this Dispute Resolution Section, then any party to this Agreement may substitute
another arbitration organization that has similar procedures to AAA and that
will observe and enforce any and all provisions of this Dispute Resolution
Section. All
Disputes shall be determined by one arbitrator; however, if the amount in
controversy in a Dispute exceeds Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00), upon
the
request of any party, the Dispute shall be decided by three arbitrators (for
purposes of this Agreement, referred to collectively as the
“arbitrator”).
(iii) All
arbitration hearings will be commenced within ninety (90) days of the demand
for
arbitration and completed within ninety (90) days from the date of commencement;
provided, however, that upon a showing of good cause, the arbitrator shall
be
permitted to extend the commencement of such hearing for up to an additional
sixty (60) days.
(iv) The
judgment and the award, if any, of the arbitrator shall be issued within thirty
(30) days of the close of the hearing. The arbitrator shall provide a concise
written statement setting forth the reasons for the judgment and for the award,
if any. The
arbitration award, if any, may be submitted to any court having jurisdiction
to
be confirmed and enforced, and such confirmation and enforcement shall not
be
subject to arbitration.
(v) The
arbitrator will give effect to statutes of limitations and any waivers thereof
in determining the disposition of any Dispute and may dismiss one or more claims
in the arbitration on the basis that such claim or claims is or are barred.
For
purposes of the application of the statute of limitations, the service on AAA
under applicable AAA rules of a notice of Dispute is the equivalent of the
filing of a lawsuit.
(vi) Any
dispute concerning this arbitration provision, including any such dispute as
to
the validity or enforceability of this provision, or whether a Dispute is
arbitrable, shall be determined by the arbitrator; provided, however, that
the
arbitrator shall not be permitted to vary the express provisions of these
Special Rules or the Reservations of Rights in subsection (c)
below.
(vii) The
arbitrator shall have the power to award legal fees and costs pursuant to the
terms of this Agreement.
(viii) The
arbitration will take place on an individual basis without reference to, resort
to, or consideration of any form of class or class action.
(c) Reservations
of Rights.
Nothing
in this Agreement shall be deemed to (i) limit the applicability of any
otherwise applicable statutes of limitation and any waivers contained in this
Credit and Guaranty Agreement, or (ii) apply to or limit the right of the Lender
(A) to exercise self help remedies such as (but not limited to) setoff, or
(B) to foreclose judicially or nonjudicially against any real or personal
property collateral, or to exercise judicial or nonjudicial power of sale
rights, (C) to obtain from a court provisional or ancillary remedies such
as (but not limited to) injunctive relief, writ of possession, prejudgment
attachment, or the appointment of a receiver, or (D) to pursue rights against
a
party to this Agreement in a third-party proceeding in any action brought
against Lender in a state, federal or international court, tribunal or hearing
body (including actions in specialty courts, such as bankruptcy and patent
courts), or (E) to enforce any assignment of rents contained in the Loan
Documents, or (F) to preserve or enforce the Lender’s rights and remedies due to
possible application of New Jersey’s “entire controversy doctrine”. Lender may
exercise the rights set forth in clauses (A) through (F), inclusive, before,
during or after the pendency of any arbitration proceeding brought pursuant
to
this Credit and Guaranty Agreement. Neither the exercise of self help remedies
nor the institution or maintenance of an action for foreclosure or provisional
or ancillary remedies shall constitute a waiver of the right of any party,
including the claimant in any such action, to arbitrate the merits of the
Dispute occasioning resort to such remedies. No provision in the Loan Documents
regarding submission to jurisdiction and/or venue in any court is intended
or
shall be construed to be in derogation of the provisions in any Loan Document
for arbitration of any Dispute.
(d) Conflicting
Provisions for Dispute Resolution.
If
there is any conflict between the terms, conditions and provisions of this
Section and those of any other provision or agreement for arbitration or dispute
resolution, the terms, conditions and provisions of this Section shall prevail
as to any Dispute arising out of or relating to (i) this Credit and
Guaranty Agreement, (ii) any other Loan Document, (iii) any related
agreements or instruments, or (iv) the transaction contemplated herein or
therein (including any claim based on or arising from an alleged personal injury
or business tort). In any other situation, if the resolution of a given Dispute
is specifically governed by another provision or agreement for arbitration
or
dispute resolution, the other provision or agreement shall prevail with respect
to said Dispute.
(e) Jury
Trial Waiver in Arbitration.
By
agreeing to this Section, the parties irrevocably and voluntarily waive any
right they may have to a trial by jury in respect of any
Dispute.
[REMAINDER
OF PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the
parties hereto have caused this Credit and Guaranty Agreement to be duly
executed and delivered by their proper and duly authorized officers as of the
day and year first above written.
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BORROWER: |
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BEL
FUSE INC.,
a
New Jersey corporation
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By: |
/s/
Colin Dunn |
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Colin
Dunn
Vice
President
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GUARANTORS:
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BEL
VENTURES INC.,
a
Delaware corporation
BEL
POWER INC.,
a
Massachusetts corporation
BEL
POWER PRODUCTS INC.,
a
Delaware corporation
BEL
TRANSFORMER INC.,
a
Delaware corporation
BEL
CONNECTOR INC.,
a
Delaware corporation
AS
TO EACH OF THE FOREGOING:
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By: |
/s/ Colin Dunn |
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Colin
Dunn
Vice
President of each of the above-referenced
corporations
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BANK
OF AMERICA, N.A.
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By: |
/s/ David
J. Bardwil |
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David
J. Bardwil
Senior
Vice President
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EXHIBIT
“A”
ATTACHED
TO AND MADE A PART OF THAT CERTAIN CREDIT AND GUARANTY
AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG BEL FUSE INC., CERTAIN SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS,
AND
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., DATED FEBRUARY ____, 2007
Form
of Borrowing Request
Date:
___________, _____
To:
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Bank
of America, N.A.
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Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Reference
is made to that certain Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated February ____,
2007
(as amended, restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing
from time to time, the “Agreement;”
the
terms defined therein being used herein as therein defined), among Bel Fuse
Inc.
(the “Company”),
certain Subsidiaries of the Company and Bank of America, N.A., as
Lender.
Name
of
Borrower: Bel Fuse Inc.
The
undersigned Borrower hereby requests (select one):
o
A
Borrowing of
Revolving Loans o
A
conversion or continuation of
Revolving Loans
1. On _______________________________
(a
Business Day).
2. In
the
amount of $____________________.
3. Comprised
of _______________________.
[Type
of
Revolving Loan requested]
4. For
Eurodollar Advances: with an Interest Period of ______ months.
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BEL
FUSE INC.
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By: |
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Name: |
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Title: |
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EXHIBIT
“B”
ATTACHED
TO AND MADE A PART OF THAT CERTAIN CREDIT AND GUARANTY
AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG BEL FUSE INC., CERTAIN SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS,
AND
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., DATED FEBRUARY ____, 2007
Form
of Guaranty Supplement
SUPPLEMENT
NO.
__,
dated as of [_________________],
to (i)
the Credit and Guarantee Agreement, dated February ___, 2007, by and among
BEL
FUSE INC.
(the
“Borrower”),
the
Subsidiary Guarantors party thereto, and BANK
OF AMERICA, N.A. (the
“Lender”)(as
it
may be subsequently amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to
time, the “Credit
Agreement”).
Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the meanings
assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement.
The
Lender has agreed to make the Loans to the Borrower pursuant to, and upon the
terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the Credit Agreement. The
Subsidiary Guarantors have entered into the Credit Agreement in order to induce
the Lender to make the Loans. Pursuant to Section
6.9
of the
Credit Agreement, each Subsidiary created or acquired after the Effective Date
that is a Domestic Subsidiary is to become a Subsidiary Guarantor by the
execution and delivery of this Guarantee Supplement.
The
undersigned Subsidiary (the “New
Subsidiary Guarantor”)
is
executing this Guarantee Supplement in accordance with the requirements of
the
Credit Agreement to become a Subsidiary Guarantor under the Credit Agreement
in
order to induce the Lender to make additional Loans and as consideration for
the
Loans previously made.
Accordingly,
the Lender and the New Subsidiary Guarantor agree that in accordance with
Section
6.9
of the
Credit Agreement, the New Subsidiary Guarantor by its signature below becomes
a
Subsidiary Guarantor under the Credit Agreement with the same force and effect
as if originally named therein as a Subsidiary Guarantor and the New Subsidiary
Guarantor hereby (i) agrees to all the terms and provisions of the Credit
Agreement applicable to it as a Subsidiary Guarantor thereunder and (ii)
represents and warrants that the representations and warranties made with
respect to it as a Subsidiary Guarantor thereunder are true and correct on
and
as of the date hereof. Each reference to a “Subsidiary Guarantor” in any Loan
Document shall be deemed to include the New Subsidiary
Guarantor.
[REMAINDER
OF PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK]
IN
EVIDENCE
of the
agreement by the parties hereto to the terms and conditions herein contained,
each such party has caused this Guarantee Supplement to be duly executed on
its
behalf.
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[_____________________]
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By: |
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Colin
Dunn
Vice
President
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Address
for Notices:
c/o
Bel Fuse Inc.
206
Van Vorst Street
Jersey
City, NJ 07302
Attention:
Colin Dunn - Vice President
Telephone:
(201) 432-0463
Telecopy:
(201) 432-9542
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Accepted
and agreed to as
of
the
date first above written:
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BANK
OF AMERICA, N.A.
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By: |
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David
J. Bardwil
Senior
Vice President
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EXHIBIT
“C”
ATTACHED
TO AND MADE A PART OF THAT CERTAIN CREDIT AND GUARANTY
AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG BEL FUSE INC., CERTAIN SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS,
AND
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., DATED FEBRUARY ____, 2007
Form
of Revolving Credit Loan Note
$20,000,000.00 |
Cranford,
New
Jersey
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February
____,
2007
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FOR
VALUE RECEIVED,
the
undersigned, BEL
FUSE INC.,
a New
Jersey corporation (the “Borrower”),
hereby promises to pay to the order of promises to pay to the order of
BANK
OF AMERICA, N.A.,
its
successors and/or assigns (collectively the “Lender,”),
the
outstanding principal balance of the Loans made by the Lender to the Borrower,
in the amounts, and at the times set forth in the Credit and Guaranty Agreement,
dated of even date herewith by and among the Borrower, the Subsidiary Guarantors
party thereto, and the Lender (as the same may be amended, supplemented or
otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit
Agreement”)
and to
pay interest thereon from the date hereof on the principal balance of the Loans
from time to time outstanding, at the rate or rates and at the times set forth
in the Credit Agreement, in each case at the office of the Lender located at
750
Walnut Avenue, Cranford, New Jersey 07016, or at such other place as the Lender
may specify from time to time, in lawful money of the United States in
immediately available funds.
Capitalized
terns used herein which are not otherwise defined herein shall have the
respective meanings ascribed thereto in the Credit Agreement.
The
Loans
evidenced by this Note are prepayable in the amounts, and under the
circumstances, and their respective maturities are subject to acceleration
upon
the terms, set forth in the Credit Agreement. This Note is the “Note”
under,
and as such term is defined in, the Credit Agreement, and is subject to, and
should be construed in accordance with, the provisions thereof, and is entitled
to the benefits and security set forth in the Loan Documents.
The
Lender is hereby authorized to record on the schedule annexed hereto, and any
continuation sheets which the Lender may attach hereto, (i) the date and the
amount of each Loan made by the Lender to the Borrower, (ii) the Type of the
Loan, (iii) the interest rate (without regard to the Applicable Margin) and
Interest Period (if any) applicable to each Eurodollar Advance, and (iv) the
date and amount of each conversion of, and each payment or prepayment of
principal of any such Loan. No failure to so record or any error in so recording
shall affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans, together with
interest thereon, as provided in the Credit Agreement, and the outstanding
principal balance of the Loans made by the Lender as set forth in such schedule
shall be presumed to be correct absent manifest error.
Except
as
specifically otherwise provided in the Credit Agreement, the Borrower hereby
waives presentment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest, notice of protest
and
all other demands, protests and notices in connection with the execution,
delivery, performance, collection and enforcement of this Note.
This
Note
may only he amended by an instrument in writing executed pursuant to the
provisions of Section
9.l
of the
Credit Agreement.
THIS
NOTE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH,
THE
LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the
Borrower has caused this Note to be executed and delivered by its proper and
duly Authorized Officer, all on the day and year first hereinabove
written.
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BEL
FUSE INC., a
New Jersey corporation
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By: |
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Colin
Dunn
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Vice
President
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Schedule
“1” to Revolving Credit Loan Note
REVOLVING
CREDIT LOANS AND PAYMENTS OF REVOLVING CREDIT
LOANS
Date
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Amount
of
Revolving
Credit Loans
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Amount
of
Principal
Repaid
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Unpaid
Principal
Balance
of Revolving Credit
Loans
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Notation
Made
By
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EXHIBIT
“D”
ATTACHED
TO AND MADE A PART OF THAT CERTAIN CREDIT AND GUARANTY
AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG BEL FUSE INC., CERTAIN SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS,
AND
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., DATED FEBRUARY ____, 2007
Form
of Notice of Conversion
Date:
___________, _____
To:
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Bank
of America, N.A.
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Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Reference
is made to that certain Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated February ____,
2007
(as amended, restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing
from time to time, the “Agreement;”
the
terms defined therein being used herein as therein defined), among Bel Fuse
Inc.
(the “Company”),
certain Subsidiaries of the Company and Bank of America, N.A., as
Lender.
Name
of
Borrower: Bel Fuse Inc.
The
undersigned Borrower hereby requests (select one):
o
A
Borrowing of
Revolving Loans o
A
conversion or continuation of
Revolving Loans
1. On ______________________________
(a
Business Day).
2. In
the
amount of $___________________.
3. Comprised
of ______________________.
[Type
of
Revolving Loan requested]
4. For
Eurodollar Advances: with an Interest Period of
months.
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BEL
FUSE INC.
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By: |
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Name: |
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Title: |
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EXHIBIT
“E”
ATTACHED
TO AND MADE A PART OF THAT CERTAIN CREDIT AND GUARANTY AGREEMENT BY AND AMONG
BEL FUSE INC., CERTAIN SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS, AND BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., DATED
FEBRUARY ____, 2007
Form
of Compliance Certificate
See
Attached.