Ge Vernova Inc — 8-K exhibit

GE Vernova Inc.

---

INDENTURE

Dated as of

February 4, 2026

---

DEBT SECURITIES

 

The Bank of New York Mellon

 

Trustee

Reconciliation and tie between

Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and Indenture*

*This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of the Indenture.

TABLE OF CONTENTS^*

INDENTURE dated as of February 4, 2026, between GE Vernova Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Trustee”).

WITNESSETH:

 

WHEREAS, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance of unsecured debentures, notes, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness (the “Securities”) in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued from time to time in one or more series as provided in this Indenture; and

 

WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:

 

That, in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof for the equal and proportionate benefit of all of the present and future Holders of the Securities, each party agrees and covenants as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

 

 

For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 1.01          Definitions.

 

Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms defined in this Section 1.01 shall for all purposes of this Indenture have the meanings hereinafter set forth:

 

Affiliate:

 

The term “Affiliate,” with respect to any specified Person shall mean any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person.  For the purposes of this definition, “control” when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

 

Authenticating Agent:

 

The term “Authenticating Agent” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 11.09.

 

Board of Directors:

 

The term “Board of Directors” shall mean either the board of directors of the Company  or the executive or any other committee of that board duly authorized to act in respect hereof.

 

Board Resolution:

 

The term “Board Resolution” shall mean a copy of a resolution or resolutions certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors (or by a committee of the Board of Directors to the extent that any such other committee has been authorized by the Board of Directors to establish or approve the matters contemplated) and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification and delivered to the Trustee.

 

Business Day:

 

The term “Business Day,” when used with respect to any Place of Payment or any other particular location referred to in this Indenture or in the Securities, shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in that Place of Payment or such location are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.

 

Capital Stock:

 

The term “Capital Stock” shall mean:

 

 

 

 

 

Code:

 

The term “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

Company:

 

The term “Company” shall mean the Person named as the “Company” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Person shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Company” shall mean such successor Person.

 

Company Order:

 

The term “Company Order” shall mean a written order signed in the name of the Company by any Officer and delivered to the Trustee.

 

Corporate Trust Office:

 

The term “Corporate Trust Office,” or other similar term, shall mean the principal office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at the date hereof is located at 240 Greenwich Street, Floor 7E, New York, NY 10286, Attention: GE Vernova Team, or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company, or the principal corporate trust officer of any successor Trustee (or such other address as such successor Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company).

 

Corporation:

 

The term “Corporation” means a corporation, association, company, limited liability company, joint-stock company or business or statutory trust.

 

Currency:

 

The term “Currency” shall mean U.S. Dollars or Foreign Currency.

 

Default:

 

The term “Default” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 11.03.

 

Defaulted Interest:

 

The term “Defaulted Interest” shall have the same meaning assigned to it in Section 3.08(b).

 

Depositary:

 

The term “Depositary” shall mean, with respect to the Securities of any series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, each Person designated as Depositary for such series by the Company pursuant to Section 3.01 until one or more successor Depositaries shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Depositary” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Depositary hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any such series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of that series.

 

Designated Currency:

 

The term “Designated Currency” shall have the same meaning assigned to it in Section 3.12.

 

Discharged:

 

The term “Discharged” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 12.03.

 

DTC:

 

The term “DTC” shall mean The Depository Trust Company and its successors.

 

Electronic Means:

 

The term “Electronic Means” shall mean the following communications methods: email, secure electronic transmission containing applicable authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys issued by the Trustee, or another method or system specified by the Trustee as available for use in connection with its services hereunder.

 

Event of Default:

 

The term “Event of Default” shall have the meaning specified in Section 7.01.

 

Exchange Act:

 

The term “Exchange Act” shall mean the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder and any statute successor thereto, in each case as amended from time to time.

 

Exchange Rate:

 

The term “Exchange Rate” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 7.01.

 

Floating Rate Security:

 

The term “Floating Rate Security” shall mean a Security that provides for the payment of interest at a variable rate determined periodically by reference to an interest rate index specified pursuant to Section 3.01.

 

Foreign Currency:

 

The term “Foreign Currency” shall mean a currency issued by the government of any country other than the United States or a composite currency, the value of which is determined by reference to the values of the currencies of any group of countries.

 

GAAP:

 

The term “GAAP,” with respect to any computations required or permitted hereunder, shall mean generally accepted accounting principles in effect in the United States as in effect from time to time; provided, however if the Company is required by the SEC to adopt (or is permitted to adopt and so adopts) a different accounting framework, including but not limited to the International Financial Reporting Standards, “GAAP” shall mean such new accounting framework as in effect from time to time, including, without limitation, in each case, those accounting principles set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession.

 

Global Security:

 

The term “Global Security” shall mean any Security that evidences all or part of a series of Securities, issued in fully-registered certificated form to the Depositary for such series in accordance with Section 3.03 and bearing the legend prescribed in Section 3.03(g).

 

Holder; Holder of Securities:

 

The terms “Holder” and “Holder of Securities” are defined under “Securityholder; Holder of Securities; Holder.”

 

Indebtedness:

 

The term “Indebtedness” shall mean any and all obligations of a Person for money borrowed which, in accordance with GAAP, would be reflected on the balance sheet of such Person as a liability on the date as of which Indebtedness is to be determined.

Indenture:

 

The term “Indenture” or “this Indenture” shall mean this instrument as originally executed or as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof, including, for all purposes of this instrument and any such supplemental indenture, the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are deemed to be a part of and govern this instrument and any such supplemental indenture, respectively. The term “Indenture” shall also include the terms of particular series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 3.01; provided, however, that if at any time more than one Person is acting as Trustee under this Indenture due to the appointment of one or more separate Trustees for any one or more separate series of Securities, “Indenture” shall mean, with respect to such series of Securities for which any such Person is Trustee, this instrument as originally executed or as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and shall include the terms of particular series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee established as contemplated by Section 3.01, exclusive, however, of any provisions or terms which relate solely to other series of Securities for which such Person is not Trustee, regardless of when such terms or provisions were adopted, and exclusive of any provisions or terms adopted by means of one or more indentures supplemental hereto executed and delivered after such person had become such Trustee, but to which such person, as such Trustee, was not a party; provided, further, that in the event that this Indenture is supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto which are only applicable to certain series of Securities, the term “Indenture” for a particular series of Securities shall only include the supplemental indentures applicable thereto.

 

Individual Securities:

 

The term “Individual Securities” shall have the meaning specified in Section 3.01(p).

 

Instructions:

 

The term “Instructions” shall have the same meaning assigned to it in Section 16.03.

 

Interest:

 

The term “interest” shall mean, unless the context otherwise requires, interest payable on any Securities, and with respect to an Original Issue Discount Security that by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, interest payable after Maturity.

 

Interest Payment Date:

 

The term “Interest Payment Date” shall mean, with respect to any Security, the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.

 

Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment:

 

The term “Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 5.01(b).

 

Maturity:

 

The term “Maturity,” with respect to any Security, shall mean the date on which the principal of such Security shall become due and payable as therein and herein provided, whether by declaration, call for redemption or otherwise.

Members:

 

The term “Members” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.03(i).

 

Officer:

 

The term “Officer” shall mean any of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Commercial Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary and any President or Vice President of the Company.

 

 

The term “Officer’s Certificate” shall mean a certificate signed by any Officer and delivered to the Trustee.  Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 16.01 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.

 

Opinion of Counsel:

 

The term “Opinion of Counsel” shall mean an opinion in writing signed by one or more legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel to the Company, or other counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, and meets the requirements provided for in Section 16.01.

 

Optional Sinking Fund Payment:

 

The term “Optional Sinking Fund Payment” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 5.01(b).

 

Original Issue Discount Security:

 

The term “Original Issue Discount Security” shall mean any Security that is issued with “original issue discount” within the meaning of Section 1273(a) of the Code and the regulations thereunder, or any successor provision, and any other Security designated by the Company as issued with original issue discount for United States federal income tax purposes.

 

Outstanding:

 

The term “Outstanding,” when used with respect to Securities of any series means, as of the date of determination, all Securities of such series theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:

 

 

 

 

Paying Agent:

 

The term “Paying Agent” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 6.02(a).

 

Person:

 

The term “Person” shall mean individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, association, joint stock company, unincorporated organization, limited liability company, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any similar entity.

 

Place of Payment:

 

The term “Place of Payment” shall mean, when used with respect to the Securities of any series, the place or places where the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on the Securities of that series are payable as specified pursuant to Section 3.01.

 

The term “Predecessor Security” shall mean, with respect to any Security, every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same Indebtedness as that evidenced by such particular Security, and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 3.07 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same Indebtedness as the lost, destroyed or stolen Security.

 

Record Date:

 

The term “Record Date” shall mean, with respect to any interest payable on any Security on any Interest Payment Date, any date specified in such Security or pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to such Security as the record date for the payment of interest.

 

Redemption Date:

 

The term “Redemption Date” shall mean, when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture and the terms of such Security, which, in the case of a Floating Rate Security, unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01, shall be an Interest Payment Date only.

 

Redemption Price:

 

The term “Redemption Price,” when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, shall mean the price at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to the terms of the applicable Security and this Indenture. The Trustee shall not be responsible for calculating or verifying the calculation of the Redemption Price.

 

Register:

 

The term “Register” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.05(a).

 

Registrar:

 

The term “Registrar” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.05(a).

 

Responsible Officers:

 

The term “Responsible Officers” of the Trustee hereunder shall mean any vice president, any assistant vice president, any trust officer, any assistant trust officer, secretary, associate or any other officer associated with the corporate trust department of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers, and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter relating to this Indenture, any other officer of the Trustee to whom such matter is referred because of such person’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and who, in each case, shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

SEC:

 

The term “SEC” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, as constituted from time to time.

 

Security:

 

The term “Security” or “Securities” shall have the meaning stated in the recitals and shall more particularly mean one or more of the Securities duly authenticated by the Trustee and delivered pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture.

 

Security Custodian:

 

The term “Security Custodian” shall mean the custodian with respect to any Global Security appointed by the Depositary, or any successor Person thereto, and shall initially be the Trustee.

 

Securityholder; Holder of Securities; Holder:

 

The term “Securityholder” or “Holder of Securities” or “Holder,” shall mean the Person in whose name Securities shall be registered in the Register kept for that purpose hereunder.

 

Senior Indebtedness:

 

The term “Senior Indebtedness” means the principal of (and premium, if any) and unpaid interest on (x) Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding on the date hereof or thereafter created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed, for money borrowed other than (a) any Indebtedness of the Company which when incurred, and without respect to any election under Section 1111(b) of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, was without recourse to the Company, (b) any Indebtedness of the Company to any of its Subsidiaries, (c) Indebtedness to any employee of the Company, (d) any liability for taxes, (e) Trade Payables and (f) any Indebtedness of the Company which is expressly subordinate in right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Company, and (y) renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings of any such Indebtedness.  For purposes of the foregoing and the definition of “Senior Indebtedness,” the phrase “subordinated in right of payment” means debt subordination only and not lien subordination, and accordingly, (i) unsecured indebtedness shall not be deemed to be subordinated in right of payment to secured indebtedness merely by virtue of the fact that it is unsecured, and (ii) junior liens, second liens and other contractual arrangements that provide for priorities among Holders of the same or different issues of indebtedness with respect to any collateral or the proceeds of collateral shall not constitute subordination in right of payment. This definition may be modified or superseded by a supplemental indenture.

 

Special Record Date:

 

The term “Special Record Date” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.08(b)(i).

 

The term “Stated Maturity” when used with respect to any Security or any installment of interest thereon, shall mean the date specified in such Security or pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to such Security as the fixed date on which the principal (or any portion thereof) of or premium, if any, on such Security or such installment of interest is due and payable.

 

Subsidiary:

 

The term “Subsidiary,” when used with respect to any Person, any Corporation, partnership, trust or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers, trustees or equivalent body thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that person or a combination thereof.

Successor Company:

 

The term “Successor Company” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.06(h).

 

Trade Payables:

 

The term “Trade Payables” means accounts payable or any other Indebtedness or monetary obligations to trade creditors created or assumed by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in the ordinary course of business (including guarantees thereof or instruments evidencing such liabilities).

 

Trust Indenture Act; TIA:

 

The term “Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA” shall mean the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder as in effect on the date of this Indenture, except as provided in Section 14.06 and except to the extent any amendment to the Trust Indenture Act expressly provides for application of the Trust Indenture Act as in effect on another date.

 

Trustee:

 

The term “Trustee” shall mean the Person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Trustee shall have become such with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that series.

 

The term “U.S. Dollars” shall mean such currency of the United States as at the time of payment shall be legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

U.S. Government Obligations:

 

The term “U.S. Government Obligations” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 12.03.

 

United States:

 

The term “United States” shall mean the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United States and the District of Columbia.

 

ARTICLE II

 

Section 2.01          Terms of the Securities.

 

 

 

Section 2.02          Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.

 

 

 

 

TRUSTEE’S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

 

This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

Section 2.03          Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication by an Authenticating Agent.  If at any time there shall be an Authenticating Agent appointed with respect to any series of Securities, then the Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication by such Authenticating Agent to be borne by Securities of each such series shall be substantially as follows:

 

 

TRUSTEE’S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

 

This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

ARTICLE III

 

Section 3.01          Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series.  The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited.  The Securities may be issued in one or more series.  The title and terms on each series of Securities shall be as set forth in a Board Resolution, Company Order or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, prior to the issuance of Securities of any series, and may include:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(q)          the date as of which any Global Security of the series shall be dated if other than the original issuance of the first Security of the series to be issued;

 

(r)          the form or forms of the Securities of the series including such legends as may be required by applicable law;

 

(s)          if the Securities of the series are to be convertible into or exchangeable for any securities or property of any Person (including the Company), the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, and any additions or changes, if any, to permit or facilitate such conversion or exchange;

 

(t)           whether the Securities of such series are subject to subordination and the terms of such subordination (for avoidance of doubt, Article XV shall not apply to the Securities of any series unless the terms of such series expressly state it applies);

 

(u)          whether the Securities of such series are to be secured and the terms of such security;

 

(v)          any restriction or condition on the transferability of the Securities of such series;

 

(w)         any addition or change in the provisions related to compensation and reimbursement of the Trustee which applies to Securities of such series;

 

(x)          any addition or change in the provisions related to supplemental indentures set forth in Sections 14.01, 14.02 and 14.04 which applies to Securities of such series;

 

(y)          provisions, if any, granting special rights to Holders upon the occurrence of specified events;

 

(z)          any addition to or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 7.02 and any addition or change in the provisions set forth in Article VII which applies to Securities of the series;

 

(aa)        any addition to or change in the covenants set forth in Article VI which applies to Securities of the series; and

 

(bb)       any other terms of the Securities of such series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of the TIA, but may modify, amend, supplement or delete any of the terms of this Indenture with respect to such series).

 

All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical, except as to denomination and except as may otherwise be provided herein or set forth in a Board Resolution, a Company Order or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto.

 

Unless otherwise specified with respect to the Securities of any series pursuant to this Section 3.01, the Company may, at its option, at any time and from time to time, issue additional Securities of any series of Securities previously issued under this Indenture which together shall constitute a single series of Securities under this Indenture.

 

Section 3.02         Denominations.  In the absence of any specification pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to Securities of any series, the Securities of such series shall be issuable only as Securities in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, and shall be payable only in U.S. Dollars.

 

Section 3.03         Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.

 

(a)          The Securities shall be executed in the name and on behalf of the Company by the manual or other electronic signature of any Officer.  If the Person whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated and delivered, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.

 

(b)          At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities and, if required pursuant to Section 3.01, a supplemental indenture or Company Order setting forth the terms of the Securities of a series.  The Trustee shall thereupon authenticate and deliver such Securities without any further action by the Company.  The Company Order shall specify the amount of Securities to be authenticated and the date on which the original issue of Securities is to be authenticated.

 

(c)          In authenticating the Securities of any series and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities the Trustee shall receive, and (subject to Section 11.02) shall be fully protected in relying upon an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each prepared in accordance with Section 16.01 stating that the conditions precedent, if any, provided for in the Indenture have been complied with.

 

(d)          The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver the Securities under this Section 3.03 if the issue of the Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.

 

(e)          Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication, except as otherwise provided pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to the Securities of such series.

 

(f)          [Reserved].

 

(g)          If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 3.01 that the Securities of a series are to be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver one or more Global Securities that (i) shall represent an aggregate amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series to be represented by such Global Securities, (ii) shall be registered, in the name of the Depositary for such Global Security or Global Securities or the nominee of such Depositary, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to such Depositary or pursuant to such Depositary’s instruction and (iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect:

 

“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, WHICH SHALL BE TREATED BY THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND ANY AGENT THEREOF AS OWNER AND HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY (AND ANY PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”

 

The aggregate principal amount of each Global Security may from time to time be increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Security Custodian, as provided in this Indenture.

 

(h)          Each Depositary designated pursuant to Section 3.01 for a Global Security in registered form must, at the time of its designation and at all times while it serves as such Depositary, be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and any other applicable statute or regulation.

 

(i)           Members of, or participants in, the Depositary (“Members”) shall have no rights under this Indenture with respect to any Global Security held on their behalf by the Depositary or by the Security Custodian under such Global Security, and the Depositary shall be treated by the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent and the Registrar and any of their agents as the absolute owner of such Global Security for all purposes whatsoever.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent or the Registrar or any of their agents from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depositary or impair, as between the Depositary and its Members, the operation of customary practices of the Depositary governing the exercise of the rights of an owner of a beneficial interest in any Global Security.  The Holder of a Global Security may grant proxies and otherwise authorize any Person, including Members and Persons that may hold interests through Members, to take any action that a Holder is entitled to take under this Indenture or the Securities.

 

(j)           No Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in one of the forms provided for herein duly executed by the Trustee or by an Authenticating Agent by manual or electronic signature of an authorized signatory of the Trustee or Authenticating Agent, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

 

Section 3.04         Temporary Securities.

 

(a)          Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities that are printed, typewritten, photocopied or otherwise reproduced, in any authorized denominations, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such Securities may determine, as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such Securities.  Any such temporary Security may be in the form of one or more Global Securities, representing all or a portion of the Outstanding Securities of such series.  Every such temporary Security shall be executed by the Company and shall be authenticated and delivered by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with the same effect, as the definitive Security or Securities in lieu of which it is issued.

 

(b)          If temporary Securities of any series are issued, the Company will cause definitive Securities of such series to be prepared without unreasonable delay.  After the preparation of definitive Securities of such series, the temporary Securities of such series shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities of such series upon surrender of such temporary Securities at the office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment for such series, without charge to the Holder.  Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities of any series, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations and of like tenor.  Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series.

 

(c)          Upon any exchange of a portion of a temporary Global Security for a definitive Global Security or for the Individual Securities represented thereby pursuant to this Section 3.04 or Section 3.06, the temporary Global Security shall be endorsed by the Trustee to reflect the reduction of the principal amount evidenced thereby, whereupon the principal amount of such temporary Global Security shall be reduced for all purposes by the amount so exchanged and endorsed.

 

Section 3.05         Registrar.

 

(a)          The Company will keep, at an office or agency to be maintained by it in a Place of Payment where Securities may be presented for registration or presented and surrendered for registration of transfer or of exchange, and where Securities of any series that are convertible or exchangeable may be surrendered for conversion or exchange, as applicable (the “Registrar”), a security register for the registration and the registration of transfer or of exchange of the Securities (the registers maintained in such office and in any other office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment being herein sometimes collectively referred to as the “Register”), as in this Indenture provided, which Register shall at all reasonable times be open for inspection by the Trustee.  Such Register shall be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time.  The Company may have one or more co-Registrars; the term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar.

 

(b)          The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Registrar or co-Registrar not a party to this Indenture.  The agreement shall implement the provisions of this Indenture that relate to such agent.  The Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of each such agent.  If the Company fails to maintain a Registrar for any series, the Trustee shall act as such and shall be entitled to appropriate compensation therefor pursuant to Section 11.01.  The Company or any Affiliate thereof may act as Registrar, co-Registrar or transfer agent.

 

(c)          The Company hereby appoints the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office as Registrar in connection with the Securities and this Indenture, until such time as another Person is appointed as such.

 

Section 3.06         Transfer and Exchange.

 

(a)          Transfer.

 

(i)           Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Security of any series at the Registrar the Company shall execute, and the Trustee or any Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee, one or more new Securities of the same series for like aggregate principal amount of any authorized denomination or denominations.  The transfer of any Security shall not be valid as against the Company or the Trustee unless registered at the Registrar at the request of the Holder, or at the request of his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing.

 

(ii)          Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for the Individual Securities represented thereby, a Global Security representing all or a portion of the Securities of a series may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary for such series to a nominee of such Depositary or by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by such Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary for such series or a nominee of such successor Depositary.

 

(b)          Exchange.

 

(i)           At the option of the Holder, Securities of any series (other than a Global Security, except as set forth below) may be exchanged for other Securities of the same series for like aggregate principal amount of any authorized denomination or denominations, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at the Registrar.

 

(ii)         Whenever any Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee or Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and deliver, the Securities that the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.

 

(c)          Exchange of Global Securities for Individual Securities.  Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in Global Securities will not be entitled to receive Individual Securities.

 

(i)           Individual Securities shall be issued to all owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security in exchange for such interests if: (A) at any time the Depositary for the Securities of a series notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for the Securities of such series or if at any time the Depositary for the Securities of such series shall no longer be eligible under Section 3.03(h) and, in each case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Company within 90 days of such notice, or (B) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee and the Registrar a Company Order stating that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable.

 

In connection with the exchange of an entire Global Security for Individual Securities pursuant to this subsection (c), such Global Security shall be deemed to be surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of Individual Securities of such series, will authenticate and deliver to each beneficial owner identified by the Depositary in exchange for its beneficial interest in such Global Security, an equal aggregate principal amount of Individual Securities of authorized denominations.

 

(ii)          The owner of a beneficial interest in a Global Security will be entitled to receive an Individual Security in exchange for such interest if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.  Upon receipt by the Security Custodian and Registrar of instructions from the Holder of a Global Security directing the Security Custodian and Registrar to (x) issue one or more Individual Securities in the amounts specified to the owner of a beneficial interest in such Global Security and (y) debit or cause to be debited an equivalent amount of beneficial interest in such Global Security, subject to the rules and regulations of the Depositary:

 

(A)          the Security Custodian and Registrar shall notify the Company and the Trustee of such instructions, identifying the owner and amount of such beneficial interest in such Global Security;

 

(B)          the Company shall promptly execute and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of Individual Securities of such series, shall authenticate and deliver to such beneficial owner Individual Securities in an equivalent amount to such beneficial interest in such Global Security; and

 

(C)          the Security Custodian and Registrar shall decrease such Global Security by such amount in accordance with the foregoing.  In the event that the Individual Securities are not issued to each such beneficial owner promptly after the Registrar has received a request from the Holder of a Global Security to issue such Individual Securities, the Company expressly acknowledges, with respect to the right of any Holder to pursue a remedy pursuant to Section 7.07 hereof, the right of any beneficial Holder of Securities to pursue such remedy with respect to the portion of the Global Security that represents such beneficial Holder’s Securities as if such Individual Securities had been issued.

 

(iii)        If specified by the Company pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to a series of Securities, the Depositary for such series of Securities may surrender a Global Security for such series of Securities in exchange in whole or in part for Individual Securities of such series on such terms as are acceptable to the Company and such Depositary.  Thereupon, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, without service charge,

 

(A)          to each Person specified by such Depositary a new Individual Security or new Individual Securities of the same series, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Person in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for such Person’s beneficial interest in the Global Security; and

 

(B)          to such Depositary a new Global Security in a denomination equal to the difference, if any, between the principal amount of the surrendered Global Security and the aggregate principal amount of Individual Securities delivered to Holders thereof.

 

(iv)        In any exchange provided for in clauses (i) through (iii), the Company will execute and the Trustee will authenticate and deliver Individual Securities in registered form in authorized denominations.

 

(v)          Upon the exchange in full of a Global Security for Individual Securities, such Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee.  Individual Securities issued in exchange for a Global Security pursuant to this Section shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary for such Global Security, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the Trustee.  The Trustee shall deliver such Securities to the Persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.

 

(d)          All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be valid obligations of the Company evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered for such registration of transfer or exchange.

 

(e)          Every Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer, or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company, the Trustee or the Registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company, the Trustee and the Registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or by his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing.

 

(f)          No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities.  The Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than those expressly provided in this Indenture to be made at the Company’s own expense or without expense or charge to the Holders.

 

(g)          The Company shall not be required to (i) register, transfer or exchange Securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of the transmission of a notice of redemption of Securities of such series selected for redemption under Section 4.02 and ending at the close of business on the day of such transmission, or (ii) register, transfer or exchange any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part.

 

(h)          In case a successor Company (“Successor Company”) has executed an indenture supplemental hereto with the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.03, any of the Securities previously authenticated or delivered may, from time to time, at the request of the Successor Company, be exchanged for other Securities executed in the name of the Successor Company with such changes in phraseology and form as may be appropriate, but otherwise identical to the Securities surrendered for such exchange and of like principal amount; and the Trustee, upon Company Order of the Successor Company, shall authenticate and deliver Securities as specified in such order for the purpose of such exchange.  If Securities shall at any time be authenticated and delivered in any new name of a Successor Company pursuant to this Section 3.06 in exchange or substitution for or upon registration of transfer of any Securities, such Successor Company, at the option of the Holders but without expense to them, shall provide for the exchange of all Securities at the time Outstanding for Securities authenticated and delivered in such new name.

 

(i)          None of the Trustee, any Paying Agent or the Registrar shall have any obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to any transfer of any interest in any Security (including transfers between or among Depositary participants, Members or beneficial owners in any Global Security) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by the terms of, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.

 

(j)          Neither the Trustee nor any agent of the Trustee shall have any responsibility for any actions taken or not taken by the Depositary.

 

(k)          Prior to the due presentation for registration of transfer or exchange of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar or any of their agents may deem and treat the Person in whose name a Security is registered as the absolute owner of such Security (whether or not such Security shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing thereon) for all purposes whatsoever, and none of the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar or any of their agents shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

 

(l)          The Trustee shall have no responsibility or obligation to any beneficial owner of a Global Security, a member of, or a participant in, the Depositary or other Person with respect to the accuracy of the records of the Depositary or its nominee or of any participant or member thereof, with respect to any ownership interest in the Securities or with respect to the delivery to any participant, member, beneficial owner or other Person (other than the Depositary) of any notice (including any notice of redemption or purchase) or the payment of any amount or delivery of any Securities (or other security or property) under or with respect to such Securities. All notices and communications to be given to the Holders and all payments to be made to Holders in respect of the Securities shall be given or made only to or upon the order of the registered Holders (which shall be the Depositary or its nominee in the case of a Global Security). The rights of beneficial owners in any Global Security shall be exercised only through the Depositary subject to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary. The Trustee may rely and shall be fully protected in relying upon information furnished by the Depositary with respect to its members, participants and any beneficial owners.

 

Section 3.07         Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.

 

(a)          If (i) any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office or (ii) the Company and the Trustee receive evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security, and there is delivered to the Company and the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to them to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless, and neither the Company nor the Trustee receives notice that such Security has been acquired by a protected purchaser, then the Company shall execute and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same series and of like tenor, form, terms and principal amount, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, such that neither gain nor loss in interest shall result from such exchange or substitution.

 

(b)          In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay the amount due on such Security in accordance with its terms.

 

(c)          Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in respect thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

 

(d)          Every new Security of any series issued pursuant to this Section shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that series duly issued hereunder.

 

(e)          The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.

 

Section 3.08         Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved.

 

(a)          Interest on any Security that is payable and is punctually paid or duly provided for on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Record Date for such interest notwithstanding the cancellation of such Security upon any transfer or exchange subsequent to the Record Date.  Payment of interest on Securities shall be made at the Corporate Trust Office (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01) or, at the option of the Company, by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Register or, if provided pursuant to Section 3.01, by wire transfer to an account designated by the Holder.

 

(b)          Any interest on any Security that is payable but is not punctually paid or duly provided for on any Interest Payment Date (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on the relevant Record Date by virtue of his, her or its having been such a Holder, and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in clause (i) or (ii) below:

 

(i)           The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest (a “Special Record Date”), which shall be fixed in the following manner.  The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Security and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided.  Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall be not more than 15 calendar days and not less than 10 calendar days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 calendar days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment.  The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such Special Record Date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be given to each Holder of such Securities in the manner set forth in Section 16.04, not less than 10 calendar days prior to such Special Record Date.  Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (ii).

 

(ii)         The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on Securities in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.

 

(c)          Subject to the provisions set forth herein relating to Record Dates, each Security delivered pursuant to any provision of this Indenture in exchange or substitution for, or upon registration of transfer of, any other Security shall carry all the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.

 

Section 3.09         Cancellation.  Unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series, all Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, registration of transfer or exchange or credit against any sinking fund or otherwise shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee for cancellation and shall be promptly canceled by it and, if surrendered to the Trustee, shall be promptly canceled by it.  The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder that the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly canceled by the Trustee.  No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities canceled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture.  The Trustee shall dispose of all canceled Securities held by it in accordance with its then customary procedures and deliver a certificate of such disposal to the Company upon its request therefor.  The acquisition of any Securities by the Company shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the Indebtedness represented thereby unless and until such Securities are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation.

 

Section 3.10         Computation of Interest.  Except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series, interest on the Securities of each series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.

 

Section 3.11         Currency of Payments in Respect of Securities.

 

(a)          Except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series, payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on Securities of such series will be made in U.S. Dollars.

 

(b)          For purposes of any provision of the Indenture where the Holders of Outstanding Securities may perform an action that requires that a specified percentage of the Outstanding Securities of all series perform such action and for purposes of any decision or determination by the Trustee of amounts due and unpaid for the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on the Securities of all series in respect of which moneys are to be disbursed ratably, the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on the Outstanding Securities denominated in a Foreign Currency will be the amount in U.S. Dollars based upon exchange rates, determined as specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of such series, as of the date for determining whether the Holders entitled to perform such action have performed it or as of the date of such decision or determination by the Trustee, as the case may be.

 

(c)          Any decision or determination to be made regarding exchange rates shall be made by an agent appointed by the Company; provided that such agent shall accept such appointment in writing and the terms of such appointment shall, in the opinion of the Company at the time of such appointment, require such agent to make such determination by a method consistent with the method provided pursuant to Section 3.01 for the making of such decision or determination. All decisions and determinations of such agent regarding exchange rates shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Company, the Trustee and all Holders of the Securities.

 

(d)          Neither the Trustee nor the Paying Agent shall have any responsibility for converting any Securities or payments from one currency to another, obtaining any exchange rates or otherwise effecting any conversions or calculations hereunder.

 

Section 3.12         Judgments.   The Company may provide pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series that (a) the obligation, if any, of the Company to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Securities of any series in a Foreign Currency or U.S. Dollars (the “Designated Currency”) as may be specified pursuant to Section 3.01 is of the essence and agrees that, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, judgments in respect of such Securities shall be given in the Designated Currency; (b) the obligation of the Company to make payments in the Designated Currency of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on such Securities shall, notwithstanding any payment in any other Currency (whether pursuant to a judgment or otherwise), be discharged only to the extent of the amount in the Designated Currency that the Holder receiving such payment may, in accordance with normal banking procedures, purchase with the sum paid in such other Currency (after any premium and cost of exchange) on the Business Day in the country of issue of the Designated Currency or in the international banking community (in the case of a composite currency) immediately following the day on which such Holder receives such payment; (c) if the amount in the Designated Currency that may be so purchased for any reason falls short of the amount originally due, the Company shall pay such additional amounts as may be necessary to compensate for such shortfall; and (d) any obligation of the Company not discharged by such payment shall be due as a separate and independent obligation and, until discharged as provided herein, shall continue in full force and effect.

 

Section 3.13         CUSIP Numbers.  The Company in issuing any Securities may use CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers, if then generally in use, and thereafter with respect to such series, the Trustee may use such numbers in any notice of redemption or exchange or other notice to Holders with respect to such series provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice to Holders and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption or exchange shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers.  The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers.

 

ARTICLE IV

 

 

Section 4.01         Applicability of Right of Redemption. Redemption of Securities (other than pursuant to a sinking fund, amortization or analogous provision) permitted by the terms of any series of Securities shall be made (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series) in accordance with this Article; provided, however, that if any such terms of a series of Securities shall conflict with any provision of this Article, the terms of such series shall govern.

 

Section 4.02         Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.

 

(a)          If the Company shall at any time elect to redeem less than all of the Securities of a series then Outstanding, it shall at least five days prior to the date that the notice of redemption is to be given (unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) notify the Trustee in writing of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities to be redeemed, and thereupon the Notes to be redeemed shall be selected by lot or, in the case of Global Securities, in accordance with procedures of the Depositary; provided that the unredeemed portion of the principal amount of any Security shall be in an authorized denomination (which shall not be less than the minimum authorized denomination) for such Security.  In any case where more than one Security of such series is registered in the same name, the Trustee may treat the aggregate principal amount so registered as if it were represented by one Security of such series.  The Trustee shall, as soon as practicable, notify the Company in writing of the Securities and portions of Securities so selected.

 

(b)          For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Security redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Security that has been or is to be redeemed.  If the Company shall so direct, Securities registered in the name of the Company, any Affiliate or any Subsidiary thereof shall not be included in the Securities selected for redemption.

 

Section 4.03         Notice of Redemption.

 

(a)          Notice of redemption shall be given in writing by the Company or, at the Company’s request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company, not less than 10 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, to the Holders of Securities of any series to be redeemed in whole or in part pursuant to this Article, in the manner provided in Section 16.04.  Any notice so given shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the Holder receives such notice.  Failure to give such notice, or any defect in such notice to the Holder of any Security of a series designated for redemption, in whole or in part, shall not affect the sufficiency of any notice of redemption with respect to the Holder of any other Security of such series. Any such notice of redemption shall also be given to the Trustee at least five days prior to the date that such notice of redemption is to be given to the Holders (unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee).

 

(b)          All notices of redemption shall identify the Securities to be redeemed (including CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers, if available along with the statement in Section 3.13) and shall state:

 

(i)           such election by the Company to redeem Securities of such series pursuant to provisions contained in this Indenture or the terms of the Securities of such series or a supplemental indenture establishing such series, if such be the case;

 

(ii)          the Redemption Date;

 

(iii)         the Redemption Price;

 

(iv)         if less than all Outstanding Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amounts) of the Securities of such series to be redeemed;

 

(v)          that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price will become due and payable upon each such Security to be redeemed, and that, if applicable, interest thereon shall cease to accrue on and after said date;

 

(vi)         the Place or Places of Payment where such Securities are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price;

 

(vii)       that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case; and

 

(viii)      the applicable conditions to such redemption, if any.

 

(c)          Any redemption or notice of any redemption may, at the Company’s discretion, be subject to one or more conditions precedent, including, but not limited to, completion of any equity offering or change of control, issuance of Indebtedness or other transaction or event. Notice of any redemption in respect thereof will be given prior to the completion thereof, may be partial as a result of only some of the conditions being satisfied, may be delayed until such time (including more than 60 days after the notice of redemption was given) as any or all such conditions shall be satisfied (or waived by the Company in its sole discretion) and may be rescinded at any time if the Company determines in its sole discretion that any or all of such conditions will not be satisfied (or waived). The Company may provide in such notice that payment of the applicable redemption price and the performance of the Company’s obligations with respect to such redemption may be performed by another Person.

 

(d)          At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at the Company’s expense; provided, however, that the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee, at least five days before notice of redemption is required to be sent or caused to be sent to Holders pursuant to this Section (or such shorter period as is acceptable to the Trustee), an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in the notice as provided in the preceding paragraph.

 

Section 4.04         Deposit of Redemption Price.  On or prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Redemption Date for any Securities, the Company shall deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent an amount of money in the Currency in which such Securities are denominated (except as provided pursuant to Section 3.01) sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of such Securities or any portions thereof that are to be redeemed on that date.

 

Section 4.05         Securities Payable on Redemption Date.  Notice of redemption having been given as aforesaid, any Securities so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price and from and after such date (unless the Company shall Default in the payment of the Redemption Price) such Securities shall cease to bear interest.  Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with said notice, such Security shall be paid by the Company at the Redemption Price; provided, however, that (unless otherwise provided pursuant to Section 3.01) installments of interest that have a Stated Maturity on or prior to the Redemption Date for such Securities shall be payable according to the terms of such Securities and the provisions of Section 3.08.

 

If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal thereof and premium, if any, thereon shall, until paid, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate borne by or prescribed in such Securities.

 

Section 4.06         Securities Redeemed in Part.  Any Security that is to be redeemed only in part shall be surrendered at the Corporate Trust Office or such other office or agency of the Company as is specified in the notice of redemption with, if the Company, the Registrar or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company, the Registrar and the Trustee duly executed by the Holder thereof or his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security without service charge, a new Security or Securities of the same series, of like tenor and form, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered; except that if a Global Security is so surrendered, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Depositary for such Global Security, without service charge, a new Global Security in a denomination equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Global Security so surrendered.  In the case of a Security providing appropriate space for such notation, at the option of the Holder thereof, the Trustee, in lieu of delivering a new Security or Securities as aforesaid, may make a notation on such Security of the payment of the redeemed portion thereof.

 

ARTICLE V

 

 

Section 5.01         Applicability of Sinking Fund.

 

(a)          Redemption of Securities permitted or required pursuant to a sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series by the terms of such series of Securities shall be made in accordance with such terms of such series of Securities and this Article, except as otherwise specified pursuant to Article IV for Securities of such series, provided, however, that if any such terms of a series of Securities shall conflict with any provision of this Article, the terms of such series shall govern.

 

(b)          The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a “Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment,” and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an “Optional Sinking Fund Payment.”  If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 5.02.

 

Section 5.02         Mandatory Sinking Fund Obligation.  The Company may, at its option, satisfy any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation, in whole or in part, with respect to a particular series of Securities by (a) delivering to the Trustee Securities of such series in transferable form theretofore purchased or otherwise acquired by the Company or redeemed at the election of the Company pursuant to Article IV or (b) receiving credit for Securities of such series (not previously so credited) acquired by the Company and theretofore delivered to the Trustee.  The Trustee shall credit such Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation with an amount equal to the Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment shall be reduced accordingly.  If the Company shall elect to so satisfy any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation, it shall deliver to the Trustee not less than 45 days prior to the relevant sinking fund payment date an Officer’s Certificate, which shall designate the Securities (and portions thereof, if any) so delivered or credited and which shall be accompanied by such Securities (to the extent not theretofore delivered) in transferable form.  In case of the failure of the Company, at or before the time so required, to give such notice and deliver such Securities the Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation shall be paid entirely in moneys.

 

Section 5.03         Optional Redemption at Sinking Fund Redemption Price.  In addition to the sinking fund requirements of Section 5.02, to the extent, if any, provided for by the terms of a particular series of Securities, the Company may, at its option, make an Optional Sinking Fund Payment with respect to such Securities.  Unless otherwise provided by such terms, (a) to the extent that the right of the Company to make such Optional Sinking Fund Payment shall not be exercised in any year, it shall not be cumulative or carried forward to any subsequent year, and (b) such optional payment shall operate to reduce the amount of any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation as to Securities of the same series.  If the Company intends to exercise its right to make such optional payment in any year it shall deliver to the Trustee not less than 45 days prior to the relevant sinking fund payment date an Officer’s Certificate stating that the Company will exercise such optional right, and specifying the amount which the Company will pay on or before the next succeeding sinking fund payment date.  Such Officer’s Certificate shall also state that no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

 

Section 5.04         Application of Sinking Fund Payment.

 

(a)          If the sinking fund payment or payments made in funds pursuant to either Section 5.02 or 5.03 with respect to a particular series of Securities plus any unused balance of any preceding sinking fund payments made in funds with respect to such series shall exceed $50,000 (or a lesser sum if the Company shall so request, or such equivalent sum for Securities denominated other than in U.S. Dollars), it shall be applied by the Trustee on the sinking fund payment date next following the date of such payment, unless the date of such payment shall be a sinking fund payment date, in which case such payment shall be applied on such sinking fund payment date, to the redemption of Securities of such series at the redemption price specified pursuant to Section 4.03(b).  The Trustee shall select, in the manner provided in Section 4.02, for redemption on such sinking fund payment date, a sufficient principal amount of Securities of such series to absorb said funds, as nearly as may be, and shall, at the expense and in the name of the Company, thereupon cause notice of redemption, prepared by the Company, of the Securities to be given in substantially the manner provided in Section 4.03(a) for the redemption of Securities in part at the option of the Company, except that the notice of redemption shall also state that the Securities are being redeemed for the sinking fund.  Any sinking fund moneys not so applied by the Trustee to the redemption of Securities of such series shall be added to the next sinking fund payment received in funds by the Trustee and, together with such payment, shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of this Section 5.04.  Any and all sinking fund moneys held by the Trustee on the last sinking fund payment date with respect to Securities of such series, and not held for the payment or redemption of particular Securities of such series, shall be applied by the Trustee to the payment of the principal of the Securities of such series at Maturity.

 

(b)          On or prior to each sinking fund payment date, the Company shall pay to the Trustee a sum equal to all interest accrued to but not including the date fixed for redemption on Securities to be redeemed on such sinking fund payment date pursuant to this Section 5.04.

 

(c)          The Trustee shall not redeem any Securities of a series with sinking fund moneys or mail any notice of redemption of Securities of such series by operation of the sinking fund during the continuance of a Default in payment of interest on any Securities of such series or of any Event of Default (other than an Event of Default occurring as a consequence of this paragraph) of which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge, except that if the notice of redemption of any Securities of such series shall theretofore have been mailed in accordance with the provisions hereof, the Trustee shall redeem such Securities if funds sufficient for that purpose shall be deposited with the Trustee in accordance with the terms of this Article.  Except as aforesaid, any moneys in the sinking fund at the time any such Default or Event of Default shall occur and any moneys thereafter paid into the sinking fund shall, during the continuance of such Default or Event of Default, be held as security for the payment of all the Securities of such series; provided, however, that in case such Default or Event of Default shall have been cured or waived as provided herein, such moneys shall thereafter be applied on the next sinking fund payment date on which such moneys are required to be applied pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5.04.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

 

The Company hereby covenants and agrees as follows:

 

Section 6.01         Payments of Securities.  The Company will duly and punctually pay the principal of and premium, if any, on each series of Securities, and the interest which shall have accrued thereon, at the dates and place and in the manner provided in the Securities and in this Indenture.

 

Section 6.02         Paying Agent.

(a)          The Company will maintain in each Place of Payment for any series of Securities an office or agency where Securities may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities and this Indenture may be served (the “Paying Agent”).  The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency.  If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as Paying Agent to receive all presentations, surrenders, notices and demands.

 

(b)          The Company may also from time to time designate different or additional offices or agencies where the Securities of any series may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes (in or outside of such Place of Payment), and may from time to time rescind any such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligations described in the preceding paragraph.  The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such additional designation or rescission of designation and of any change in the location of any such different or additional office or agency.  The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Paying Agent not a party to this Indenture.  The agreement shall implement the provisions of this Indenture that relate to such agent.  The Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of each such agent.  The Company or any Affiliate thereof may act as Paying Agent.

 

(c)          If the Company shall appoint, and at the time have, a Paying Agent for the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest on any series of Securities, then prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date on which the principal of and premium, if any, or interest on any of the Securities of that series shall become payable as aforesaid, whether by their terms or as a result of the calling thereof for redemption, the Company will deposit with such Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay such principal and premium, if any, or interest, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities or the Trustee, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee), the Company or any other obligor of such Securities will promptly notify the Trustee of its payment or failure to make such payment.

 

Section 6.03         Merger, Consolidation and Sale of Assets.  Except as otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to any series of Securities:

 

(a)          The Company shall not consolidate with or merge into any other Person or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any Person unless:

 

(i)           in case the Company shall consolidate with or merge into any other Person, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any Person, the Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or to which such conveyance, transfer or lease is made shall be a Corporation, partnership, trust or other entity, and shall expressly assume, by an indenture supplemental hereto, executed and delivered to the Trustee, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of and any premium and interest on all the Securities and the performance or observance of every covenant of this Indenture on the part of the Company to be performed or observed;

 

(ii)          immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and

 

(iii)         the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and such supplemental indenture comply with this Section 6.03 and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with.

 

(b)          Upon any consolidation of the Company with, or merger of the Company into, any other Person or any conveyance or transfer (other than a lease) of the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety to any Person in accordance with Section 801, the successor Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or to which such conveyance or transfer (other than a lease) is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Company herein; and in the event of any such conveyance or transfer (but not in the case of a lease) the Company shall be discharged from all obligations and covenants under the Indenture. Such successor Person may cause to be signed, and may issue either in its own name or in the name of the Company, any or all of the Securities issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee; and, upon the order of such successor Person instead of the Company and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee shall authenticate and shall deliver any Securities which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication pursuant to such provisions and any Securities which such successor Person thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee on its behalf for the purpose pursuant to such provisions. All the Securities so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Securities theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Securities had been issued at the date of the execution hereof. In case of any such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease such changes in phraseology and form may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.

 

Section 6.04         Compliance Certificate.  Except as otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to any series of Securities, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee annually, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year ending after the date of this Indenture, a brief certificate from an Officer as to his or her knowledge of the Company’s compliance with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture (which compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided under this Indenture) and, in the event of any Default, specifying each such Default and the nature and status thereof of which such person may have knowledge.  Such certificates need not comply with Section 16.01 of this Indenture.

 

Section 6.05         Conditional Waiver by Holders of Securities.  Anything in this Indenture to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may fail or omit in any particular instance to comply with a covenant or condition set forth herein with respect to any series of Securities if the Company shall have obtained and filed with the Trustee, prior to the time of such failure or omission, evidence (as provided in Article VIII) of the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series at the time Outstanding (except as to a covenant or condition which under Section 14.02 cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected, in which case the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected shall be required), either waiving such compliance in such instance or generally waiving compliance with such covenant or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such covenant or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, or impair any right consequent thereon and, until such waiver shall have become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such covenant or condition shall remain in full force and effect.

 

Section 6.06         Statement by Officers as to Default.  The Company shall deliver to the Trustee as soon as possible and in any event within 30 days after the Company becomes aware of the occurrence of any Event of Default or an event which, with the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the details of such Event of Default or Default and the action which the Company proposes to take with respect thereto.

---