Exhibit 1.1
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
WILLIS LEASE FINANCE CORPORATION
$200,000,000 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2031
May 13, 2026
May 13, 2026
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
BofA Securities, Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
as Representatives of the several Underwriters listed in Schedule I hereto
c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
c/o BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
c/o Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
1 Columbus Circle
New York, New York 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Willis Lease Finance Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) $200,000,000 principal amount of 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Firm Securities”). The Company also proposes to issue and sell, solely to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Firm Securities by the Underwriters, to the several Underwriters not more than an additional $30,000,000 principal amount of 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Additional Securities”), if and to the extent that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofA”), and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“Deutsche Bank” and, together with Morgan Stanley and BofA, the “Representatives”), as representatives of the offering, shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such Additional Securities granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Securities and the Additional Securities are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Securities.” The Securities will be convertible at the option of the holder, upon the occurrence of certain events and during specified periods, into cash or a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), at the Company’s election, based on the applicable conversion rate, in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Indenture. The Securities will be issued pursuant to an indenture (the “Base Indenture”), as supplemented by a supplemental indenture (the Base Indenture, as so supplemented, the “Indenture”), in each case, to be dated as of the Closing Date (as defined below) between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).
2
Substantially concurrently with the offering of the Securities, shares of Common Stock (the “Delta Common Stock”) are being offered and sold (the “Concurrent Delta Offering”) by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, acting as underwriter (the “Delta Underwriter”), acting on behalf of itself and/or its affiliates, to facilitate hedging transactions by certain investors subscribing for the Securities (the “Convertible Arbitrage Investors”). The offering of the Securities is contingent upon the completion of the Concurrent Delta Offering, and the Concurrent Delta Offering is contingent upon the completion of the offering of the Securities. It is expected that the Delta Common Stock to be sold by the Delta Underwriter in the Concurrent Delta Offering will be borrowed from non-affiliate third parties and will be (x) sold short by the Delta Underwriter to facilitate concurrent privately negotiated transactions between the Delta Underwriter (and/or its affiliates) with certain Convertible Arbitrage Investors seeking a short exposure to Shares of Common Stock through a derivative, in an equivalent notional amount and/or (y) purchased by the Delta Underwriter from certain Convertible Arbitrage Investors who have sold them short to the Delta Underwriter in connection with the Notes Offering. The Company and the Delta Underwriter are entering into a separate underwriting agreement dated the date hereof with respect to the Concurrent Delta Offering (the “Delta Underwriting Agreement”). For the avoidance of doubt, there is no new issuance of Common Stock in the Concurrent Delta Offering.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-286998), including a preliminary prospectus, relating to the securities (the “Shelf Securities”), including the Securities, to be issued from time to time by the Company. The registration statement as amended to the date of this Agreement, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 430B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus covering the Shelf Securities in the form first used to confirm sales of the Securities (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Basic Prospectus.” The Basic Prospectus, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities in the form first used to confirm sales of the Securities (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus,” and the term “preliminary prospectus” means any preliminary form of the Prospectus.
For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus, as amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time, together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto, “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person and “Applicable Time” is 10:45 p.m. (New York City time) on May 13, 2026. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “Basic Prospectus,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the
3
documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof. The terms “supplement,” “amendment,” and “amend” as used herein with respect to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein.
1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
(b) (i) Each document, if any, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus complied or will comply when so filed in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and the Trust Indenture Act (as defined below), (ii) the Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (iii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Trust Indenture Act”), (iv) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Securities in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (v) each broadly available road show, if any, and “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act), if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (vi) the Prospectus, as of its date, does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to (i) that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes the Statement of Eligibility and Qualification (Form T-1) of the Trustee under the Trust Indenture Act or (ii) statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon the Underwriter Information (as defined below).
4
(c) The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or, if used after the effective date of this Agreement, will comply, as of the date of such filing, in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule III hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to the Representatives before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the Representatives’ prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.
(d) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(e) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated, organized or formed, is validly existing as a corporation or other business entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, organization or formation, has the corporate or other business entity power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; all of the issued shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.
(f) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
5
(g) The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed and delivered in accordance with its terms by each of the parties thereto, will constitute a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability (collectively, the “Enforceability Exceptions”), and the Indenture conforms in all material respects to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act.
(h) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(i) Upon issuance and delivery of the Securities in accordance with this Agreement and the Indenture, the Securities will be convertible at the option of the holder, upon the occurrence of certain events and during specified periods, into cash or a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, at the Company’s election, based on the applicable conversion rate, in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Indenture. A number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (x) the quotient obtained by dividing the principal amount of Securities (assuming the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase Additional Securities in full) by $1,000 and (y) the conversion rate for the Securities (assuming the maximum increase to such conversion rate for a conversion of Securities in connection with a “make-whole fundamental change,” as described in the Indenture) (the “Maximum Number of Underlying Securities”) have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by the Company upon any conversions of the Securities in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Indenture and, if and when issued upon any conversion of the Securities in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Indenture, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; no holder of such shares will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of such shares upon any such conversion will not be subject to the preemptive or other similar rights under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the charter of the Company or any agreement to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party, or otherwise created by the Company.
(j) The shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the issuance of the Securities have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(k) The Securities have been duly authorized and, when duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered as provided in the Indenture and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued and outstanding and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
6
(l) The Delta Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(m) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, each of this Agreement, the Delta Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture, and the Securities (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”) and the issuance and sale of the Securities (including the issuance of any shares of Common Stock upon conversion thereof) will not contravene (i) any provision of applicable law, (ii) the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, except that in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv) as would not singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power and ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents or the Delta Underwriting Agreement, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body, agency or court is required for the execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, each of the Transaction Documents, except (x) such as shall have been obtained or waived, and (y) such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities.
(n) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(o) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and proceedings that would not reasonably be expected to, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents or to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in all material respects in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus and are not so described; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.
7
(p) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(q) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(r) None of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (including the application of the proceeds of the offering of the Securities) will violate or result in a violation of Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
(s) (i) The Company and each of its subsidiaries (x) are, and have been, in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws (including common laws) and regulations, requirements, judgments, decrees and orders relating to the environment, hazardous or toxic substances, wastes, pollutants, chemicals or contaminants (“Hazardous Substances”) or the protection of human health and safety (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (y) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and are and have been in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, and (z) have not received notice or claim of any actual or potential liability, obligation or violation under or relating to any Environmental Law or Hazardous Substances, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice, claim, liability, obligation or violation, and (ii) there are no costs, obligations or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws or Hazardous Substances (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties), except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above for any such matters as would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(t) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (x) there is no proceeding that is pending, or that is known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Law in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceeding in which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $300,000 or more will be imposed, (y) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts or issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws, that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital expenditures, earning or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries, and (z) none of the Company or its subsidiaries anticipates any material capital expenditures relating to any Environmental Laws.
8
(u) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(v) (i) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any person to improperly influence official action by that person for the benefit of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates, or to otherwise secure any improper advantage, or to any person in violation of (a) the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, (b) the UK Bribery Act 2010, and (c) any other applicable law, regulation, order, decree or directive having the force of law and relating to bribery or corruption (collectively, the “Anti-Corruption Laws”).
(w) The operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable anti-money laundering laws, rules, and regulations, including the financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements contained therein, and including the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, applicable provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”).
(x) (i) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director, officer or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate, or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government (including the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Department of State), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or any other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of comprehensive territorial Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, or any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
9
(ii) The Company and each of its subsidiaries, (a) have not, since the more recent of April 24, 2019 or 10 years prior to the date of the Agreement, engaged in, (b) are not now engaged in, and (c) will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was, or whose government is or was, the subject of Sanctions.
(y) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
| (i) | to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is, or whose government is, the subject of Sanctions; |
| (ii) | to fund or facilitate any money laundering or terrorist financing activities; or |
| (iii) | in any other manner that would cause or result in a violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, or Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise). |
(z) The Company and its subsidiaries have conducted and will conduct their businesses in compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Sanctions, and no investigation, inquiry, action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Corruption Laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws or Sanctions is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened. The Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws, Sanctions, and with the representations and warranties contained herein.
(aa) (i) The Company and its subsidiaries own or have a valid license to all patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain names and all other worldwide intellectual property and proprietary rights (including all registrations and applications for registration of, and all goodwill associated with, any of the foregoing) (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) used in or reasonably necessary to the conduct of their businesses as currently conducted; (ii) the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Intellectual Property Rights licensed to the Company and its subsidiaries, are valid,
10
subsisting and, to the Company’s knowledge, enforceable, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, scope or enforceability of any such Intellectual Property Rights; (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (iv) to the Company’s knowledge, no Person is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that, singly or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (v) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights that, singly or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (vi) all employees or contractors engaged in the development of Intellectual Property Rights on behalf of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property Rights to the Company or the applicable subsidiary, and to the Company’s knowledge, no such agreement has been breached or violated; and (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries use, and have used, commercially reasonable efforts to appropriately maintain all information intended to be maintained as a trade secret.
(bb) Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries use and have used any and all software and other materials distributed under a “free,” “open source,” or similar licensing model (including but not limited to the MIT License, Apache License, GNU General Public License, GNU Lesser General Public License and GNU Affero General Public License) (“Open Source Software”) in compliance with all license terms applicable to such Open Source Software; and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries uses or distributes or has used or distributed any Open Source Software in any manner that requires or has required (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries to permit reverse engineering of any software code or other technology owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (B) any software code or other technology owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries to be (1) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (2) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works or (3) redistributed at no charge.
(cc) (i) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have complied and are presently in compliance with all internal and external privacy policies, contractual obligations, industry standards, applicable laws, statutes, judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or other governmental or regulatory authority and any other legal obligations, in each case, relating to the collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, protection, disposal, disclosure and processing by the
11
Company or any of its subsidiaries of personal, personally identifiable, household, sensitive, confidential or regulated data or information (“Data Security Obligations”, and such data or information, “Data”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any notification of or complaint regarding and are unaware of any other facts that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably indicate non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation; and (iii) there is no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or threatened alleging non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation.
(dd) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have taken all necessary technical and organizational measures designed to protect the information technology systems and Data (including the Data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third-party Data maintained, stored or processed by or on behalf of the Company and its subsidiaries) used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses (“IT Systems and Data”), which are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with, the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business, free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company and its subsidiaries have used reasonable efforts to establish and maintain, and have established, maintained, implemented and complied with, reasonable information technology, information security, cyber security and data protection controls, policies and procedures, including oversight, access controls, encryption, technological and physical safeguards and business continuity/disaster recovery and security plans, consistent with industry standards and practices, that are designed to protect against and prevent breach, destruction, loss, unauthorized distribution, use, access, disablement, misappropriation or modification, or other compromise or misuse of or relating to any IT Systems and Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses (“Breach”). There has been no material Breach, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any such material Breach.
(ee) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, singly or in the aggregate, has had (nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
12
(ff) The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby except for any normal year-end adjustments in the Company’s quarterly financial statements. The other financial information included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate and such data is consistent with the sources from which they are derived, in each case in all material respects.
(gg) Grant Thornton LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and delivered its report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedules filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(hh) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is accurate. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
13
(ii) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to the Company; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is communicated to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in all material respects.
(jj) The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(kk) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.
(ll) The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication with any person other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are reasonably believed to be accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act other than those listed on Schedule III hereto. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) or Rule 163B of the Securities Act.
(mm) Each Transaction Document conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(nn) As of the time of each sale of the Securities in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (A) the Time of Sale Prospectus, (B) any free writing prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (C) any individual Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits, or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective principal amount of Firm Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at a price equal to 97% of the principal amount thereof (the “Purchase Price”) plus accrued interest, if any, from May 18, 2026 to the Closing Date.
14
On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Securities, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to $30,000,000 principal amount of Additional Securities at the Purchase Price plus accrued interest, if any, from May 18, 2026 to the date of payment and delivery. Such option may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Firm Securities by the Underwriters. The Representatives may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the principal amount of Additional Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such Additional Securities are to be purchased (which may be the Closing Date (as defined below)). Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. On each day, if any, that Additional Securities are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the principal amount of Additional Securities (subject to such adjustments to eliminate Securities in denominations other than $1,000 as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total principal amount of Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the principal amount of Firm Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total principal amount of Firm Securities.
3. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Securities shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Securities for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 18, 2026, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”
Payment for any Additional Securities shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Securities for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than the tenth business day thereafter, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives.
The Firm Securities and Additional Securities shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall request not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Securities and Additional Securities shall be delivered to the nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters in the
15
form of one or more global notes representing the Securities (collectively, the “Global Note”), with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the transfer of the Securities to the Underwriters duly paid by the Company, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor. The Global Note will be made available for inspection by the Representatives at the office of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC set forth above not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be.
4. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations.
The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:
(i) no order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission;
(ii) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act; and
(iii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in the Representatives’ judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the Representatives’ judgment, impracticable to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Sections 4(a)(i) and 4(a)(ii) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.
The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
16
(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Milbank LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
With respect to the negative assurance letters to be delivered pursuant to Section 4(c) above, Milbank LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP may state that their opinions and beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent check or verification, except as specified.
The opinion of Milbank LLP described in Section 4(c) above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.
(e) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Grant Thornton LLP, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than the date hereof.
(f) The Lock-up Agreements between the Representatives and certain shareholders, officers and directors of the Company shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
(g) The Securities shall be eligible for clearance and settlement through DTC.
(h) A number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Maximum Number of Underlying Securities shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, subject to official notice of issuance.
(i) All conditions to closing under the Delta Underwriting Agreement on the Closing Date shall have been satisfied or waived and the closing of the transactions to be consummated on the Closing Date under the Delta Underwriting Agreement shall have occurred substantially concurrently with the consummation of the sale and purchase of the Firm Securities on the Closing Date.
17
(j) The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Securities hereunder are subject to the delivery to the Representatives on the applicable Option Closing Date of the following:
(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 4(b) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;
(ii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Milbank LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 4(c) hereof;
(iii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 4(d) hereof;
(iv) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Grant Thornton LLP, independent public accountants, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 4(e) hereof; provided that the letter delivered on the Option Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than two business days prior to such Option Closing Date; and
(v) such other documents as the Representatives may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Securities to be sold on such Option Closing Date.
5. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) To furnish to the Representatives, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference, all of which may be an electronic facsimile) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to the Representatives in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 5(e) or 5(f) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object in writing, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
18
(c) To furnish to the Representatives a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Representatives reasonably object.
(d) Not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(e) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Securities at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(f) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Securities as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses the Representatives will furnish to the Company) to which Securities may have been sold by the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
19
(g) To endeavor to qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request.
(h) To make generally available (which may be satisfied by filing with the Commission on its Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System) to the Company’s security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(i) If at any time following the distribution of any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(j) To prepare a final term sheet relating to this offering of the Securities and the Concurrent Delta Offering in a form approved by the Representatives (as set forth in Annex I hereto) and to file such term sheet pursuant to and within the time required by Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act.
(k) The Company will not take any action prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act in connection with the distribution of the Securities contemplated hereby.
(l) The Company will reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Maximum Number of Underlying Securities. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Maximum Number of Underlying Securities of the Securities then outstanding on the Nasdaq Global Market.
(m) The Company will assist the Underwriters in arranging for the Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through DTC.
(n) Between the date hereof and the later of (i) the Closing Date and (ii) the Option Closing Date, if any, that is latest in time, the Company will not do or authorize any act or thing that would, if it occurred after such date, result in an adjustment of the Conversion Rate (as such term is defined in the Indenture) for the Securities, provided, that this clause (n) shall not prohibit a 3 for 1 forward split that becomes effective on or after the close of business on the Closing Date on the terms described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
20
The Company also covenants with each Underwriter that, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period ending 60 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Company Restricted Period”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.
The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (A) the Securities to be sold hereunder and any shares of Common Stock issued upon conversion of the Securities, (B) the registration of the shares of Common Stock offered in the Concurrent Delta Offering under the Securities Act, (C) the issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof or the settlement of restricted stock awards as described in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, provided that the Company shall cause each recipient of such grant, if any, to execute and deliver to the Representatives an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto if such recipient has not already delivered one, (D) the reacquisition or withholding of all or a portion of shares of Common Stock subject to a stock award to satisfy a tax withholding obligation of the Company in connection with the vesting or exercise of such stock award or to satisfy the purchase price or exercise price of such stock award, (E) the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 to register shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to any employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans, described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, (F) any shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to any non-employee director stock compensation plan or program described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, (G) shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock, or the entrance into an agreement to issue shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock, in connection with any merger, joint venture, strategic alliances, commercial or other collaborative transaction or the acquisition or licenses of the business, property, technology or other assets of another individual or entity or the assumption of an employee benefit plan in connection with a merger or acquisition; provided that the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock that the Company may issue or agree to issue pursuant to this clause (G) shall not exceed 10% of the total outstanding share capital of the Company immediately following the issuance of the Securities; and
21
provided further, that the recipients of any such shares of Common Stock and securities issued pursuant to this clause (G) during the Company Restricted Period shall enter into an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto on or prior to such issuance, (H) grants of compensatory equity-based awards, and/or the issuance of shares of Common Stock or securities with respect thereto, made pursuant to compensatory equity-based plans as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or (I) facilitating the establishment of a trading plan on behalf of a shareholder, officer or director of the Company pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Company Restricted Period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Common Stock may be made under such plan during the Company Restricted Period.
6. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel, the Company’s accountants and in connection with the registration and delivery of the Securities under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(g) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonably incurred fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) the costs and charges of any trustee, transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (v) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, (vi) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement and (vii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution” and the last paragraph of Section 10 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Securities by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
22
7. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.
8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any “road show” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, or arise out of, or are based upon, any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Underwriters through the Representatives consists of the information described as such in paragraph (c) below.
(b) The Company also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Morgan Stanley and each person, if any, who controls Morgan Stanley within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and judgments incurred as a result of Morgan Stanley’s participation as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of Rule 5121 of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in connection with the offering of the Securities, except for any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, and judgments resulting from Morgan Stanley’s, or such controlling person’s, willful misconduct.
23
(c) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of, or are based upon, any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus, road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the third paragraph regarding the Underwriters’ offering of the Securities, the first sentence of the eighth paragraph regarding the Underwriters’ market-making activities, and the first and second sentences of the twelfth paragraph concerning the Underwriters’ stabilization activities under “Underwriting” (such information, the “Underwriter Information”).
(d) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(c), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonably incurred fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed in writing to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for (i) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or who are affiliates of any Underwriter within the meaning of
24
Rule 405 under the Securities Act, (ii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either such Section and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and does not include any statement as to any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, if indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Section 8(d) in respect of such action or proceeding, then in addition to such separate firm for the indemnified parties, the indemnifying party shall be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of not more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for Morgan Stanley in its capacity as a “qualified independent underwriter” and all persons, if any, who control Morgan Stanley within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act.
(e) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(c) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in
25
clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Securities (after deducting underwriting commissions and discounts but before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Purchase Price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective principal amount of Securities they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
(f) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(e). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 8(e) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(g) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Securities.
26
9. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by the Representatives to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to or on the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade or other relevant exchanges, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States or other relevant jurisdiction shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal or New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in the Representatives’ judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in the Representatives’ judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
10. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Securities that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate principal amount of Securities which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the principal amount of Firm Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate principal amount of Firm Securities set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as the Representatives may specify, to purchase the Securities which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the principal amount of Securities that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 10 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such principal amount of Securities without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Securities and the aggregate principal amount of Firm Securities with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate principal amount of Firm Securities to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Securities are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or
27
arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Securities and the aggregate principal amount of Additional Securities with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate principal amount of Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Securities to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the principal amount of Additional Securities that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all reasonable and documented, out of pocket expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.
11. Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the Securities, represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Underwriters with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the Securities.
(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Securities: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arm’s length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement, any contemporaneous written agreements and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company, and (iv) none of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Securities.
12. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. (a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
28
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.Docusign.Com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
14. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
15. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
16. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 1 Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Debt Capital Markets Syndicate, with a copy to General Counsel (dbcapmarkets.gcnotices@list.db.com); and BofA Securities, Inc., One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Syndicate Department, with electronic mail copy to dg.ecm_legal@bofa.com, Attention: ECM Legal; and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to 4700 Lyons Technology Parkway, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073.
29
| Very truly yours, | ||
| Willis Lease Finance Corporation | ||
| By: | /s/ Scott B. Flaherty | |
| Name: Scott B. Flaherty | ||
| Title: EVP & Chief Financial Officer | ||
Accepted as of the date hereof
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
BofA Securities, Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto.
| By: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ Freddy Tovo | |
| Name: Freddy Tovo | ||
| Title: Vice President | ||
| By: BofA Securities, Inc. | ||
| By: | /s/ Gary D. Howe | |
| Name: Gary D. Howe | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
| By: Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | ||
| By: | /s/ Natasha Hossain | |
| Name: Natasha Hossain | ||
| Title: Director | ||
| By: | /s/ Diana Nott | |
| Name: Diana Nott | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
SCHEDULE I
| Underwriter | Principal Amount of Firm Securities To Be Purchased | |||
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | $ | 100,000,000 | ||
|
|
| |||
| BofA Securities, Inc. | 60,000,000 | |||
|
|
| |||
| Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | 40,000,000 | |||
|
|
| |||
| Total: | $ | 200,000,000 | ||
|
|
| |||
I-1
SCHEDULE II
Time of Sale Prospectus
| 1. | Preliminary Prospectus issued May 13, 2026. |
| 2. | Pricing Term Sheet in the form as set forth in Annex I hereto. |
II-1
SCHEDULE III
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
| 1. | Pricing Term Sheet in the form as set forth in Annex I hereto. |
| 2. | Press release of the Company dated May 13, 2026 relating to the announcement of the offering of the Securities and the proposed Concurrent Delta Offering. |
| 3. | Press release of the Company dated May 13, 2026 relating to the announcement of the pricing of the Securities and the proposed Concurrent Delta Offering. |
III-1
ANNEX I
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
Filed Pursuant to Rule 433
Registration Statement No. 333- 286998
Relating to the
Preliminary Prospectus Supplements
Dated May 13, 2026
(To Prospectus Dated May 15, 2025)
PRICING TERM SHEET
May 13, 2026
Willis Lease Finance Corporation
Offerings of
281,250 Shares of Common Stock
and
$200,000,000 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031
The information in this pricing term sheet supplements (i) Willis Lease Finance Corporation’s (“Willis”) preliminary prospectus supplement, dated May 13, 2026 (the “Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”), relating to an offering of common stock by the underwriter in the delta offering (the “Delta Offering”), and (ii) Willis’ preliminary prospectus supplement, dated May 13, 2026 (the “Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”), relating to an offering of convertible senior notes by Willis (the “Convertible Notes Offering”), and, in each case, the accompanying prospectus, dated May 15, 2025, filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). This pricing term sheet supersedes the information in the Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement to the extent inconsistent with the information in the Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, respectively. Terms used, but not defined, in this pricing term sheet have the respective meanings set forth in the Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement. As used in this pricing term sheet, “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Willis and not to its subsidiaries. Willis has increased the size of the Convertible Notes Offering from $175,000,000 to $200,000,000 (or, if the underwriters of the Convertible Notes Offering fully exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional Notes, $230,000,000). The final prospectus supplements relating to the Delta Offering and the Convertible Notes Offering will reflect conforming changes relating to such increase in the size of the Convertible Notes Offering.
| Delta Offering | ||
| Issuer: | Willis Lease Finance Corporation | |
| Common Stock: | The common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Issuer | |
| Securities Offered: | Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, acting on behalf of itself or its affiliates, is offering and selling 281,250 shares of Common Stock borrowed from non-affiliate third parties to facilitate hedging transactions by certain investors subscribing for the Notes (as defined below). No new shares of Common Stock will be issued in the Delta Offering. | |
| Ticker/Exchange for the | ||
| Common Stock: | WLFC / Nasdaq Global Market | |
| Last Reported Sale Price per Share of the Common Stock on May 13, 2026: | $211.67 | |
| Public Offering Price per Share of Common Stock: | Initially, $192.00 | |
| Trade Date: | May 14, 2026 | |
| Settlement Date: | May 18, 2026, which is the second business day after the Trade Date (this settlement cycle being referred to as “T+2”). Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally must settle in one business day, unless the parties to the trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Common Stock sold in the Delta Offering before the business day before the Settlement Date must, because the Common Stock sold in the Delta Offering initially will settle T+2, specify an alternate settlement cycle at the time of such trade to prevent a failed settlement. Those purchasers should consult their advisors. | |
| Sole Book-Running Manager: | Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | |
| CUSIP/ISIN Numbers for the | ||
| Common Stock: | CUSIP: 970646105 / ISIN: US9706461053 | |
| Convertible Notes Offering | ||
| Issuer: | Willis Lease Finance Corporation | |
| Securities: | 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Notes”) | |
| Offering Size: | $200,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes, plus up to an additional $30,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes pursuant to the over-allotment option of the underwriters of the Convertible Notes Offering | |
| Ticker/Exchange for the Common Stock: | WLFC / Nasdaq Global Market | |
| Maturity Date: | May 15, 2031, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted | |
| Interest: | 2.50% per annum. Interest will accrue from May 18, 2026 and will be payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on November 15, 2026 | |
| Regular Record Dates: | May 1 and November 1 of each year, immediately preceding the relevant May 15 and November 15 interest payment date, as the case may be. | |
| Issue Price: | 100% of the principal amount per Note | |
| Underwriting Discount: | 3.00% of the principal amount of the Notes, and $6,000,000 in the aggregate (or $6,900,000 in the aggregate, if the underwriters of the Convertible Notes Offering fully exercise their over-allotment option) | |
| Trade Date: | May 14, 2026 | |
| Settlement Date: | May 18, 2026, which is the second business day after the Trade Date (this settlement cycle being referred to as “T+2”). Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally must settle in one business day, unless the parties to the trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Notes before the business day before the Settlement Date must, because the Notes initially will settle T+2, specify an alternate settlement cycle at the time of such trade to prevent a failed settlement. Those purchasers should consult their advisors | |
| Use of Proceeds: | We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the Convertible Notes Offering will be approximately $193.1 million (or approximately $222.2 million if the underwriters of the Convertible Notes Offering fully exercise in full their over-allotment option), after deducting the underwriters’ discounts and commissions and our estimated offering expenses. We intend to use the net proceeds from the issuance of the Notes to temporarily repay amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility until deployed for general corporate purposes. | |
| CUSIP / ISIN: | CUSIP: 970646 AA3 / ISIN: US970646AA36 | |
| Denominations/Multiple: | $1,000 / $1,000 | |
| Last Reported Sale Price per Share | ||
| of the Common Stock on May 13, 2026: | $211.67 | |
| Initial Conversion Rate: | 3.7202 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes | |
| Initial Conversion Price: | Approximately $268.80 per share of Common Stock | |
| Conversion Premium: | Approximately 40.0% above the Public Offering Price per Share of Common Stock in the Delta Offering | |
| Joint Book-Running Managers: | Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC BofA Securities, Inc. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | |
| Optional Redemption: | We may not redeem the Notes at our option at any time before May 21, 2029. Subject to the terms of the indenture, the Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part (subject to certain limitations described below), at our option at any time, and from time to time, on or after May 21, 2029 and on or before the 41st scheduled trading day immediately before the Maturity Date, at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, but only if the last reported sale price per share of Common Stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price on (i) each of at | |
| least 20 trading days, whether or not consecutive, during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the trading day immediately before the date we send the related redemption notice; and (ii) the trading day immediately before the date we send such notice. However, we may not redeem less than all of the outstanding Notes unless at least $75.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes are outstanding and not called for redemption as of the time we send the related redemption notice. In addition, calling any Note for redemption will constitute a make-whole fundamental change with respect to that Note, in which case the conversion rate applicable to the conversion of that Note will be increased in certain circumstances if it is converted with a conversion date on or after the date we send the related redemption notice to, and including, the business day immediately before the related redemption date. If we elect to redeem less than all of the outstanding Notes, then the redemption will not constitute a make- whole fundamental change with respect to the Notes not called for redemption, and holders of the Notes not called for redemption will not be entitled to an increased conversion rate for such Notes as described above on account of the redemption, except in certain circumstances. See “Description of Notes—Optional Redemption” in the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement. | ||
| Increase in Conversion Rate in | ||
| Connection with a Make-Whole | ||
| Fundamental Change: | If a make-whole fundamental change occurs and the conversion date for the conversion of a Note occurs during the related make-whole fundamental change conversion period, then, subject to the provisions described in the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement under the caption “Description of Notes—Conversion Rights—Increase in Conversion Rate in Connection with a Make-Whole Fundamental Change,” the conversion rate applicable to such conversion will be increased by a number of shares of Common Stock (the “Additional Shares”) set forth in the table below corresponding (after interpolation as described below) to the make-whole fundamental change effective date and the stock price of such make-whole fundamental change: | |
| Stock Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make-Whole Fundamental Change Effective Date | $192.00 | $225.00 | $268.80 | $300.00 | $349.44 | $500.00 | $750.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,500.00 | $2,000.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 18, 2026 | 1.4881 | 1.1114 | 0.7864 | 0.6289 | 0.4551 | 0.1994 | 0.0661 | 0.0234 | 0.0020 | 0.0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 15, 2027 | 1.4881 | 1.0902 | 0.7486 | 0.5866 | 0.4120 | 0.1682 | 0.0519 | 0.0169 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 15, 2028 | 1.4881 | 1.0526 | 0.6915 | 0.5255 | 0.3527 | 0.1295 | 0.0367 | 0.0111 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 15, 2029 | 1.4881 | 0.9847 | 0.6003 | 0.4323 | 0.2679 | 0.0832 | 0.0216 | 0.0058 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 15, 2030 | 1.4881 | 0.8703 | 0.4490 | 0.2847 | 0.1465 | 0.0345 | 0.0095 | 0.0024 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 15, 2031 | 1.4881 | 0.7242 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If such make-whole fundamental change effective date or stock price is not set forth in the table above, then:
| • | if such stock price is between two stock prices in the table above or the make-whole fundamental change effective date is between two dates in the table above, then the number of Additional Shares will be determined by straight-line interpolation between the numbers of Additional Shares set forth for the higher and lower stock prices in the table above or the earlier and later dates in the table above, based on a 365- or 366-day year, as applicable; and |
| • | if the stock price is greater than $2,000.00 (subject to adjustment in the same manner as the stock prices set forth in the column headings of the table above are adjusted, as described in the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement under the caption “Description of Notes—Conversion Rights—Increase in Conversion Rate in Connection with a Make-Whole Fundamental Change—Adjustment of Stock Prices and Number of Additional Shares”), or less than $192.00 (subject to adjustment in the same manner), per share of Common Stock, then no Additional Shares will be added to the conversion rate. |
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event will the conversion rate be increased to an amount that exceeds 5.2083 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, which amount is subject to adjustment in the same manner as, and at the same time and for the same events for which, the conversion rate is required to be adjusted pursuant to the provisions described in the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement under the caption “Description of Notes—Conversion Rights—Conversion Rate Adjustments—Generally.”
We have filed a registration statement (including a prospectus), the Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement with the SEC for the offerings to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, as applicable, and the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents we have filed with the SEC for more complete information about us and these offerings. You may get these documents free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, a copy of the preliminary prospectus supplements (or, when available, the final prospectus supplements), together with the accompanying prospectuses relating to each offering, may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014, email: prospectus@morganstanley.com, and a copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement (or, when available, the final prospectus supplement), together with the accompanying prospectus relating to the Convertible Notes Offering, may also be obtained from BofA Securities, Inc., 201 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255, Attention: Prospectus Department, email: dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com, and from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Attention: Prospectus Department, 1 Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019, telephone: 800-503-4611, email: prospectus.cpdg@db.com.
The information in this pricing term sheet is not a complete description of the Common Stock, the Delta Offering, the Notes or the Convertible Notes Offering. You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in the Common Stock Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Convertible Notes Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as supplemented by this pricing term sheet, in making an investment decision with respect to the Common Stock or the Notes.
ANY DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES THAT MAY APPEAR BELOW ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. SUCH DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES WERE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMMUNICATION BEING SENT VIA BLOOMBERG OR ANOTHER EMAIL SYSTEM.
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
May [•], 2026
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), proposes to enter into (A) an Underwriting Agreement (the “Notes Underwriting Agreement”) with Willis Lease Finance Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Notes Public Offering”) by the several underwriters listed on Schedule I to the Notes Underwriting Agreement, including Morgan Stanley (the “Notes Underwriters”) of securities convertible into common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”) (such securities, the “Convertible Notes”), and (B) an Underwriting Agreement (the “Delta Underwriting Agreement” and, together with the Notes Underwriting Agreement, the “Underwriting Agreements”) with the Company, providing for the public offering (the “Delta Public Offering” and, together with the Notes Public Offering, the “Public Offerings”) by the underwriter (the “Delta Underwriter” and, together with the Notes Underwriters, the “Underwriters”), of borrowed shares of Common Stock of the Company (such shares of common stock, the “Delta Common Stock” and, together with the Convertible Notes, the “Securities”), in each case pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offerings to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offerings, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, the undersigned will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 60 days after the date of the final prospectus supplements (the “Restricted Period”) relating to the Public Offerings (the “Prospectus”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), by the undersigned or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the foregoing precludes the undersigned from engaging in any hedging or other transaction designed or intended, or which could reasonably be expected to lead to or result in, a sale or disposition of any shares of Common Stock, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, even if any such sale or disposition transaction or transactions would be made or executed by or on behalf of someone other than the undersigned.
The foregoing shall not apply to:
(a) transactions relating to shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offerings, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of Common Stock or other securities acquired in such open market transactions;
(b) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock as a bona fide gift, by will, other testamentary document or intestacy or to a beneficiary, family member, trust or other estate planning entity for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or family members (for the purposes of this agreement, “family member” means any relationship by blood, domestic partnership, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin);
(c) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock to a charity or educational institution;
(d) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock, if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustee or beneficiary of the trust;
(e) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (i) any transfers or distributions of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock to another corporation, partnership, investment fund or other business entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the undersigned or (ii) distributions of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock to managers, members, general or limited partners, subsidiaries, affiliates or stockholders of the undersigned; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (b), (c), (d) or (e), (i) each donee, transferee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement and (ii) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period;
(f) facilitating the establishment of a trading plan on behalf of a shareholder, officer or director of the Company pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Restricted Period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Common Stock may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period;
(g) the transfer of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock that occurs by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement; provided that the transferee agrees to sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement for the balance of the Restricted Period; and provided further, that any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act that is required to be made during the Restricted Period as a result of such transfer shall include a statement that such transfer has occurred by operation of law; or
(h) the receipt by the undersigned from the Company of Common Stock upon the vesting of restricted stock awards or stock units or upon the exercise of options to purchase the Company’s Common Stock issued under an equity incentive plan of the Company or an employment arrangement (the “Plan Shares”) or the transfer or withholding of Common Stock or any securities convertible into Common Stock to the Company upon a vesting event of the Company’s securities or upon the exercise of options to purchase the Company’s securities, in each case on a “cashless” or “net exercise” basis or to cover tax obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting or exercise; provided that if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Common Stock during the Restricted Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such schedule or report to the effect that the purpose of such transfer was to cover tax withholding obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting or exercise; and provided further, that the Plan Shares shall be subject to the terms of this agreement.
In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Restricted Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offerings. The undersigned further understands that this agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the Underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Public Offerings of the Securities and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that, although the Underwriters may provide certain Regulation Best Interest and
Form CRS disclosures or other related documentation to you in connection with the Public Offerings, the Underwriters are not making a recommendation to you to participate in the Public Offerings or sell any Securities at the price determined in the Public Offerings, and nothing set forth in such disclosures or documentation is intended to suggest that any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.
Whether or not the Public Offerings actually occur depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offerings will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the applicable Underwriters.
The undersigned hereby consents to receipt of this agreement in electronic form and understands and agrees that this agreement may be signed electronically. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, electronic mail, or otherwise by electronic transmission evidencing an intent to sign this agreement, such facsimile transmission, electronic mail or other electronic transmission shall create a valid and binding obligation of the undersigned with the same force and effect as if such signature were an original. Execution and delivery of this agreement by facsimile transmission, electronic mail or other electronic transmission is legal, valid and binding for all purposes.
This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
[Signature Page to Follow]
If an entity:
| [NAME] | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
If an individual:
| By: |
| |
| Name: |