Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On December 9, 2022, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (“Mohegan” or the “Company”) completed the settlement of a portion of the transactions contemplated by its previously announced agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) with affiliates of Chatham Asset Management, LLC (collectively, “Chatham”). The Exchange Agreement provides that the parties will ultimately exchange (the “Notes Exchange”) approximately $475 million in aggregate principal amount of the Company’s outstanding 7.875% senior notes due 2024 (the “Old Notes”) for approximately $500 million in aggregate principal amount of newly issued 13.25% senior unsecured notes due 2027 of the Company (the “New Notes”). Concurrently with the initial settlement, the Company entered into a supplemental indenture to the existing indenture governing the Old Notes. The Exchange Agreement provides for additional settlements in December 2022 and January 2023, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the applicable conditions set forth in the Exchange Agreement.
New Notes and New Notes Indenture
In connection with the initial settlement of the Notes Exchange (the “Initial Settlement”), the Company has issued $163,913,000 in aggregate principal amount of New Notes under an indenture, dated as of December 9, 2022 (the “New Notes Indenture”), by and among the Company, The Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut (the “Tribe”), the subsidiaries of the Company party thereto as guarantors (the “Guarantors”) and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). Upon completion of the Initial Settlement, Old Notes in a principal amount of $155,720,000 were cancelled.
The New Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 13.25% per annum and mature on December 15, 2027. Interest on the New Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on June 15, 2023. The New Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on an unsecured, senior basis by each of the Guarantors and will be guaranteed by each other restricted subsidiary of the Company that becomes a guarantor in accordance with the terms of the New Notes.
Prior to June 15, 2024, the Company may redeem some or all of the New Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the New Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the redemption date. On or after June 15, 2024, the Company may redeem some or all of the New Notes at the redemption prices set forth in the New Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the redemption date.
The New Notes Indenture contains certain customary covenants that, subject to certain exceptions, limit the Company’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to incur additional debt, pay dividends or distributions, make certain investments, create liens on assets, enter into transactions with affiliates, merge or consolidate with another company or sell assets. The New Notes Indenture includes customary events of default, including, but not limited to, failure to make required payments and failure to comply with certain covenants, failure to pay certain other indebtedness the occurrence of which is caused by a failure to pay principal, premium or interest or results in the acceleration of such indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency and certain judgment defaults.
The foregoing description of certain provisions of the New Notes Indenture is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the New Notes Indenture, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 4.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.
Supplemental Indenture
In connection with the Initial Settlement and with the consent of the noteholders party to the Exchange Agreement, the Company, the Tribe and the Trustee (as successor in interest to U.S. Bank National Association) entered into a Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 9, 2022 (the “Supplemental Indenture”), amending the indenture dated as of October 14, 2016 (as amended prior to December 9, 2022, the “Old Notes Indenture”), among the Company, the Tribe and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee.
The Supplemental Indenture provides for the effectiveness of certain amendments to the Old Notes Indenture (the “Conforming Amendments”) upon the occurrence of the Initial Settlement, and the Supplemental Indenture and the Conforming Amendments became effective in connection with the completion of the Initial Settlement on December 9, 2022. The Conforming Amendments, among other changes, modify the ability of the Company and its restricted subsidiaries to incur certain additional debt, pay certain dividends or distributions, and make certain investments.