Everest Re Group, Ltd.
Common Shares
________
Underwriting Agreement
May 16, 2023
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
As representatives (the “Representatives”) of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
c/o Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Everest Re Group, Ltd., a Bermuda exempted company (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated in this agreement (this “Agreement”), to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 3,600,000 common shares, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Shares”), of the Company (such number of Common Shares, the “Firm Securities”) and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 540,000 additional Common Shares (the “Optional Securities”). The Firm Securities and the Optional Securities that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof being collectively called the “Securities”).
1. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(a) An “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) on Form S-3 (File No. 333-259589) in respect of the Securities and other securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, became effective on filing; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission, and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act has been received by the Company (the base prospectus filed
as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus supplement) relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto and any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Act, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, relating to the Securities is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”).
(b) (A) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 9(b)). There is no contract or other document required to be described in the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement that has not been described or filed as required.
(c) (A) (i) At the time of filing of the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment of the Registration Statement for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act, or form of prospectus), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Act, the Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; and (B) at the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Securities, and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an "ineligible issuer," as defined in Rule 405 under the Act.
(d) The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the last Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4(a) of this Agreement) and the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Securities, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the Basic Prospectus, a Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Representatives and included in Schedule II(a) hereto or the Registration Statement. The Representatives shall provide notice to the Company if the distribution of the Securities has not been completed on the date of the Time of Delivery and upon such later date as the distribution of the Securities has been completed.
(e) For the purposes of this Agreement, “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Rule 163B under the Act. The Company (i) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communications and (ii) has not authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications.
(f) For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 7:20 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement. The Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the information listed on Schedule II(c) hereto, taken together (collectively, the "Pricing Disclosure Package"), as of the Applicable Time did not, and as of each Time of Delivery will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of each Time of Delivery will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in the Pricing Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(g) The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and no such documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement.
(h) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an 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; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) sustained any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree or (ii) entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been (x) any material change in the share capital (other than as a result of (i) the exercise, if any, of share options or the award, if any, of share options or restricted shares in the ordinary course of business pursuant to the Company’s equity plans that are described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus or (ii) the issuance, if any, of shares upon conversion of Company securities as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus) or long term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (y) any Material Adverse Effect (as defined below); as used in this Agreement, “Material Adverse Effect” shall mean any material adverse change or effect in or affecting (i) the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (ii) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, including the issuance and sale of the Securities, or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(j) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly incorporated or organized and is validly existing in good standing (to the extent such concept is relevant) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with corporate or other power and authority to own its respective properties and conduct its respective businesses as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, and each of them has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing (to the extent such concept is relevant) under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out all the terms and provisions hereof to be carried out by it; and this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. All of the currently issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors’ qualifying shares) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims; and the holders of issued and outstanding shares of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights which have not been complied with.
(k) The Company has the authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable.
(l) The Securities to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable.
(m) The issue and sale of the Securities, the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement and the Pricing Prospectus will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, (A) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, except for such conflicts, breaches, violations or defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect or a material adverse effect on the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (B) the certificate of incorporation, memorandum of association, bylaws or bye-laws (or other constitutional or
organizational documents) of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (C) any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body (including, without limitation, any insurance regulatory agency or body) having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except in the case of this clause (B), for any such violation which, individually or in the aggregate would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been, or will have been prior to such Time of Delivery, obtained under the Act and for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters.
(n) The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Description of Our Common Shares”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the Common Shares and the Company’s constitutional documents, under the caption “Taxation”, and under the caption “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate and complete in all material respects.
(o) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its certificate of incorporation, memorandum of association, bylaws, bye-laws or other constitutional or organizational documents, as applicable, (ii) in violation of any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties or (iii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other material agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except for such default as individually or in the aggregate would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental or regulatory proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, individually or in the aggregate, might reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by such governmental or regulatory authorities or threatened by others.
(q) No stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties and no capital gains, income, withholding or other taxes are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters to Bermuda or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with the transactions contemplated herein.
(r) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities, will not be required to register as an “investment company”, or a company “controlled” by an “investment company”, as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(s) The Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s directors and officers, in their capacities as such, are in compliance with the currently applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(t) The Company is subject to and in compliance in all material respects with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
(u) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action which was designed to, which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Common Shares.
(v) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), which has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, and has audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and management’s assessment thereof, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(w) The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and it is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting.
(x) Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, its internal control over financial reporting.
(y) 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; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; such disclosure controls and procedures are effective; and such disclosure controls and procedures were evaluated for effectiveness as of the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter.
(z) The consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and the results of operations, shareholders’ equity and changes in financial condition and cash flows as of the dates and periods therein specified. Such financial statements and financial
statement schedules have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States consistently applied throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) the information required to be stated therein. 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.
(aa) The Company’s subsidiaries, where necessary, are duly licensed to conduct insurance or reinsurance business, as the case may be, under the insurance statutes of each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business requires such licensing, except for such jurisdictions in which the failure of any of them to be so licensed would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its subsidiaries have made all required filings under applicable insurance holding company statutes in each jurisdiction where such filings are required, except for such jurisdictions in which the failure to make such filings would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its subsidiaries have all other necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, consents, certificates, permits, registrations and qualifications of and from all insurance regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, except where the failure to have such authorizations, approvals, orders, consents, certificates, permits, registrations or qualifications would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notification from any insurance regulatory authority to the effect that any additional authorization, approval, order, consent, certificate, permit, registration or qualification needs to be obtained by any of them, in any case, where it could be reasonably expected that (x) any of them would be required either to obtain such additional authorization, approval, order, consent, certificate, permit, registration or qualification or to cease or otherwise limit the writing of certain business and (y) the failure to obtain such additional authorization, approval, order, consent, certificate, permit, registration or qualification or the limiting of the writing of such business would have a Material Adverse Effect; and no insurance regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of the Company’s subsidiaries has issued any order or decree impairing, restricting or prohibiting the payment of dividends by any of them.
(bb) Each certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company, and not by such officer in an individual capacity, to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
(cc) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) made, offered, promised or authorized any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense (or taken any act in furtherance thereof); (ii) made, offered, promised or authorized any direct or indirect unlawful payment; or (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder, the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other
applicable anti-corruption, anti-bribery or related law, statute or regulation (collectively, “Anti-Corruption Laws”); the Company and its subsidiaries have conducted their businesses in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of Anti-Corruption Laws.
(dd) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with the requirements of applicable anti-money laundering laws, including, but not limited to, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended by the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the anti-money laundering laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no 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 Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(ee) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is (i) currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government, including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person,” the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, the United Nations Security Council, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”) or (ii) located, organized, or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions, including without limitation Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or the Crimea, so-called Luhansk People’s Republic or Donetsk People’s Republic regions of Ukraine (any such country or territory, a “Sanctioned Jurisdiction”), and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Common Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject or the target of Sanctions or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is engaged in, or has, at any time in the past five years, engaged in, any dealings or transactions with or involving any individual or entity that was or is, as applicable, at the time of such dealing or transaction, the subject or target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Jurisdiction; the Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, and maintain, policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve continued compliance with Sanctions.
(ff) Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each of its subsidiaries (i) own or otherwise possess adequate rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain names, copyrights and registrations and applications thereof, licenses, know-how, software, systems and technology (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures and other intellectual property) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses, (ii) do not, through the conduct of their respective businesses, infringe, violate or conflict with any such right of others and (iii) have not received any written notice of any claim of infringement, violation or conflict with, any such rights of others.
(gg) There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived.
(hh) Except for matters which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) to the knowledge of the Company, there has been no security breach or other compromise or unauthorized destruction, loss, distribution, use, access, disablement, misappropriation, modification, or misuse (“Breach”), (A) of the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”), or (B) relating to the personal, personally identifiable, household, sensitive, confidential or regulated data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors or any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them (collectively, “Data”); and (ii) neither the Company nor its subsidiaries have been notified of, and the Company has no knowledge of any event or condition that would result in, a Breach of any IT Systems or relating to Data.
(ii) The Company and its subsidiaries have established and maintained commercially reasonable information security, cybersecurity and data protection controls, policies and procedures that are designed to protect against and prevent a Breach of any IT Systems or relating to Data. The Company and its subsidiaries’ IT Systems are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants; the Company and its subsidiaries are presently in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to (i) the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data, (ii) their collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, disposal and disclosure of Data ("Data Security Obligations") and (iii) the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification. The Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any fact indicating non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(jj) Any final judgment for a fixed or determined sum of money (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty) rendered by any U.S. federal or New York state court located in the State of New York having jurisdiction under its own laws in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement would be declared enforceable against the Company by the courts of Bermuda, without reconsideration or reexamination of the merits, provided that (a) such courts had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to such judgment; (b) such courts did not contravene the rules of natural justice of Bermuda; (c) such judgment was not obtained by fraud; (d) the enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of Bermuda; (e) no new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of Bermuda; and (f) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of Bermuda.
(kk) The choice of laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of Bermuda and will be recognized and given effect to in any action brought before a court of competent jurisdiction in Bermuda, subject to the restrictions described under the caption “Enforcement of civil liabilities” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and except for those laws (i) which such court considers to be procedural in nature; (ii) which are revenue or penal laws; or (iii) the application of which would be inconsistent with public policy, as such term is interpreted under the laws of Bermuda. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 18 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each New York state and United States federal court sitting in the City of New York and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in such court.
(ll) No approvals are currently required pursuant to Bermuda law in order for the Company to pay dividends or other distributions declared by the Company to the holders of the Common Shares. Under current laws and regulations of Bermuda and any political subdivision thereof, any amount payable with respect to the Common Shares upon liquidation of the Company or upon redemption thereof and dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the share capital of the Company may be paid by the Company in United States dollars and freely transferred out of Bermuda, and no such payments made to the holders thereof or therein who are non-residents of Bermuda will be subject to income, withholding or other taxes under laws and regulations of Bermuda or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein and without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in Bermuda or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein.
2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price per share of $349.20, the number of Firm Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Securities as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2 (provided
that the purchase price per Optional Security shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Securities but not payable on the Optional Securities), that portion of the number of Optional Securities as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Optional Securities by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Securities which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Securities that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.
The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to 540,000 Optional Securities, at the purchase price per share set forth in the paragraph above, provided that the purchase price per Optional Security shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Securities but not payable on the Optional Securities. Any such election to purchase Optional Securities may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Securities to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Securities are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.
3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Securities, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
4. (a) The Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive or book-entry form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Representatives, through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company will cause the certificates, if any, representing the Securities to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the “Designated Office”). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Securities, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on May 19, 2023 or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Securities, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the date specified by the Representatives in the written notice given by the Representatives of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Optional Securities, or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Securities is herein called the “First Time of Delivery”, such time and date for delivery of the Optional Securities, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the “Second Time of Delivery”, and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a “Time of Delivery”.
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 hereof, including the cross-receipt for the Securities and
any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8(m) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Underwriters’ counsel: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, One Manhattan West, New York, New York 10001 (the “Closing Location”), and the Securities will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 5:30 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the purposes of this Section 4, “New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission's close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus prior to the last Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Securities, of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at its own expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Securities by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement);
(b) If required by Rule 430B(h) under the Act, to prepare a form of prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such form of prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than may be required by Rule 424(b) under the Act; and to make no further amendment
or supplement to such form of prospectus which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof;
(c) If by the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will file, if it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to you. If at the Renewal Deadline the Company is no longer eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement, the Company will, if it has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to you and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Securities. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration statement, as the case may be;
(d) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Securities, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation, to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction;
(e) Prior to 5:30 p.m., New York City time, on the second New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act, to notify you and upon your request to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Securities at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(f) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);
(g) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 45 days after the date of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, not to (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to, any common shares of the Company or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, common shares of the Company, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase common shares of the Company, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the common shares of the Company or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of common shares of the Company or such other securities, in cash or otherwise (other than (i) the Securities to be sold hereunder, (ii) grants of share options, share awards, restricted shares, RSUs, or other equity awards and the issuance of common shares of the Company or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common shares of the Company (whether upon the exercise of share options or otherwise) to the Company’s employees, officers, directors, advisors, or consultants pursuant to the terms of an equity compensation plan in effect as of the First Time of Delivery and described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided that such recipients enter into a lock-up agreement with the Underwriters if they are listed on Schedule III or (iii) the entry by the Company into an agreement providing for the direct or indirect acquisition of 100% of the Common Shares by a single person or “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), provided such transaction is approved by the board of directors of the Company, and provided further that, if such transaction is not consummated, the underlying Common Shares shall continue to be subject to the restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph;
(h) To pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Act;
(i) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”; and
(j) To use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).
6.
(a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each
Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a free writing prospectus required to be filed with the Commission; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives is listed on Schedule II(a) or Schedule II(c) hereto;
(b) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and
(c) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company or its subsidiaries notify the Representatives in accordance with this Agreement, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement. The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
7. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company's counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(c) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey (which counsel fees shall not exceed $20,000); (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Securities on the NYSE; (v) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters (which counsel fees shall not exceed $20,000) in connection with, any required review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) of the terms of the sale of the Securities; (vi) the cost of preparing the Securities; (vii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; and (viii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 9 and 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of
their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
8. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Securities to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of the Applicable Time and such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act shall have been received; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;
(b) Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion (a form of such opinion is attached as Annex II(a) hereto) and negative assurance letter (a form of such letter is attached as Annex II(a) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;
(c) Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, United States counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a form of such opinion is attached as Annex II(b) hereto) and negative assurance letter, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you;
(d) Conyers Dill & Pearman Limited, Bermuda counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a form of such opinion is attached as Annex II(c) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you;
(e) Brent Hoffman, Interim General Counsel of the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached as Annex II(d), dated as of such Time of Delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you);
(f) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, PwC shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of
delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto;
(g) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the share capital or long term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change or effect in or affecting (x) the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (y) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, including the issuance and sale of the Common Shares, or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in your judgment so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Common Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;
(h) On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company's debt securities or the Company’s financial strength or claims paying ability by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company's debt securities or the Company’s financial strength or claims paying ability;
(i) On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the NYSE or on the Nasdaq Stock Market; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the NYSE; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in your judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;
(j) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(e) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;
(k) The Securities shall have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the NYSE;
(l) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of an agreement from each officer and director of the Company listed on Schedule III hereto, substantially to the effect set forth in Annex III hereto in form and substance satisfactory to you; and
(m) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such time, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such time, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (g) of this Section and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request.
9.
(a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “roadshow” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Act (a “roadshow”), or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act (in the case of any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any roadshow and any issuer information, taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any roadshow, or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic
Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any roadshow, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred. As used in this Agreement with respect to an Underwriter and an applicable document, “Underwriter Information” shall mean the written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; 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 concession figure appearing in the fifth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting”, and the information contained in the seventh, eighth and ninth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting”.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party. No indemnified party shall, without the written consent of the indemnifying party (such written consent not to be unreasonably withheld), effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution is sought hereunder if the indemnifying party has assumed the defense of such action or claim.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters of the Securities on the other from the offering of the Securities to
which such loss, claim, damage or liability (or action in respect thereof) relates. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters of the Securities on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and such Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from such offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, less the total underwriting compensation paid by the Company, bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriters. The relative fault 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 on the one hand or such Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (d) 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 which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include 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 subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the applicable Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which 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 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The obligations of the Underwriters of the Securities in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations with respect to such Securities and not joint.
(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each employee, officer, and director of each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer or other affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
10. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Securities which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Securities on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further
period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Securities on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Securities.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Securities which remains unpurchased does not exceed one eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Securities to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Securities which remains unpurchased exceeds one eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Securities to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Securities) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
11. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any director, officer, employee, affiliate or controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.(12)
12. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any the Securities are not delivered by or on behalf
of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out of pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof.
13. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you jointly or by either representative.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the representatives in care of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: General Counsel, facsimile number 1-646-291-1469 and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, Attention: Registration Department; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters' Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
14. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 9 and 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, or any director, officer, employee, or affiliate of any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
15. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission's office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.
16. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm's-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to
the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate, and (v) 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 agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
17. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
18. The Company hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and New York state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company waives any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit or proceeding in such courts. The Company agrees that final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and may be enforced in any court to the jurisdiction of which the Company is subject by a suit upon such judgment. The Company irrevocably appoints Everest Reinsurance Co., 461 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6234, c/o General Counsel, as its authorized agent in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York upon which process may be served in any such suit or proceeding, and agrees that service of process upon such authorized agent, and written notice of such service to the Company by the person serving the same to the address provided in this Section, shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding. The Company hereby represents and warrants that such authorized agent has accepted such appointment and has agreed to act as such authorized agent for service of process. The Company further agrees to take any and all action as may be necessary to maintain such designation and appointment of such authorized agent in full force and effect.
19. This Agreement and any transaction contemplated by this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflict of laws that would results in the application of any other law than the laws of the State of New York. The Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated by this Agreement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York.
To the extent that the Company has or hereafter may acquire any immunity (sovereign or otherwise) from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from jurisdiction of any court or from set-off or any legal process (whether service or notice, attachment in aid or otherwise) with respect to itself or any of its property, the Company hereby irrevocably waives and agrees not to plead or claim such immunity in respect of its obligations under this Agreement.
20. The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
21. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) 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.
22. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters’ imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.
23. 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.
(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.
(c) As used in this section:
“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.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.
| | | | | |
| Very truly yours, |
| |
| |
| Everest Re Group, Ltd. |
| |
| |
| By: | /s/ Mark Kociancic |
| By: Mark Kociancic |
| Title: Group CFO |
Accepted as of the date hereof:
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
As Representatives and on behalf of the Underwriters
| | | | | |
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
| |
| |
| By: | /s/ Raymond Peters |
| Name: Ray Peters |
| Title: Managing Director |
| | | | | |
| Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC |
| |
| |
| By: | /s/ C. Erich Bluhm |
| Name: C. Erich Bluhm |
| Title: Managing Director |
SCHEDULE I
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Underwriter | Total Number of Firm Securities to be Purchased | | Number of Optional Securities to be Purchased if Maximum Option Exercised |
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | 1,356,000 | | 203,400 |
| Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | 1,356,000 | | 203,400 |
| Barclays Capital Inc. | 180,000 | | 27,000 |
| Wells Fargo Securities, LLC | 180,000 | | 27,000 |
| Academy Securities, Inc. | 96,000 | | 14,400 |
| Nordea Bank Abp | 96,000 | | 14,400 |
| Raymond James & Associates, Inc. | 96,000 | | 14,400 |
| HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | 72,000 | | 10,800 |
| KKR Capital Markets LLC | 72,000 | | 10,800 |
| BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC | 24,000 | | 3,600 |
| Commerz Markets LLC | 24,000 | | 3,600 |
| Dowling & Partners Securities, LLC | 24,000 | | 3,600 |
| Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. | 24,000 | | 3,600 |
Total: | 3,600,000 | | 540,000 |
SCHEDULE II
(a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses not included in the Pricing Disclosure Package:
Electronic roadshow dated May 17, 2023.
(b) Additional Documents Incorporated by Reference:
None
(c) Information other than the Pricing Prospectus that comprise the Pricing Disclosure Package:
The initial public offering price per Common Share is $360.00.
The number of Firm Securities purchased by the Underwriters is 3,600,000.
The number of Optional Securities is 540,000.
SCHEDULE III
| | |
| Name of Director or Officers |
|
| Juan C. Andrade |
| William F. Galtney, Jr. |
| John A. Graf |
| Meryl Hartzband |
| Gerri Losquadro |
| Hazel McNeilage |
| Roger M. Singer |
| Joseph V. Taranto |
| Mike Karmilowicz |
| Mark Kociancic |
| Jim Williamson |
| John A. Amore |
| Robert J. Freiling |
