Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement |
Closing of Securitization Offering
On July 1, 2024 (the “Closing Date”), Frontier Issuer LLC (the “Issuer”), a limited-purpose, bankruptcy remote, wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (the “Company”), completed the previously announced financing transaction by issuing $750 million aggregate principal amount of secured fiber network revenue term notes, consisting of $530 million 6.19% Series 2024-1, Class A-2 term notes, $73 million 7.02% Series 2024-1, Class B term notes and $147 million 11.16% Series 2024-1, Class C term notes (collectively, the “Notes”), each with an anticipated term ending in May 2031 (such anticipated repayment date, the “ARD”), in an offering exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of August 8, 2023, as amended by the Supplement No. 1 to Base Indenture, dated as of July 1, 2024 (the “Base Indenture”), by and among the Issuer, Frontier Dallas TX Fiber 1 LLC (“AssetCo”) and Citibank, N.A., as the indenture trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the series supplement thereto, dated as of July 1, 2024 (the “Series 2024-1 Supplement”).
The Base Indenture allows the Issuer to issue additional series of notes subject to certain conditions set forth therein, and the Base Indenture, together with the Series 2023-1 Supplement, dated as of August 8, 2023, and the Series 2024-1 Supplement, and any other series supplements to the Base Indenture, is referred to herein as the “Indenture.”
The Notes were issued as part of a securitization transaction, pursuant to which the Company’s fiber network assets and associated customer contracts in certain neighborhoods in North Texas were contributed to AssetCo, a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Issuer.
Each of the Issuer, AssetCo and any additional asset entities party to the Base Indenture from time to time (such persons, collectively, the “Obligors”), Frontier SPE Guarantor LLC, the guarantor of the Notes (the “Guarantor”), and Frontier Communications Holdings, LLC, as manager, are parties to the management agreement dated August 8, 2023 (the “Management Agreement”) pursuant to which Frontier Communications Holdings, LLC acts as the manager with respect to the assets of the Obligors (such assets, the “Securitized Assets”). The primary responsibilities of the manager are to perform certain operational and administrative functions on behalf of the Obligors with respect to the Securitized Assets pursuant to the Management Agreement.
Notes
While the Notes are outstanding, scheduled payments of interest are required to be made on the Notes on a monthly basis. From and after the ARD, principal payments will also be required to be made on the Notes on a monthly basis. No principal payments will be due on the Notes prior to the ARD, unless certain rapid amortization or acceleration triggers are activated.
The legal final maturity date of the Notes is in June of 2054. If the Issuer has not repaid or refinanced any Note prior to the monthly payment date in May of 2031, additional interest will accrue thereon in an amount equal to the greater of (i) 5.00% per annum and (ii) the excess amount, if any, by which the sum of the following exceeds the interest rate for such Note: (A) the yield to maturity (adjusted to a “mortgage-equivalent basis” pursuant to the standards and practices of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) on the ARD for such Note of the United States Treasury Security having a remaining term closest to 10 years plus (B) 5.00% plus (C) the post-ARD note spread applicable to such Note.
Collateral and Guarantee
The Notes are obligations only of the Obligors pursuant to the Indenture. The Notes are secured by a security interest in substantially all of the Securitized Assets pursuant to the Indenture and guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee and Security Agreement, dated August 8, 2023 (the “Guarantee and Security Agreement”) by the Guarantor in favor of the Trustee, which guarantee is secured by a security interest in substantially all of the assets of the Guarantor. Except as described below, neither the Company nor any subsidiary of the Company, other than the Obligors and the Guarantor, will guarantee or in any way be liable for the obligations of the Obligors under the Indenture or the Notes.