UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
| QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |||||
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022
OR
| TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |||||
Commission File Number: 001-40257
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | |||||||
(385 ) 351-0633
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
☐ | Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | |||||||||||
☒ | Smaller reporting company | |||||||||||||
| Emerging growth company | ||||||||||||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of August 2, 2022, the registrant had 44,200,508 shares of Class A Common Stock, and 177,983,885 shares of Class B Common Stock, outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||||||||
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which statements involve substantial risk and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “design,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “would,” “target,” “project” or “contemplate” or the negative version of these words and other comparable terminology that concern our expectations, strategy, plans, intentions or projections. Forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q include, but are not limited to, statements about:
•our ability to attract and engage users and attract and expand our relationships with brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and distributors;
•our future results of operations, including trends in revenue, costs, operating expenses and key metrics;
•our ability to compete successfully in competitive markets;
•our expectations and management of future growth;
•our ability to manage our supply chain, manufacturing, distribution and fulfillment, including the ability to forecast demand and manage our inventory;
•our ability to enter new markets and manage our expansion efforts, including internationally;
•our ability to attract and retain management, key employees and qualified personnel;
•our ability to effectively and efficiently protect our brand;
•our ability to maintain, protect and enhance our intellectual property and not infringe upon others’ intellectual property;
•our continued use of open source software;
•our estimated Serviceable Addressable Market, or SAM, and Total Addressable Market, or TAM;
•our ability to prevent serious errors, defects or vulnerabilities in our products and software;
•the adequacy of our capital resources to fund operations and growth;
•our ability to remain in compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to our business both domestically and internationally;
•Petrus’ significant influence over us and our status as a “controlled company” under the rules of the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or the Exchange;
•expectations regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the related responses by governments and private industry on our business and financial condition, as well as the financial condition of our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, online and e-commerce channels and users;
•risks related to general socio-economic and political conditions as well as consumer confidence; and
•the other factors identified under the section titled “Risk Factors” appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
We caution you that the foregoing list may not contain all of the forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These statements are only predictions based primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, events or circumstances to differ materially from the results, events or circumstances expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. You should specifically consider the numerous risks outlined in the section titled “Risk Factors.” Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to
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predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Moreover, the forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
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PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Cricut, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| As of June 30, 2022 | As of December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||
| (unaudited) | |||||||||||
| Assets | |||||||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Marketable securities | |||||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | |||||||||||
| Inventories | |||||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | |||||||||||
| Total current assets | |||||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | |||||||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use asset | |||||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | |||||||||||
| Deferred tax assets | |||||||||||
| Other assets | |||||||||||
| Total assets | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue, current portion | |||||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities, current portion | |||||||||||
| Total current liabilities | |||||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue, net of current portion | |||||||||||
| Other non-current liabilities | |||||||||||
| Total liabilities | |||||||||||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11) | |||||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | |||||||||||
Preferred stock, par value $ | |||||||||||
Common stock, par value $ | |||||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | |||||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | |||||||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | $ | |||||||||
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Cricut, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total cost of revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income from operations | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other income (expense), net | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss): | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Change in net unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | $ | |||||||||||||||||
| Change in foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other comprehensive income (loss): | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive income | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Earnings per share, basic | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Earnings per share, diluted | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding, diluted | |||||||||||||||||||||||
See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Cricut, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except share amounts)
| Common Stock | Additional Paid-In Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Total Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | — | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock upon vesting or exercise of stock-based awards, net of withholding tax | — | ( | — | — | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeiture of unvested common stock | ( | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compensatory units repurchased | — | — | ( | — | — | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive loss | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of March 31, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock upon vesting or exercise of stock-based awards, net of withholding tax | $ | — | $ | ( | $ | — | $ | — | $ | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeiture of unvested common stock | ( | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | $ | — | $ | $ | — | $ | — | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive loss | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of June 30, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | Additional Paid-In Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Total Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2020 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital contributions | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Initial public offering, net of offering costs | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Repurchase upon Corporate Reorganization | ( | — | ( | — | — | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extinguishment of liability awards to equity | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compensatory units repurchased | — | — | ( | — | — | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive loss | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of Balance as of March 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock upon vesting or exercise of stock-based awards | $ | — | $ | $ | — | $ | — | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeiture of unvested common stock | ( | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Initial public offering, net of offering costs | $ | $ | $ | — | $ | — | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | $ | — | $ | $ | — | $ | — | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive income | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of June 30, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Cricut, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(unaudited)
(in thousands)
| Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | |||||||||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash and cash equivalents provided by (used in) operating activities: | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization (including amortization of debt issuance costs) | |||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | |||||||||||
| Non-cash lease expense | |||||||||||
| Provision for inventory obsolescence | |||||||||||
| Other | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Accounts receivable | ( | ||||||||||
| Inventories | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | ( | ||||||||||
| Other assets | ( | ||||||||||
| Accounts payable | ( | ||||||||||
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other non-current liabilities | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Deferred revenue | ( | ||||||||||
Net cash and cash equivalents (used in) provided by operating activities | ( | ||||||||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||||||
| Purchase of marketable securities | ( | ||||||||||
| Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities | |||||||||||
Acquisitions of property and equipment, including capitalized software development costs | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Net cash and cash equivalents used in investing activities | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||||||
| Proceeds from capital contributions | |||||||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon initial public offering, net of offering costs | |||||||||||
| Repurchase of compensatory units | ( | ( | |||||||||
Repurchase of common stock upon Corporate Reorganization | ( | ||||||||||
| Proceeds from exercise of stock options | |||||||||||
| Employee tax withholding payments on stock-based awards | ( | ||||||||||
| Payments on capital leases | ( | ||||||||||
| Net cash and cash equivalents (used in) provided by financing activities | ( | ||||||||||
| Effect of exchange rate on changes on cash and cash equivalents | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | ( | ||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information: | |||||||||||
| Cash paid during the period for interest | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Cash paid during the period for income taxes | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing activities: | |||||||||||
| Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities | $ | $ | |||||||||
Property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Tax withholdings on stock-based awards included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Stock-based compensation capitalized for software development costs | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Reclassification of liability awards to equity upon modification | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Leasehold improvements acquired through tenant allowances | $ | $ | |||||||||
See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Cricut, Inc.
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
1.Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
Nature of Business
Cricut, Inc. (“Cricut” or the “Company”) is a designer and marketer of a creativity platform that enables users to turn ideas into professional-looking handmade goods. Using the Company’s versatile connected machines, design apps and accessories and materials, users create everything from personalized birthday cards, mugs and T-shirts to large-scale interior decorations. The Company’s connected machines and related accessories and materials and subscription services are primarily marketed under the Cricut brand in the United States, as well as Europe and other countries of the world. Headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, the Company is an innovator in its industry, focused on bringing innovative technology (automation and consumerization of industrial tools) to the craft, DIY and home décor categories. The Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements include the operations of its wholly owned subsidiaries, which are located throughout Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Company designs, markets and distributes the Cricut family of products, including connected machines, design apps and accessories and materials. In addition, Cricut sells a broad line of images, fonts and projects for purchase à la carte.
On September 2, 2020, Cricut converted from a Utah corporation to a Delaware corporation. In connection with such conversion, each share of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 , of the Utah corporation was exchanged for one share of common stock of the Delaware corporation, par value $0.001 . On March 11, 2021, the Company filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a 64.2645654 -for-1 forward stock split of its outstanding common stock. The par value per share was not adjusted as a result of the forward stock split. All authorized, issued and outstanding shares of common stock, additional paid in capital and the related per share amounts contained in the condensed consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the forward stock split and change in par value for all prior periods presented.
The Company organizes its business into the following three reportable segments: Connected Machines, Subscriptions, and Accessories and Materials. See Note 16, Segment Information, for further discussion of the Company’s segment reporting structure.
Initial Public Offering and Corporate Reorganization
The Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 related to its initial public offering (“IPO”) was declared effective on March 24, 2021 by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and the Company’s Class A common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on March 25, 2021. On March 29, 2021, the Company closed its IPO, in which the Company sold 13,250,000 shares of Class A common stock and the selling stockholders sold an additional 2,064,903 shares of Class A common stock at a price to the public of $20.00 per share. The Company received aggregate net proceeds of $242.7 million after deducting offering costs, underwriting discounts and commissions of $22.3 million. On April 28, 2021, the Company sold an additional 968,815 shares of Class A common stock and the selling stockholders sold an additional 150,984 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the partial exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares which generated net proceeds of $18.0 million after deducting for underwriting discounts and commissions of $1.4 million.
Immediately prior to the IPO, the Company engaged in a series of related Corporate Reorganization transactions as follows:
•Cricut, Inc. filed an amended and restated certificate of incorporation; and
•Cricut Holdings, LLC, or Cricut Holdings, dissolved and liquidated in accordance with the terms and conditions of its then existing limited liability company agreement, pursuant to which the holders of existing units in Cricut Holdings (including holders of purchased units, incentive units, zero strike price incentive units, certain phantom units and options), or the Existing Unitholders, received 100 % of the capital stock of Cricut, Inc., its sole asset, at the time of the liquidation with a value implied by the initial public offering price of the shares of Class A common stock to be sold in this offering. Cricut Holdings ceased to exist following this transaction.
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In connection with the Corporate Reorganization the outstanding stock based compensation awards issued by Cricut Holdings were modified or settled as described in Note 10 below.
Upon filing the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, all of the Company’s historical Common Stock converted to Class B common stock. Shares of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B common stock is entitled to five votes per share and is convertible at any time into one share of Class A common stock.
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Cricut, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date but does not include all disclosures including certain notes required by GAAP on an annual reporting basis.
In the opinion of management, the accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, cash flows and the changes in equity for the interim periods. The results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any subsequent quarter, the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, or any other period.
Certain prior year reported amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation. These reclassifications did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements or related footnotes.
There were no material changes to the Company's significant accounting policies during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
2.Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. For revenue recognition, examples of estimates and judgments include: determining the nature and timing of satisfaction of performance obligations, determining the standalone selling price (“SSP”) of performance obligations, estimating variable consideration such as sales incentives and product returns. Other estimates include the warranty reserve, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserve, intangible assets and other long-lived assets valuation, legal contingencies, stock-based compensation, income taxes, deferred tax assets valuation and developed software, among others. These estimates and assumptions are based on the Company’s best estimates and judgment. Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including any effects of the ongoing pandemic and the economic environment, which management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Management adjusts such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
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Marketable Securities
The Company designates investments in debt securities as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale debt securities with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase are classified within cash and cash equivalents. Available-for-sale debt securities with original maturities longer than three months are available to fund current operations and are classified as marketable securities, within current assets on the consolidated balance sheets. Available-for-sale debt securities are reported at fair value with the related unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity, net of tax. Realized gains and losses on the sale of marketable securities are determined using the average cost method on a first-in, first-out basis and recorded in total other income (expense), net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.
The available-for-sale debt securities are subject to a periodic impairment review. For investments in an unrealized loss position, the Company writes down the amortized cost basis of the investment if it is more likely than not that the Company will be required or will intend to sell the investment before recovery of its amortized cost basis. For investments not likely to be sold before recovery of the amortized cost basis, the Company determines whether a credit loss exists by considering information about the collectability of the instrument, current market conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of economic conditions. The Company recognizes an allowance for credit losses up to the amount of the unrealized loss when appropriate. Allowances for credit losses and write-downs are recognized in total other income (expense), net, and unrealized losses not related to credit losses are recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). There are no allowances for credit losses recorded for the periods presented. As of June 30, 2022, the gross unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities are related to market interest rate changes and not attributable to credit.
Fair Value Measurement
The Company measures at fair value certain of its financial and non-financial assets and liabilities by using a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value.
Earnings Per Share
Earnings per share is computed using the two-class method required for multiple classes of common stock and participating securities. The rights, including the liquidation and dividend rights and sharing of losses, of the Class A common stock and Class B common stock are identical, other than voting rights. As the liquidation and dividend rights and sharing of profits are identical, the undistributed earnings are allocated on a proportionate basis and the resulting net income per share will, therefore, be the same for both Class A and Class B common stock on an individual or combined basis.
Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock and, when dilutive, potential shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Stock-based awards subject to conditions other than service conditions are considered contingently issuable shares and are included in basic EPS based on the number of awards that would be issuable if the reporting date were the end of the contingency period.
Inventories
Inventories (current and non-current), which primarily consist of finished goods, are valued at the lower of average cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is defined as estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. Assessments to value the inventory at the lower of the average cost to purchase the inventory, or the net realizable value of the
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inventory, are based upon assumptions about future demand, physical deterioration, changes in price levels and market conditions. As a result of the Company’s assessments, when the net realizable value of inventory is less than the carrying value, the inventory cost is written down to the net realizable value and the write down is recorded as a charge to cost of revenue. Inventories include indirect acquisition and production costs that are incurred to bring the inventories to their present condition and location. Inventories are recorded net of reserves for obsolescence. Once established, the original cost of the inventory less the related inventory reserve represents the new cost basis of such products.
As needed, we complete strategic and market beneficial purchases of critical raw materials that are used in our core production process (such as microchips) in quantities that exceed anticipated consumption within our normal operating cycle, which is 12 months. We classify such raw materials that we do not expect to consume within our normal operating cycle as non-current within Other assets.
3.Revenue and Deferred Revenue
Deferred revenue relates to performance obligations for which payments have been received from the customer prior to revenue recognition. Deferred revenue primarily consists of deferred subscription-based services. Deferred revenue also includes amounts allocated from the sale of a connected machine to the unspecified upgrades and enhancements and the Company’s cloud-based services. The Company had no material contract assets.
The following table summarizes the changes in the deferred revenue balance for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021:
| Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue, beginning of period | $ | $ | |||||||||
Recognition of revenue included in beginning of period deferred revenue | ( | ( | |||||||||
Revenue deferred, net of revenue recognized on contracts in the respective period | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue, end of period | $ | $ | |||||||||
As of June 30, 2022, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations was equal to the deferred revenue balance.
The Company expects the following recognition of deferred revenue as of June 30, 2022:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 (remainder of year) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue expected to be recognized | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Company’s revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by major product lines, excluding sales-based taxes, are included in Note 16 under the heading “Segment Information.”
Revenue recognized during the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 related to performance obligations satisfied or partially satisfied in prior periods was $0.3 million and $0.7 million, respectively.
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| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| North America* | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| International | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
4.Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Financial Instruments
The following table shows the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities by significant investment category as of June 30, 2022:
As of June 30, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted Cost | Allowance for Credit Losses | Total Unrealized Gains | Total Unrealized Losses | Fair Value | Cash and Cash Equivalents | Marketable Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | $ | $ | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level 1: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commercial paper | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subtotal | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level 2: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corporate debt securities | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U.S. treasury securities | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subtotal | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marketable securities held as of June 30, 2022 generally mature over the next to eighteen months .
5.Inventory
Inventories are comprised of the following:
As of June 30, 2022 | As of December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||
| Raw materials | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Finished goods | |||||||||||
| Total inventories | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Inventories current | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Inventories non-current (included in other assets) | $ | $ | |||||||||
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6. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following:
As of June 30, 2022 | As of December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||
| Sales incentives | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Other accrued liabilities and other current liabilities | |||||||||||
| Total accrued expenses | $ | $ | |||||||||
7. Revolving Credit Facility
2020 Credit Agreement
In September 2020, the Company entered into the Credit Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Citibank, N.A. and Origin Bank. The Credit Agreement replaces the prior amended credit agreement with Origin Bank. The Credit Agreement provides for a three-year asset-based senior secured revolving credit facility of up to $150.0 million, maturing on September 4, 2023. During the term of the Credit Agreement, the Company may increase the aggregate amount of the Credit Facility by up to an additional $200.0 million, (for maximum aggregate lender commitments of up to $350.0 million), subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions under the Credit Agreement, including obtaining the consent of the administrative agent and an increased commitment from existing or new lenders. The Credit Facility may be used to issue letters of credit and for other business purposes, including working capital needs.
The amount that can be borrowed under the Credit Facility is limited to the lesser of (a) the borrowing base minus the aggregate revolving exposure or (b) aggregate lender commitments at any given time. The borrowing base is determined according to certain percentages of eligible accounts receivable and eligible inventory (which may be valued at average cost, market value or net orderly liquidation value), subject to reserves determined by the administrative agent. At any time that the Company’s borrowing base is less than the aggregate lender commitments, the Company can only borrow revolving loans up to the amount of the Company’s borrowing base and not in the full amount of the aggregate lender commitments. As of June 30, 2022, no amount was outstanding under the Credit Agreement and available borrowings were $150.0 million.
Generally, borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at a rate based on LIBOR (“Adjusted LIBO rate”) or an alternative base rate (“ABR”), plus, in each case, an applicable margin. The applicable margin will range from (a) with respect to borrowings bearing interest at the ABR, 1.50 % to 2.00 %, and (b) with respect to borrowings bearing interest at the ABR (i) if the “REVLIBOR30 Screen Rate” (as defined in the Credit Agreement) is available for such period, 1.50 % to 2.00 %, or (ii) otherwise, 0.00 % to 0.50 %, in each case for the previous clauses (a) and (b), based on our “Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio” as defined in the Credit Agreement.
8.Income Taxes
As required by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” the Company computes interim period income taxes by applying an estimated annual effective tax rate to our year-to-date income from operations before income taxes, except for significant unusual or infrequently occurring items. The estimated effective tax rate is adjusted each quarter in accordance with ASC 740.
The estimated annual effective tax rate was 32.1 percent and 27.8 percent for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively, and 23.4 percent and 23.5 percent for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively. The Company’s provision for income taxes was $6.5 million and $14.4 million, respectively, for the three and six ended June 30, 2022, and $15.0 million and $30.3 million, respectively, for the three and six
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months ended June 30, 2021. The provision for income taxes varied from the tax computed at the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate for the periods presented primarily due to discrete tax items including a stock based compensation shortfall due to the decrease in stock price upon vesting.
The Company reviews its deferred tax assets for realization based upon historical taxable income, prudent and feasible tax planning strategies, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences and expected future taxable income. The Company has concluded that it is more likely than not that the net deferred tax assets will be realized. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded a valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets for any of the periods presented.
9.Capital Structure
10.Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based Compensation Cost
The following table shows the stock-based compensation cost by award type for the periods indicated:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equity classified awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock options | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class B common stock | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liability classified awards | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total stock-based compensation | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
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The following table sets forth the total stock-based compensation cost included in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income or capitalized to assets for the periods indicated:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total cost of revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Capitalized for software development costs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capitalized to inventory | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total stock-based compensation | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
As of June 30, 2022, there was $136.8 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation cost related to service-based awards which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.1 years. The total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested performance-based restricted stock units (“PRSUs”) was $154.2 million as of June 30, 2022.
Corporate Reorganization and Stock-Based Compensation Modifications
In connection with the Corporate Reorganization, all outstanding awards issued under the Incentive Unit Plan discussed below were modified by exchanging the outstanding awards of Cricut Holdings for awards of the Company. All service based vesting conditions were unaffected by the modification. As described below, the vesting conditions were modified for certain awards which previously had both service and market based vesting conditions.
All vested equity classified awards were settled in shares of the Company’s Class B common stock previously held by Cricut Holdings. Unvested equity classified awards were converted to restricted shares of the Company’s Class B common stock subject to future vesting, or in the case of options were converted into options to purchase the Company’s Class B common stock. All vested liability classified awards converted into either shares of Class B common stock to the extent permitted in each applicable jurisdiction or settled in cash. All unvested liability classified awards converted into restricted stock units (“RSUs”) under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan that will vest into shares of Class A common stock of Cricut, Inc. to the extent permitted in each applicable jurisdiction or into restricted stock unit equivalents which will be settled in cash upon vesting as described below.
In connection with the Corporate Reorganization and modification, the Company granted options under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan to certain employees. The number of options was calculated based on the number of outstanding incentive units or incentive unit equivalents prior to the modification and the participation threshold of such awards. The vesting terms of the options are also based on the vesting terms of the original award. Therefore, the Company considered the exchange of the original award for the restricted shares or RSUs plus the options to be a single modification and began recognizing the incremental compensation cost of $14.5 million beginning in March 2021 over the vesting term, including a cumulative adjustment in March 2021 to recognize the incremental compensation cost associated with historical vesting.
As part of the modification of outstanding awards in connection with the Corporate Reorganization, awards issued under the Incentive Unit Plan which included both service and market conditions were modified to remove the market vesting condition and to increase the participation threshold of the award to the price specified in the former market condition. In total, 3.0 million, 3.0 million, 1.0 million and 1.0 million awards which previously had a participation threshold of $2.00 , $2.00 , $5.00 and $5.00 per share, respectively, were modified to have a participation threshold of $3.00 , $4.00 , $6.00 and $7.00 per share, respectively. Incremental compensation cost associated with these awards is included in the total incremental compensation cost associated with the issuance of additional options to employees described above as this change was part of a single modification.
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2021 Equity Incentive Plan
In March 2021, the Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan became effective. The 2021 Equity Incentive Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options to employees and for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance units and performance shares to our employees, directors and consultants and our parent and subsidiary corporations’ employees and consultants. As of June 30, 2022, 31,895,729 shares of Class A common stock were reserved for issuance under this plan including shares reserved for previously granted awards discussed below as well as shares reserved for issuance of future awards under the plan.
A summary of the Company’s service-based RSU activity under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan is as follows:
Number of RSUs | Weighted- Average Grant Date Fair Value (per share) | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2021 | $ | ||||||||||
| Granted | $ | ||||||||||
| Vested | ( | $ | |||||||||
| Forfeited/cancelled | ( | $ | |||||||||
| Outstanding at June 30, 2022 | $ | ||||||||||
In 2022, the Company granted PRSUs under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan to certain employees that represent shares potentially issuable in the future. The PRSUs vest in two equal tranches subject to the Company achieving cumulative adjusted earnings per share over eight quarters of $4.93 share and $6.16 per share, respectively, at any point during the 5-year performance period, subject to employees remaining with the Company through the vesting date. Adjusted earnings per share means GAAP net income adjusted to exclude income tax expenses, as well as stock-based compensation expense and payroll tax expense specifically related to the PRSU awards.
A summary of the Company’s PRSU activity under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan is as follows:
Number of PRSUs (a) | Weighted- Average Grant Date Fair Value (per share) | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2021 | $ | ||||||||||
| Granted | $ | ||||||||||
| Forfeited/cancelled | ( | $ | |||||||||
| Outstanding at June 30, 2022 | $ | ||||||||||
a.Represents the maximum number of PRSUs assuming all performance targets are achieved.
The expense recognized each period for these PRSUs is primarily dependent upon the Company’s estimate of the probability of achieving the performance targets. At June 30, 2022, the Company determined it was not probable any performance conditions would be achieved so no stock-based compensation was recorded for these PRSUs during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Options under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan have a contractual term of 10 years. The exercise price of an incentive stock option and non-qualified stock option shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the shares on the date of grant.
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A summary of the Company’s stock option activity under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan is as follows:
Number of Options | Weighted- Average Exercise Price | Weighted- Average Remaining Term (Years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercised | ( | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited/cancelled | ( | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding at June 30, 2022 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Vested and exercisable at June 30, 2022 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
In connection with the Corporate Reorganization, certain employees received restricted stock unit equivalents (“RSU equivalents”). Upon vesting, these awards are settled for a cash payment equal to the intrinsic value of the award on the date of the Corporate Reorganization plus the difference between the Company’s stock price on the vesting date less the base price specified at the time of the grant. As of June 30, 2022, the total recognized liability for these awards was $0.7 million. A summary of the RSU equivalent activity under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan is as follows:
Number of RSU Equivalents | Weighted- Average Base Price | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||
| Granted | $ | ||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited / Cancelled | ( | $ | |||||||||||||||
| Outstanding at June 30, 2022 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||
Unvested Class B Common Stock
The Company’s unvested Class B common stock resulted from the Corporate Reorganization and is not part of the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. Activity related to Class B common stock subject to future vesting for the six months ended June 30, 2022 is as follows:
Number of Unvested Shares | Weighted- Average Grant Date Fair Value (per share) | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2021 | $ | ||||||||||
| Vested | ( | $ | |||||||||
| Forfeited / Cancelled | ( | $ | |||||||||
| Outstanding at June 30, 2022 | $ | ||||||||||
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Options to Purchase Class B Common Stock
The Company’s options to purchase Class B common stock resulted from the Corporate Reorganization and are not part of the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. A summary of the Company stock option activity for the options to purchase shares of Class B common stock is as follows:
Number of Options | Weighted- Average Exercise Price | Weighted- Average Remaining Term (Years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited / Cancelled | ( | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding at June 30, 2022 | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Vested at June 30, 2022 | $ | N/A | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||
2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
In March 2021, the Company’s 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“2021 ESPP”) became effective. Subject to any limitations contained therein, the 2021 ESPP allows eligible employees to contribute, through payroll deductions, up to 15 % of their eligible compensation to purchase the Company’s Class A common stock at a discounted price per share. As of June 30, 2022, 6,219,145 shares of our Class A common stock were available for sale under the 2021 ESPP.
No offerings have been authorized to date by the administrator under the 2021 ESPP. If the administrator authorizes an offering period under the 2021 ESPP, the administrator will establish the duration of offering periods and purchase periods, including the starting and ending dates of offering periods and purchase periods, provided that no offering period may have a duration exceeding 27 months.
11.Commitments and Contingencies
12.Leases
Lease commitments
The Company leases office space with lease terms ranging from 1 to 10 years. These leases require monthly lease payments that may be subject to annual increases throughout the lease term. Certain of these leases also include renewal options at the election of the Company to renew or extend the lease.
In December 2021, the Company amended its operating lease for its corporate headquarters in South Jordan, Utah to extend the term through March 2027 and to reduce the annual rent rate for future periods. As a result of this amendment, the Company remeasured the associated operating lease liability and right-of-use asset for this lease. The Company also leased additional space at its corporate headquarters which commenced in January of 2022 under the same terms as its existing lease.
The Company has determined its leases should be classified as operating leases. Variable lease costs are comprised primarily of the Company's proportionate share of operating expenses, property taxes, and insurance and are classified as lease cost due to the Company's election to not separate lease and non-lease components. The Company incurred operating lease costs of $1.3 million and $2.7 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively, and $1.2 million and $2.2 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively. The Company also incurred variable lease costs of $0.1 million and $0.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively, and nil
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Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities was $1.5 million and $2.8 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively, and $1.4 million and $2.5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively. These amounts were included in net cash used in operating activities in the Company's consolidated statements of cash flows.
As of June 30, 2022, the maturities of the Company's operating lease liabilities were as follows:
| Year Ending December 31, | Operating Leases | ||||
| (in thousands) | |||||
| 2022 (remainder of the year) | $ | ||||
| 2023 | |||||
| 2024 | |||||
| 2025 | |||||
| 2026 | |||||
| Thereafter | |||||
| Total minimum lease payments, net | $ | ||||
| Less: imputed interest | $ | ( | |||
| Present value of operating lease liabilities | $ | ||||
| Operating lease liabilities, current | $ | ||||
| Operating lease liabilities, non-current | $ | ||||
As of June 30, 2022, the weighted average remaining operating lease term and the weighted average discount rate used to determine the operating lease liability were as follows:
| As of June 30, 2022 | |||||
| Weighted-average remaining lease term of operating leases | |||||
| Weighted-average discount rate of operating leases | % | ||||
13.Related Party Transactions
14.Employee Benefit Plan
19
15.Net Income Per Share
The computation of net income per share is as follows:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands, except share and per share amounts) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic earnings per share: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Shares used in computation: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Earnings per share, basic | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Shares used in computation: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average effect of potentially dilutive securities: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unvested common stock subject to forfeiture | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee stock options | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted net income per share | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
The following potentially dilutive shares were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share for the periods presented because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee stock options | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unvested common stock subject to forfeiture | |||||||||||||||||||||||
As of June 30, 2022, 6,615,000 PRSUs were not assessed for inclusion in diluted earnings per share, and any potential antidilutive shares were excluded from the table above because they are subject to performance conditions that were not achieved as of such date.
16.Segment Information
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the reportable segment level as these are managed on an entity wide group basis. As of June 30, 2022, long-lived assets located outside the United States, primarily located in Malaysia and China, were $21.9 million.
The Connected Machines segment derives revenue from the sale of its connected machine hardware and related essential software. The Subscriptions segment derives revenue primarily from monthly and annual subscription fees and a portion of the revenue allocated to unspecified future upgrades and enhancements related to the essential software and access to the Company’s cloud-based services. The Accessories and Materials segment primarily consists of craft, DIY, home décor products and heat presses including the Cricut EasyPress, Cricut Mug Press, and Cricut Autopress. There are no internal revenue transactions between the Company’s segments.
Key financial performance measures of the segments including revenue, cost of revenue and gross profit are as follows:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected Machines: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and Materials: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||
17.Subsequent Events
On August 4, 2022, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “New Credit Agreement”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A, Citigroup N.A., PNC Bank, N.A., KeyBank, N.A., and other parties. The New Credit Agreement replaces the Company’s prior asset-based Credit Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Citigroup N.A., and Origin Bank. The New Credit Agreement provides for a five-year revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) of up to $300.0 million, maturing on August 4, 2027. In addition, during the term of the New Credit Agreement, the Company may increase the aggregate amount of the Credit Facility by up to an additional $150.0 million, (for maximum aggregate lender commitments of up to $450.0 million), subject to customary conditions under the New Credit Agreement, including obtaining a consent from participating lenders (or another lender, if applicable) to such increase. The Credit Facility may be used to issue letters of credit and for other business purposes, including working capital needs.
The New Credit Agreement is collateralized by substantially all of our assets and contains affirmative and negative covenants, representations and warranties, events of default and other terms customary for loans of this nature. In particular, the New Credit Agreement will not permit the leverage ratio to be greater than 3.0 to 1.0, measured on the last day of any fiscal quarter. In addition, the New Credit Agreement will not permit the interest
21
22
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2021 Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed in the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Overview of Our Business and History
At Cricut, our mission is to help people lead creative lives. We have designed and built a creativity platform that enables our engaged and loyal community of nearly 7.2 million users to turn ideas into professional-looking handmade goods. With our highly versatile connected machines, design apps and accessories and materials, our users create everything from personalized birthday cards, mugs and T-shirts to large-scale interior decorations.
Our users’ journeys typically begin with the purchase of a connected machine. We currently sell a portfolio of connected machines that cut, write, score and create other decorative effects using a wide variety of materials including paper, vinyl, leather and more. Our connected machines are designed for a wide range of uses and are available at a variety of price points (MSRP by machine family as of June 30, 2022):
•Cricut Joy for personalization on-the-go, $179.00 MSRP
•Cricut Explore for cutting, writing and scoring, $249.00 - $319.00 MSRP
•Cricut Maker for cutting, writing, scoring and adding decorative effects to a wider range of materials, $399.00 - $429.00 MSRP
Our software integrates our connected machines and design apps, allowing our users to create and share seamlessly. Our software is cloud-based, meaning that users can access and work on their projects anywhere, at any time, across desktops or mobile devices. We enable our users to be inspired, to create and share projects with the Cricut community and to follow others doing the same. On our apps, users can find inspiration, purchase or upload content like fonts and images, design a project from scratch or find a vast array of ready-to-make projects.
Users can leverage the full power of our platform by using our connected machines together with our free design apps, in-app purchases and subscription offerings to design and complete projects. All users can access a select number of free images, fonts and projects from our design apps or upload their own. In addition, we offer a wider selection of images, fonts and projects for purchase à la carte, including licensed content from partners with well-known brands and characters, like major motion picture studios. We also have two subscription offerings: Cricut Access and Cricut Access Premium. Cricut Access provides a subscription to images, fonts and projects as well as other member benefits, including exclusive software features and functionality, discounts, and priority Cricut Member Care. Cricut Access is billed monthly for $9.99 per month or annually for $95.88 per year. Cricut Access Premium includes all of the benefits of Cricut Access as well as additional discounts and preferred shipping and is billed annually for $119.88 per year. As of June 30, 2022, we had nearly 2.4 million Paid Subscribers to Cricut Access and Cricut Access Premium.
We sell a broad range of accessories and materials that bring our users’ designs to life, from advanced tools like heat presses to Cricut-branded rulers, scoring tools, pens, paper and iron-on vinyl, all designed to work seamlessly with our connected machines. Designing and completing projects drives repeat purchases of Cricut-branded accessories and materials.
We design and develop our software and hardware products, and we work with third-party contract manufacturers to source components and finished goods and with third-party logistics companies to warehouse and distribute our products.
We sell our connected machines and accessories and materials through our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, as well as through our website at cricut.com. Our partners include Amazon, Hobby Lobby, HSN, Jo-Ann, Michaels, Target, Walmart and many others. We also sell our products, including subscriptions to Cricut Access and Cricut Access Premium, on cricut.com.
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Historically, we generate higher revenue levels in the second half of the year compared to the first half of the year, coinciding with the ramp up to, and including the holiday shopping season in the United States. For example, in 2019 and 2020, the second half of the year represented 59% and 60% of total revenue for the year, respectively. The seasonality patterns experienced in 2021 were not representative of our typical historical patterns due to the unique aspects of the pandemic that resulted in unusually high demand in the first and second quarters of 2021. As the impact of the pandemic on behaviors abate, we expect to return to a more normal seasonality pattern. As we continue to grow internationally, we expect we may experience seasonality in additional markets, which may differ from the seasonality experienced in the United States.
On March 29, 2021, we completed an initial public offering (“IPO”), in which we sold 13,250,000 shares of Class A common stock, and the selling stockholders sold an additional 2,064,903 shares of Class A common stock at a price to the public of $20.00 per share. We received aggregate net proceeds of $242.7 million after deducting offering costs, underwriting discounts and commissions of $22.3 million. On April 28, 2021, we sold an additional 968,815 shares of Class A common stock and the selling stockholders sold an additional 150,984 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the partial exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares which generated net proceeds of $18.0 million after deducting for underwriting discounts and commissions of $1.4 million.
For more information regarding our business model, factors affecting our performance, and seasonality, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our 2021 Form 10-K.
Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our interim condensed consolidated financial statements, we use the following key metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends and make strategic decisions.
| As of June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||
| Users (in thousands) | 7,192 | 5,373 | |||||||||
| Percentage of Users Creating in Trailing 90 Days | 51 | % | 59 | % | |||||||
| Paid Subscribers (in thousands) | 2,367 | 1,765 | |||||||||
| Three Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||
| Subscription ARPU | $ | 9.59 | $ | 9.83 | |||||||
| Accessories and Materials ARPU | $ | 11.45 | $ | 26.67 | |||||||
Users
We define a User as a registered user of at least one registered connected machine as of the end of a period. One user may own multiple registered connected machines but is only counted once if that user registers those connected machines by using the same email address. If possession of a connected machine is transferred to a new owner and registered by that new owner, the new owner is added to the total user count and the prior owner is removed from the total user count if the prior owner does not own any other registered connected machines. User count is an important indicator of the health of our business, because changes in the number of users reflects changes in connected machine sales and represents opportunities for us to drive additional sales of subscriptions and accessories and materials. There are certain limitations associated with this metric. For example, this metric does not capture whether a User is active in using a connected machine and does not indicate whether a User is purchasing subscriptions or accessories and materials. We compensate for these limitations by also reviewing other metrics that capture portions of this information, including the metrics below.
Percentage of Users Creating in Trailing 90 Days
We define the Percentage of Users Creating in Trailing 90 Days as the percentage of users who have used a connected machine for any activity, such as cutting, writing or any other activity enabled by our connected
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machines, in the past 90 days. This metric is a key indicator of our engagement with users, which helps drive sales of subscriptions and accessories and materials. There are certain limitations associated with this metric. For example, this metric does not capture how active a User is during the 90-day period, nor whether a User is purchasing subscriptions or accessories and materials. We compensate for some of these limitations by also reviewing other metrics that capture portions of this information, including the metrics below.
Paid Subscribers
We define Paid Subscribers as the number of users with a subscription to Cricut Access or Cricut Access Premium, excluding cancelled, unpaid or free trial subscriptions, as of the end of a period. Paid Subscribers is a key metric to track growth in our subscriptions revenue and potential leverage in our gross margin.
Subscription ARPU
We define Subscription ARPU as Subscriptions revenue divided by average number of users in a period. Subscription ARPU allows us to forecast Subscriptions revenue over time and is an indicator of our ability to expand with users and of user engagement with our subscription offerings.
Accessories and Materials ARPU
We define Accessories and Materials ARPU as Accessories and Materials revenue divided by average number of users in a period. Accessories and Materials ARPU allows us to forecast Accessories and Materials revenue over time and is an indicator of our ability to expand with users, particularly the volume of projects created by our users.
Components of our Results of Operations
We operate and manage our business in three reportable segments: Connected Machines, Subscriptions and Accessories and Materials. We identify our reportable segments based on the information used by management to monitor performance and make operating decisions. See Note 16 to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this filing for additional information regarding our reportable segments.
Revenue
Connected Machines
We generate Connected Machines revenue from sales of our portfolio of connected machines, currently consisting of machines in three product families, Cricut Maker, which includes Maker and Maker 3, Cricut Explore, which includes Explore Air 2 and Explore 3, and Cricut Joy, net of sales discounts, incentives and returns. Connected Machines revenue is recognized at the point in time when control is transferred, which is either upon shipment or delivery to the customer in accordance with the terms of each customer contract.
Subscriptions
We generate Subscriptions revenue primarily from sales of subscriptions to Cricut Access and Cricut Access Premium and a portion of the revenue allocated to unspecified future upgrades and enhancements related to the essential software and access to our cloud-based services. For a monthly or annual subscription fee, Cricut Access includes a subscription to images, fonts and projects as well as other member benefits, including exclusive software features and functionality, discounts, and priority Cricut Member Care. For an annual subscription fee, Cricut Access Premium includes all of the benefits of Cricut Access as well as additional discounts and preferred shipping. Subscriptions revenue excludes à la carte digital content purchases. Subscriptions revenue is recognized on a ratable basis over the subscription term.
Accessories and Materials
We generate Accessories and Materials revenue from sales of ancillary products, such as Cricut EasyPress, Cricut Mug Press, Cricut Autopress, hand tools, machine replacement tools and blades, project materials such as vinyl and iron-on and sales of à la carte digital content purchases, including fonts, images and projects. Accessories and Materials revenue is recognized for sales of such items, net of sales discounts, incentives and returns. Accessories and Materials revenue is recognized at the point in time when control is transferred, which is either upon shipment or delivery to the customer in accordance with the terms of each customer contract.
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Cost of Revenue
Connected Machines
Cost of revenue related to Connected Machines consists of product costs, including costs of components, costs of contract manufacturers for production, inspecting and packaging, shipping, receiving, handling, warehousing and fulfillment, duties and other applicable importing costs, warranty replacement, excess and obsolete inventory write-downs, tooling and equipment depreciation and royalties. We expect our cost of revenue related to Connected Machines as a percentage of revenue to fluctuate in the near term as we address global supply chain challenges and increased expenses and continue to invest in the growth of our business and decrease over the long term as we drive greater scale and efficiency in our business.
Subscriptions
Cost of revenue related to Subscriptions consists primarily of hosting fees, digital content costs, amortization of capitalized software development costs and software maintenance costs. We expect our cost of revenue related to Subscriptions as a percentage of revenue to increase as we expand our content offerings and benefits of the subscription, including localized content for international target markets, discounts and features that drive value of the subscription.
Accessories and Materials
Costs of revenue related to Accessories and Materials consists of product costs, including costs of components, costs of contract manufacturers for production, inspecting and packaging, shipping, receiving, handling, warehousing and fulfillment, duties and other applicable importing costs, warranty replacement, excess and obsolete inventory write-downs, tooling and equipment depreciation and royalties. We expect our cost of revenue related to Accessories and Materials as a percentage of revenue to fluctuate in the near term as we address global supply chain challenges and increased expenses and continue to invest in the growth of our business and decrease over the long term as we drive greater scale and efficiency in our business.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs associated with the development of our connected machines, software and accessories and materials, including personnel-related expenses for engineering, product development and quality assurance, as well as prototype costs, service fees incurred by contracting with vendors and allocated overhead. We expect research and development expense to increase as a percentage of revenue to levels somewhat higher compared to historical annual levels to support growth from new products and services in the future.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of the advertising and marketing of our products, third-party payment processing fees, personnel-related expenses, including salaries and bonuses, benefits and stock-based compensation expense, as well as sales incentives, professional services, promotional items, and allocated overhead costs. We expect our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenue to fluctuate in the near term as we expand internationally and launch new products, but over the long term we anticipate to be similar to pre-COVID-19 pandemic annual levels.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist of personnel-related expenses for our finance, legal, human resources and administrative personnel, including salaries and bonuses, benefits and stock-based compensation expense, as well as the costs of professional services, any allocated overhead, information technology and other administrative expenses. We expect general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue over the long term to remain relatively similar to pre-COVID-19 pandemic annual levels.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net consists primarily of interest expense associated with our debt financing arrangements and amortization of debt issuance costs.
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Provision for Income Taxes
Provision for income taxes consists of income taxes in the United States and certain state and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business. We have not recorded a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets as we have concluded that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized.
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth the components of our interim condensed consolidated statements of operations for each of the periods presented and as a percentage of our revenue for those periods. The period-to-period comparison of results of operations is not necessarily indicative of results of future periods.
The following table is presented in thousands:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | $ | 35,438 | $ | 146,326 | $ | 97,829 | $ | 287,646 | |||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | 67,604 | 50,673 | 132,382 | 96,812 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | 80,715 | 137,494 | 198,329 | 273,857 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 183,757 | 334,493 | 428,540 | 658,315 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Connected machines(1) | 34,882 | 116,217 | 95,595 | 235,909 | |||||||||||||||||||
Subscriptions(1) | 6,181 | 5,285 | 12,433 | 9,583 | |||||||||||||||||||
Accessories and materials(1) | 57,266 | 82,696 | 136,064 | 162,258 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total cost of revenue | 98,329 | 204,198 | 244,092 | 407,750 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 85,428 | 130,295 | 184,448 | 250,565 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Research and development(1) | 20,055 | 20,606 | 40,585 | 36,304 | |||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing(1) | 31,516 | 33,030 | 64,305 | 60,519 | |||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative(1) | 13,828 | 12,507 | 28,122 | 24,926 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 65,399 | 66,143 | 133,012 | 121,749 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 20,029 | 64,152 | 51,436 | 128,816 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 322 | 14 | 283 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 20,351 | 64,166 | 51,719 | 128,801 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 6,524 | 15,040 | 14,388 | 30,257 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 13,827 | $ | 49,126 | $ | 37,331 | $ | 98,544 | |||||||||||||||
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | $ | 9 | $ | 8 | $ | 12 | $ | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | 107 | 52 | 159 | 88 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total cost of revenue | 116 | 60 | 171 | 104 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 4,915 | 3,768 | 8,926 | 7,409 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 3,255 | 2,425 | 6,123 | 8,032 | |||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 2,116 | 1,857 | 4,140 | 4,250 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 10,402 | $ | 8,110 | $ | 19,360 | $ | 19,795 | |||||||||||||||
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Comparison of the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
Revenue
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | $ | 35,438 | $ | 146,326 | $ | (110,888) | (76) | % | $ | 97,829 | $ | 287,646 | $ | (189,817) | (66) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | 67,604 | 50,673 | 16,931 | 33 | % | 132,382 | 96,812 | 35,570 | 37 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | 80,715 | 137,494 | (56,779) | (41) | % | 198,329 | 273,857 | (75,528) | (28) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 183,757 | $ | 334,493 | $ | (150,736) | (45) | % | $ | 428,540 | $ | 658,315 | $ | (229,775) | (35) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
Connected Machines revenue decreased by $110.9 million, or 76%, to $35.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $146.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in the number of Connected Machines sold during the period, across all product families, due to higher channel inventory entering the quarter and lower consumer demand.
Subscriptions revenue increased by $16.9 million, or 33%, to $67.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $50.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in the number of Paid Subscribers which increased by 34% from 1.8 million as of June 30, 2021 to 2.4 million as of June 30, 2022.
Accessories and Materials revenue decreased by $56.8 million, or 41%, to $80.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $137.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in unit sales of Accessories, particularly for units of EasyPress and Mug Press, as well as a decline in unit sales of Project Materials, due in part to increased competition in this space. The decrease was partially offset by increased revenue from Autopress, Hat Press, BrightPad, and Bright 360 Lamps.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
Connected Machines revenue decreased by $189.8 million, or 66%, to $97.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $287.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in the number of Connected Machines sold during the period, across all product families, due to lower consumer demand.
Subscriptions revenue increased by $35.6 million, or 37%, to $132.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $96.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in the number of Paid Subscribers which increased by 34% from 1.8 million as of June 30, 2021 to 2.4 million as of June 30, 2022.
Accessories and Materials revenue decreased by $75.5 million, or 28%, to $198.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $273.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in unit sales of Accessories, particularly for units of EasyPress and Mug Press, as well as a decline in unit sales of Project Materials, due in part to increased competition in this space. The decrease was partially offset by increased revenue from Autopress, Hat Press, BrightPad, and Bright 360 Lamps.
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Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of Revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | $ | 34,882 | $ | 116,217 | $ | (81,335) | (70) | % | $ | 95,595 | $ | 235,909 | $ | (140,314) | (59) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | 6,181 | 5,285 | 896 | 17 | % | 12,433 | 9,583 | 2,850 | 30 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | 57,266 | 82,696 | (25,430) | (31) | % | 136,064 | 162,258 | (26,194) | (16) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total cost revenue | $ | 98,329 | $ | 204,198 | $ | (105,869) | (52) | % | $ | 244,092 | $ | 407,750 | $ | (163,658) | (40) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross Profit: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | 556 | 30,109 | (29,553) | (98) | % | 2,234 | 51,737 | (49,503) | (96) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | 61,423 | 45,388 | 16,035 | 35 | % | 119,949 | 87,229 | 32,720 | 38 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | 23,449 | 54,798 | (31,349) | (57) | % | 62,265 | 111,599 | (49,334) | (44) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total gross profit | $ | 85,428 | $ | 130,295 | $ | (44,867) | (34) | % | $ | 184,448 | $ | 250,565 | $ | (66,117) | (26) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross Margin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connected machines | 2 | % | 21 | % | 2 | % | 18 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | 91 | % | 90 | % | 91 | % | 90 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessories and materials | 29 | % | 40 | % | 31 | % | 41 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
Connected Machines cost of revenue decreased by $81.3 million, or 70%, to $34.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $116.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in the number of Connected Machines sold across all product families during the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021.
Gross margin for Connected Machines decreased to 2% for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from 21% for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Gross margin decreased due to higher sales incentives as a percentage of revenue, end-of-life pricing for Explore Air 2 and Maker, higher freight and handling costs due to global supply chain challenges as a percentage of revenue, higher warranty costs as a percentage of revenue, and higher excess and obsolete costs as a percentage of revenue.
Subscriptions cost of revenue increased by $0.9 million, or 17%, to $6.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $5.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in amortization of capitalized software development costs.
Gross margin for Subscriptions increased to 91% for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from 90% for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Gross margin increased due to lower digital content costs and hosting fees as a percentage of subscriptions revenue.
Accessories and Materials cost of revenue decreased by $25.4 million, or 31%, to $57.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $82.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in unit sales of Accessories and Materials during the period, particularly for units of EasyPress, Mug Press and Project Materials. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in units sold of Autopress, Hat Press, BrightPad, and Bright 360 Lamps.
Gross margin for Accessories and Materials decreased to 29% for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from 40% for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Gross margin decreased primarily due to higher freight and handling costs due to global supply chain challenges, higher excess and obsolete costs, and higher sales incentives as a percentage of revenue.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
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Connected Machines cost of revenue decreased by $140.3 million, or 59%, to $95.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $235.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in the number of Connected Machines sold across all product families during the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021.
Gross margin for Connected Machines decreased to 2% for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from 18% for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Gross margin decreased due to end-of-life pricing for Explore Air 2 and Maker, higher freight and handling costs due to global supply chain challenges as a percentage of revenue, higher warranty costs as a percentage of revenue, and higher sales incentives as a percentage of revenue.
Subscriptions cost of revenue increased by $2.9 million, or 30%, to $12.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $9.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in amortization of capitalized software development costs.
Gross margin for Subscriptions increased to 91% for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from 90% for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Gross margin increased due to lower digital content costs and hosting fees as a percentage of subscriptions revenue.
Accessories and Materials cost of revenue decreased by $26.2 million, or 16%, to $136.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $162.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in unit sales of Accessories and Materials during the period, particularly for units of EasyPress, Mug Press and Project Materials. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in units sold of Autopress, Hat Press, BrightPad, and Bright 360 Lamps along with higher freight cost.
Gross margin for Accessories and Materials decreased to 31% for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from 41% for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Gross margin decreased primarily due to higher freight and handling costs due to global supply chain challenges as a percentage of revenue, unfavorable product mix changes, and higher sales incentives as a percentage of revenue.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 20,055 | $ | 20,606 | $ | (551) | (3) | % | $ | 40,585 | $ | 36,304 | $ | 4,281 | 12 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As a percentage of total revenue | 11 | % | 6 | % | 9 | % | 6 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Research and development expenses decreased by $0.6 million, or 3%, to $20.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $20.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a $3.1 million decrease in product development expenses for future products, offset by increases in personnel-related expenses due to headcount increases and stock-based compensation expense.
Research and development expenses increased by $4.3 million, or 12%, to $40.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $36.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to a $2.8 million increase in personnel-related expenses due to headcount increases as well as an increase in stock-based compensation expense.
Sales and Marketing
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 31,516 | $ | 33,030 | $ | (1,514) | (5) | % | $ | 64,305 | $ | 60,519 | $ | 3,786 | 6 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As a percentage of total revenue | 17 | % | 10 | % | 15 | % | 9 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sales and marketing expenses decreased by $1.5 million, or 5%, to $31.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $33.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a $5.1 million decrease in advertising and other marketing costs which included the launch of the Explore 3 and Maker 3 in June 2021. The variance was offset by increases in personnel-related expenses due to headcount increases, stock-based compensation expense, and payment processing fees.
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $3.8 million, or 6%, to $64.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $60.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to a $5.6 million increase in payment processing fees, increases in personnel-related expenses due to headcount increases, and software subscription expenses. The variance was offset by decreases in advertising and other marketing costs including to support the launch of Explore 3 and Maker 3 which launched in June 2021 and stock-based compensation expense.
General and Administrative
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 13,828 | $ | 12,507 | $ | 1,321 | 11 | % | $ | 28,122 | $ | 24,926 | $ | 3,196 | 13 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As a percentage of total revenue | 8 | % | 4 | % | 7 | % | 4 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses increased by $1.3 million, or 11%, to $13.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $12.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to a $0.8 million increase in software subscription expenses, increases in personnel-related expenses due to headcount increases, and stock-based compensation expense, offset by a decrease in legal services.
General and administrative expenses increased by $3.2 million, or 13%, to $28.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $24.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to a $1.5 million increases in personnel-related expenses due to headcount increases.
Other Income (Expense), Net
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | $ | 322 | $ | 14 | $ | 308 | 2200 | % | $ | 283 | $ | (15) | $ | 298 | (1987) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net is materially consistent for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 in comparison to the three and six months ended June 30, 2021.
Income Tax Expense
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Change | Six Months Ended June 30, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 6,524 | $ | 15,040 | $ | (8,516) | (57) | % | $ | 14,388 | $ | 30,257 | $ | (15,869) | (52) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes decreased by $8.5 million, or 57%, to $6.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 from $15.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in pre-tax net income and represents an effective tax rate after discrete items of 32.1% and 23.4% for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate after discrete items
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is due primarily to a $1.8 million discrete item in the three months ended June 30, 2022, related to RSU’s that vested in May 2022, which resulted in a significant tax shortfall due to the decrease in share price.
Provision for income taxes decreased by $15.9 million, or 52%, to $14.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 from $30.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in pre-tax net income and represents an effective tax rate after discrete items of 27.8% and 23.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate after discrete items is primarily due to a $1.8 million discrete item in the three months ended June 30, 2022, related to RSU’s that vested in May 2022, which resulted in a significant tax shortfall due to the decrease in share price.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our operations during the periods presented have been financed primarily through cash flow from operating activities and the net proceeds from our initial public offering in March of 2021. We believe our balances of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities, which totaled $147.8 million and $83.5 million, respectively, as of June 30, 2022, along with forecasted cash expected to be generated by ongoing operations and $300.0 million in available borrowings on our new credit facility (see Note 7 and Note 17) will be sufficient to satisfy our cash requirements over the next 12 months and beyond.
Our future capital requirements may vary materially from those currently planned and will depend on many factors, including our rate of revenue growth, the timing and extent of spending on research and development efforts and other growth initiatives, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, the timing of new product introductions, market acceptance of our products and overall economic conditions. To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and requirements, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of debt financing would result in debt service obligations, and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. There can be no assurances that we will be able to raise additional capital. The inability to raise capital would adversely affect our ability to achieve our business objectives.
Other than our recently announced $50 million share repurchase program, our cash requirements have not changed materially since the 2021 Form 10-K.
Cash Flows
| Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||
Net cash flows (used in) provided by operating activities | $ | 13,006 | $ | (53,995) | |||||||
| Net cash flows used in investing activities | (101,569) | (16,124) | |||||||||
Net cash flows provided (used in) by financing activities | (5,031) | 262,013 | |||||||||
Operating Activities
The change in net cash flows from operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021 is primarily due to greater reductions in accounts receivable year over year as well as less cash used to fund inventories. These increases were partially offset by a larger decrease in payable balances with inventory vendors for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to six months ended June 30, 2021.
Investing Activities
The change in net cash flows from investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021 was due to investments in marketable securities.
Financing Activities
The change in net cash flows from financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to six months ended June 30, 2021 was primarily due to proceeds of $262.0 million received from our IPO during 2021.
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Critical Accounting Policies
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported revenues and expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The critical accounting policies that reflect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements include those described in Note 2 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements in the section titled “—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in the 2021 Form 10-K.
ITEM 3. QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rate Risk
We were primarily exposed to changes in interest rates with respect to our cost of borrowing under our Revolving Credit Loan and Term Loan. We monitor our cost of borrowing, taking into account our funding requirements and our expectations for interest rates in the future. To date, we have not been exposed, nor do we anticipate being exposed to material risks due to changes in interest rates. A hypothetical 10% change in interest rates during any of the periods presented would not have had a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar and the functional currency of each of our subsidiaries is either its local currency or the U.S. dollar depending on the circumstances. For foreign subsidiaries where the functional currency is the local currency, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at each balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated using the average exchange rate for the relevant period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates. Decreases in the relative value of the U.S. dollar to other currencies may negatively affect revenue and other results of operations as expressed in U.S. dollars. Foreign currency translation adjustments are accounted for as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within stockholders’ equity. Gains or losses due to transactions in foreign currencies are included in general and administrative operating expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. As the impact of foreign currency exchange rates was not material to results of operations during 2019, 2020 and 2021, we have not entered into derivative or hedging transactions, but we may do so in the future if our exposure to foreign currency becomes more significant.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been or would be detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are not presently a party to any material pending legal proceedings. We are, from time to time, subject to legal proceedings and claims arising from the normal course of business activities, and an unfavorable resolution of any of these matters could materially affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
Litigation may be necessary, among other things, to defend ourselves or our users by determining the scope, enforceability and validity of third-party proprietary rights, to establish our proprietary rights, or to address royalty payments we make. The results of any current or future litigation cannot be predicted with certainty, and regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.
In September 2020, we joined NXN LLC and dozens of other plaintiffs in a complaint against the U.S. federal government in the United States Court of International Trade alleging unlawful actions by the federal government on the imposition of the third and fourth round of tariffs on products covered in the United States Trade Representative’s Section 301 Action Concerning China’s Act’s, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. The complaint seeks declaratory judgment that the United States Trade Representative’s actions were beyond its delegated authority under the Trade Act of 1974 and in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and the United States Constitution.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes and all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, before making a decision to invest in our Class A common stock. If any of the risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Summary of Risk Factors
Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk because our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, as described below. The principal factors and uncertainties that make investing in our Class A common stock risky include, among others:
•risks regarding our ability to attract and engage with our users, including anticipating their product preferences;
•competitive risks in each of our three segments: Connected Machines, Subscriptions and Accessories and Materials;
•supply chain, manufacturing, distribution and fulfillment risks, including our being primarily dependent on a single manufacturer and on limited sources of supply for components, accessories and materials, as well as our ability to forecast demand and manage our inventory;
•international risks, including regulation, tariffs that have materially increased our costs and the potential for further trade barriers;
•sales and marketing risks, including our dependence on sales to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and our need to continue to grow online sales;
•risks relating to the complexity of our business, which includes connected machines, custom tools, hundreds of materials, design apps, e-commerce software, subscriptions, content, international production, direct sales, and retail distribution, particularly for a company of our relative size;
•risks related to product quality, safety and warranty claims and returns;
•risks related to protection of our intellectual property, as well as to cybersecurity and potential data breaches;
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•risks related to general socio-economic and political conditions as well as consumer confidence; and
•risks related to our dependence on our Chief Executive Officer.
Risks Related to Our Industry and Business
If we are not able to attract and engage with our users, our business and rate of growth could be adversely affected.
Since launching our first connected machine, we have built a loyal and growing community of users that has reached substantial scale. Our business and rate of growth is dependent upon our ability to attract and engage with our users. We cannot ensure that our efforts to attract and engage with users will be successful or that we will be able to maintain sales to our users. There are a number of factors that could impact our number of users and our ability to increase sales to users, including:
•a decline in the public’s interest in or discretionary time available for do-it-yourself, or DIY, crafting activities;
•pricing, perceived value and ease of use of our connected machines and accessories and materials as well as our subscriptions;
•our ability to satisfy demand for and deliver quality products and value for subscriptions;
•sales of competitive products;
•our failure to broaden our demographic appeal;
•our ability to continue to improve the user experience in each aspect of our business and successfully educate our users about our products;
•our failure to capitalize on growth opportunities;
•our inability to meet the challenges resulting from fast-paced changes in technology;
•the failure of our connected machines to communicate or sync properly with Cricut-authorized design apps, including our Design Space apps, or other third-party applications such as Android, iOS and Windows;
•unsatisfactory experiences with our products, including with respect to the use, purchasing or delivery of our products or with Cricut Member Care, including public disclosure of those experiences through social media or other communications from our community;
•changes to our product offerings;
•our failure to increase our international presence, including the failure to translate and localize our digital content and subscriptions, or the failure to further expand internationally;
•decreased word-of-mouth referrals from our community or failed marketing efforts; and
•deteriorating general economic conditions, inflationary pressures affecting the pricing of our products or otherwise, or changes in consumer spending preferences or buying trends, each of which we currently are experiencing.
As a result of these factors, our rate of adding new users is declining in comparison to the last two years and, in the short term, the number of paid subscribers could remain flat or decline, and we cannot be sure that we will be successful in attracting and engaging with users, or increasing sales to our users, at levels that will be adequate to maintain or grow our business.
Our revenue growth rate and financial performance in recent periods may not be indicative of our future performance, and we expect our revenue growth rate to decline compared to prior years.
We have experienced rapid revenue growth in recent periods, with revenue of $486.6 million, $959.0 million and $1,306.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. You should not rely on our revenue for any previous quarterly or annual period as any indication of our revenue or revenue growth in future periods. As we grow our business, we expect our revenue growth rates to decline compared to prior years due to a number of reasons, including more challenging comparisons to prior periods as our revenue grows, slowing demand for our products and subscriptions, increasing competition, a decrease in the growth of our overall market and our
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failure to capitalize on growth opportunities. For example, we saw significant growth in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but our current revenue growth rates are declining compared to those rates. There can be no assurance that sales will remain at 2020 and 2021 levels in the future or that we will be able to continue to significantly grow our revenue in a post-COVID-19 environment. Our rate of adding new users is declining in comparison to the last two years and, in the short term, the number of paid subscribers could remain flat or decline.
If we are unable to anticipate user preferences and successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products in a timely manner, our business may be adversely affected.
Our success in maintaining and increasing our user community depends on our ability to identify trends, as well as to anticipate and react to changing preferences, which cannot be predicted with certainty. If we are unable to introduce new or enhanced products, or additional designs and projects, in a timely manner, if such new offerings are not accepted by our user community or if our competitors introduce similar offerings faster than we do, our business may be adversely affected. We also need to successfully educate our users on new offerings or improvements to current offerings. Moreover, our new offerings may not receive market acceptance if preferences change rapidly to different types of personal DIY offerings or away from these types of offerings altogether. Our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes as well as to improve the user experience in each aspect of our business. For example, some users find our connected machines to be challenging to use or may require user education in order to operate them efficiently or have the best user experience. If we are not able to make our connected machines easier to use or improve user education and experience, it may have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, failure to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing user preferences could lead to, among other things, reduced word-of-mouth referrals, lower sales, lower subscription rates, pricing pressure, lower gross margins, discounting of our existing products and excess inventory levels.
Even if we are successful in anticipating user preferences, our ability to adequately react to and address them will partially depend upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high-quality products. Development and launch of new or enhanced products is time-consuming and requires significant financial investment, which could result in increased costs and a reduction in our profit margins. We have experienced, and may in the future experience, delays in the planned release dates of new products. Delays could result in adverse publicity (if potential new product announcements are leaked and then delayed), loss of sales and delay in market acceptance, any of which could cause us to lose or fail to engage with existing users or impair our ability to attract new users. In addition, the introduction of new products by competitors could adversely affect our ability to compete. Any delay or failure in the introduction of new products could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Moreover, we must successfully manage the introduction of new or enhanced products and product offerings, which could adversely affect the sales of our existing products. For instance, users may choose to forgo purchasing existing connected machines in advance of new product launches, and we may experience higher returns from users of existing products after a new product launch occurs. As we introduce new or enhanced products, we may face additional challenges related to managing a more complex supply chain and manufacturing process, including the time and cost associated with onboarding and overseeing additional suppliers, contract manufacturers and third-party logistics partners. We may also face challenges managing the inventory of new or existing products, which could lead to excess inventory and discounting of such products. Users may negatively react to changes we introduce to products and product offerings. In addition, new or enhanced products may have varying selling prices and costs compared to legacy products, which could negatively impact our gross margins and results of operations.
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from sales of our connected machines, and a decline in sales of our connected machines would adversely affect our future revenue and results of operations.
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from sales of our connected machines. Any factors adversely affecting sales of our connected machines, including introduction by competitors of comparable machines at lower price points, a maturing product lifecycle, shortages in our supply or inventory of connected machines, a decline in consumer spending or other factors discussed elsewhere in this Risk Factors section, could result in a decline in sales of our connected machines, which would adversely affect our future revenue and results of operations. Moreover, because we derive a significant portion of our revenue from the sale of subscriptions and accessories and materials as an extension of the sales and use of our connected machines, any material decline in the sales and use of our connected machines would also have a pronounced impact on the sales of subscriptions and accessories and materials, which would adversely affect our future revenue and results of operations.
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Our results of operations could be adversely affected if we are unable to accurately forecast consumer demand for our products or adequately manage our inventory, the manufacturing capacity of our contract manufacturers or their component supply.
Our ability to accurately forecast demand could be affected by many factors, including changes in consumer demand for our products, changes in demand for the products of our competitors, unanticipated changes in general market or economic conditions or changes in consumer confidence in future economic conditions. This risk may be exacerbated by the fact that we do not have the manufacturing capacity or supply-chain flexibility to satisfy short-term demand increases. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders, we saw significant growth in sales in 2020, which strained our inventory levels and caused shortages that likely resulted in lost sales. Although our in-channel and on-hand inventory as of June 30, 2022 were strong, if we fail to accurately forecast consumer demand, we may experience insufficient or excess inventory levels or a shortage or surplus of products available for sale. If we underestimate demand or are otherwise unable to meet consumer demand, we could experience loss of revenue, reputational harm and damaged relationships, including through social media or other communications from our community, and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we forecast inventory levels in excess of consumer demand, this may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which would cause our gross margins to suffer and could impair the strength and premium nature of our brand image. We currently intend to carry higher component and product inventory levels into the future until we are comfortable current supply chain risks have improved. These dynamics, along with an increased level of promotions in the fourth quarter of 2021, decreased our margins in the fourth quarter of 2021, and have continued to put pressure on margins in 2022.
We depend on sales to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, including a limited number of sophisticated key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners. The loss or substantial decline in volume of sales to any of our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our financial performance has been and will continue to be significantly determined by our success in attracting and retaining brick-and-mortar and online retail partners. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our top seven brick-and-mortar and online retail partners accounted for 52% of total revenue. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, our top seven brick-and-mortar and online retail partners accounted for 40% of total revenue. We anticipate that a similar level of concentration will continue for the foreseeable future.
We are dependent on our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners to manage the sales of our products in their stores and on their websites. For example, we depend on brick-and-mortar retail partners to provide adequate and attractive space for our products and point of purchase displays in their stores and to employ, educate and motivate their sales personnel to sell our products. We also depend on our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners to adequately market our products on their websites and provide a positive online shopping and shipping experience for their customers. However, we generally do not have significant input or control over the display or promotion of our products by our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, and they are generally not prohibited from promoting products of our competitors.
Our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners have demanded and may in the future demand heightened security, product safety or packaging requirements and specified service levels. If we fail to meet these requirements, we may not only lose a brick-and-mortar and online retail partner, but we may have to pay significant punitive costs or retailer-imposed fines for such failures. We also impose policies and guidelines on our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners through our contractual agreements. If a retailer fails to follow the policies and guidelines in our sales agreements, we may choose to temporarily or permanently stop shipping product to that retailer, which could adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
Because our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners have dominant positions in their markets, a loss of any key retailer may not be easily replaced. The loss or substantial decline in volume of sales to our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners would adversely affect our financial performance. Moreover, if we are not able to meet demand from our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, they may limit or eliminate our shelf space, fail to feature our products on their websites or cease to offer our products and instead offer or promote products from our competitors who are able to meet their demands.
If the financial condition of one or more of our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners weakens, a key retailer stops selling our products or uncertainty regarding demand for some or all of our products causes one or more of these brick-and-mortar and online retail partners to reduce its ordering and marketing of our products, it
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could decrease revenue from sales to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and adversely affect our total revenue. Financial difficulties for one or more of our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners could also expose us to financial risk if such retailer were unable to pay for the products purchased from us. We may not be able to collect our receivables from our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, or we may incur significant expense in attempting to collect receivables, which would materially and adversely affect our profitability and cash flows from operations. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic had a material adverse effect on many retail chains generally, many of whom were required to close their stores for periods of time, and some of which went out of business. While the challenges that many retail chains experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a material adverse effect on our business, such challenges could negatively affect our business and results of operations in the future. In addition, current deteriorating general economic conditions, inflationary pressures affecting the pricing of our products or otherwise, and changes in consumer spending preferences or buying trends could have an effect on sales through our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners.
Our long-term growth is dependent upon our ability to increase online sales through the websites of our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners as well as through our own website. If we do not effectively grow our online channels while reducing our reliance on our other sales channels, our business, financial condition, results of operations and profitability could be harmed.
Our ability to continue our revenue growth and increase our profitability depends in part upon our ability to successfully implement certain strategic go-to-market initiatives, including expanding our online sales presence while continuing to work with key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners. Our online sales include online sales through the websites of our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners as well as through our own website cricut.com. In each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, 48% of our revenue was generated from these online channels. In the year ended December 31, 2021, 50% of our revenue was generated from these online channels. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, 59% of our revenue was generated from these online channels. There can be no assurance that online sales will remain at these levels in the future or that we will be able to continue to significantly grow our online channels.
To successfully grow our sales through cricut.com, we must continue to drive traffic to our website, convert a larger percentage of potential brick-and-mortar and online retail partner sales to our website and create and maintain a streamlined and intuitive online shopping experience. Increasing sales through cricut.com may be costly and may place increased demands on our operational, managerial, administrative and other resources. We are dependent on our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners to manage their own e-commerce operations effectively and to promote our products through those channels. We or our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners may be unable to effectively address the challenges involved with increasing online sales, which could negatively affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Sales through online channels, either through cricut.com or our online retail partners’ websites, could reduce sales by our current brick-and-mortar retail partners, which could adversely affect our relationship with our brick-and-mortar retail partners, particularly those that do not have a strong online presence. Based on our strategic initiative to increase sales through online channels, our brick-and-mortar retail partners may decide not to adequately display our products in store, choose to reduce the in-store space for our products, locate our products in less than premium positioning in their store, choose not to carry some or all of our products or promote competitors’ products over ours in store, and as a result, our sales could decrease and our business could be harmed.
If we are not successful in effectively and sustainably growing our online sales channels, through cricut.com and our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners’ websites, our business, financial condition, results of operations and profitability could be harmed.
If we are unable to maintain or increase our subscriptions, or if existing users do not renew their subscriptions, our future revenue and results of operations could be harmed.
As of June 30, 2022, approximately 33% of our users were Paid Subscribers. If we are unable to maintain or increase subscriptions, which have higher margins than our other products, our future revenue and results of operations could be harmed. Our Paid Subscribers have no contractual obligation to renew their subscriptions to Cricut Access or Cricut Access Premium after the expiration of their initial subscription term, and our subscriptions may be offered on a monthly and annual basis. The images and designs on our platform are available for purchase à la carte, which may limit the incentive for users to purchase subscriptions. Our ability to increase new subscriptions may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including seasonality, the quality of images
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and projects we offer, the number of new features and capabilities only offered through our subscriptions, the prices of products offered by our competitors and the budgets and consumer spending habits of our users. If our users do not renew their subscriptions or if additional users do not purchase subscriptions, our future revenue and results of operations could be harmed. To the extent that users of our free design apps do not purchase images, projects or products à la carte or convert to a subscription, our future revenue and results of operations could be harmed. Our efforts to increase our subscriptions may not have the desired effect. For example, in 2021, we proposed changes to our free Design Space app that would have limited the number of personal images or patterns a user could upload and save each month to our cloud without a subscription; however, because of user reaction, we determined not to proceed with the proposed changes. Instead of increasing subscriptions, other attempts to increase subscriptions could cause our users to limit their use of our connected machines, cause reputational harm and damaged relationships, and result in reduced sales of connected machines and accessories and materials, any of which could negatively affect our future revenue and results of operations. Finally, any future changes to our subscription model could make our subscriptions less attractive to users or reduce our margins on subscriptions, which could negatively affect our future revenue and results of operations.
We operate in a highly competitive market and we may be unable to compete successfully against existing and future competitors.
The markets in which we participate, including the traditional craft market and the other creative or DIY markets we touch, are highly competitive with limited barriers to entry. We operate and manage our business in three reportable segments: Connected Machines, Subscription and Accessories and Materials. We face competition in every aspect of our business, but particularly in Accessories and Materials. Many accessories and materials produced by our competitors, including the private label products of some of our retail partners, are compatible with our connected machines and are often available for purchase through our retail partners. Our competitors may offer competing accessories and materials at lower price points or with different features than our products. Moreover, we expect the competition in the accessories and materials DIY market to intensify in the future as new and existing competitors introduce new or enhanced products that may compete with our product lines. Because we derive a significant portion of our revenue from the sales of accessories and materials, any material decline in such sales would have a pronounced impact on our future revenue and results of operations.
We also experience competition in connected machines from sellers of both connected and manual cutting and other machines. For example, Brother, Graphtec and Silhouette America sell cutting machines, and a number of companies sell heat press machines. Our Subscriptions business, which provides users with fonts and images for making designs, competes with well-established content providers, from free resources that enable users to access content that is compatible with our platform, to more specific content marketplaces, where customers can purchase digital files to upload to our platform.
With respect to all of our segments, introduction by competitors of comparable products at lower price points, a maturing product lifecycle, a decline in consumer spending or other factors could result in a decline in our revenue derived from our products, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As our product categories mature, new competitive forces and competitors may emerge. As we expand our product offerings, we may begin to compete in new product offerings with new competitors. Our competitors may develop, or have already developed, products, features, content, services or technologies that are similar to ours or that achieve greater market acceptance, undertake more successful product development efforts, create more compelling employment opportunities or marketing campaigns or may adopt more aggressive pricing policies. Our competitors may develop or acquire, or have already developed or acquired, intellectual property rights that significantly limit or prevent our ability to compete effectively in the public marketplace. In addition, our competitors may have significantly greater resources than we do, allowing them to identify and capitalize more efficiently upon opportunities in new markets and consumer preferences and trends, quickly transition and adapt their products, devote greater resources to marketing and advertising or better position themselves to withstand substantial price competition. If we are not able to compete effectively against our competitors, they may acquire and engage our users or generate revenue at the expense of our efforts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Sales of copycat products or unauthorized “gray market” products by brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or distributors could adversely affect our authorized distribution channels and harm our reputation, business and results of operations.
Copycat companies or products may attempt to imitate our connected machines and accessories and materials, our brand or the functionality of our products. When consumers purchase copycat products in lieu of our products, it negatively affects our business and results of operations. In the past, when we have become aware of such products, we have employed technological or legal measures in an attempt to halt their distribution, and we plan to continue to employ such measures in the future. However, we may be unable to detect all copycat products in a timely manner, and, even if we could, technological and legal measures may be insufficient to halt their distribution. In some cases, particularly in the case of brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and distributors operating outside of the United States, our available remedies may not be adequate to protect us against the effect of such copycat products. Regardless of whether we can successfully enforce our rights against the producers of these products, any measures that we may take could require us to expend significant financial or other resources, which could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition. For example, we are currently aware of certain unauthorized copycat products, such as mats and other accessories, that are actively marketed for use with our connected machines and are available through certain major online retail partners. We have taken legal action against certain of the producers of these copycat products and anticipate expending significant financial or other resources in the future to combat these products. In addition, to the extent that sales of copycat products create confusion or experiences with our products among consumers, our brand and business could be harmed. For example, in some cases, users purchase copycat products believing them to be Cricut products and then inaccurately attribute defects with those products to Cricut, which would adversely affect our reputation. In other cases, our users purchase copycat accessories to use with their connected machine, but since the copycat accessories are not calibrated correctly to work with our connected machines, they may have a negative experience and attribute it to the connected machine.
Further, some of our products may find their way to unauthorized outlets or distribution channels. This “gray market” for our products can undermine authorized brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and distributors who promote and support our products and can damage our reputation and business, and we may have to spend significant time and resources in the future to challenge such copycat products and unauthorized “gray market” products.
Competitive pricing pressures, including with respect to our products, subscriptions and shipping, may harm our business and results of operations.
If we are unable to sustain pricing levels for our products and subscriptions, whether due to competitive pressure or otherwise, our gross margins could be significantly reduced. As of June 30, 2022, our portfolio of connected machines range from $179.00 to $429.00 MSRP, and subscription offerings range from $9.99 per month to $95.88 per year for Cricut Access or $119.88 per year for Cricut Access Premium, which includes all of the benefits of Cricut Access as well as additional discounts and preferred shipping. Within our accessories and materials, our SKUs range in price from $0.99 to $999.00.
Demand for our products can be sensitive to price, especially in times of slow or uncertain economic growth and consumer economic conservatism. To the degree we implement price increases, we could see further impact on consumer behavior and demand. Many factors can significantly impact our pricing strategies, including production and personnel costs, as well as other factors outside of our control, such as consumer sentiment, increases in the price of raw materials, inflationary pressures, and our competitors’ pricing and marketing strategies. Changes in our pricing strategies have had, and may continue to have, a significant impact on our revenue and net income. From time to time, we have made changes to our pricing structure to remain competitive, because if we fail to meet our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners’ and users’ price expectations, we could lose sales. Furthermore, brick-and-mortar and online retail partners may choose to offer promotions or sales on our products, including our connected machines, and we may have to match those prices on our own website to continue to attract users to our website to make purchases, which could affect our business and results of operations.
Many of our accessories and materials, including vinyl, iron-on vinyl, paper, metal, laminate, leather, fabric, stationery, stickers and other merchandise, are also offered by our competitors at lower prices or with free or accelerated shipping timelines that we either are unable to or choose not to match. Accordingly, if a user runs out of materials during a project, they may opt to purchase a replacement from a competitor or other online retail partner, such as Amazon, to receive one or two-day shipping, which we may not be able to offer. In addition, many of our competitors discount our accessories and materials or competitors’ accessories and materials at significant levels,
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and, as a result, we may be compelled to change our discounting strategy, which could impact our business and results of operations. If in the future, due to competitor discounting, shipping or other marketing strategies, we significantly reduce our prices on our products without a corresponding increase in sales volume, it would negatively impact our revenue and could adversely affect our gross margins and overall profitability.
Further, our decisions around the development of new products and subscriptions are grounded in assumptions about eventual pricing levels. If there is price compression in the market after these decisions are made, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we are not able to accurately estimate variable consideration from sales incentives each quarter, it could affect revenue in future periods.
We participate in promotional and rebate programs with our key brick-and-mortar and online retail partners to enhance the sale of our products. These promotional programs consist of incentives or entitlements to our customers, such as advertising allowances, volume and growth incentives, business development, product damage allowances and point-of-sale support. Sales incentives are considered to be variable consideration, which we estimate each quarter using the expected value method or most likely amount, based upon the nature of the incentive. Sales are reduced by the cost of these promotional and rebate programs and we record a related sales incentive liability in our consolidated balance sheets at the date of the transaction. To the extent that our estimates of variable consideration from sales incentives each quarter are not accurate, it could affect our revenue in future periods.
We have grown rapidly in recent years and have limited operating experience at our current scale of operations. If we are unable to manage our growth and the complexity of our business effectively, our brand, company culture and financial performance may suffer.
We have grown rapidly in recent years and have limited operating experience at our current size. For example, our revenue has grown from $486.6 million to $959.0 million and $1,306.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. In addition, between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020, our employee headcount increased from over 350 to over 640, and as of June 30, 2022, our employee headcount was over 800. While we do not expect headcount growth to continue at this pace in the near term, we may choose to significantly increase headcount again in the future. Further, as we grow, our business becomes increasingly complex, particularly for a company of our relative size. To effectively manage and capitalize on our growth, we must continue to forecast demand and manage our supply chain, expand our sales and marketing, focus on innovative product development, upgrade and secure our management information systems and other processes and obtain more space for our expanding staff. Our continued growth and complexity could strain our existing resources, and we could experience ongoing operating difficulties in managing our business across numerous jurisdictions, including difficulties in hiring, training and managing a diffuse and growing employee base. Failure to scale with growth could harm our future success, including our ability to effectively focus on and pursue our corporate objectives. Moreover, the complicated nature of our business, in which we design our own products, develop our own design apps, rely on third-party manufacturers and sell our products through brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, as well as through our website, exposes us to risk and disruption at many points that are critical to successfully operating our business and may make it more difficult for us to scale our business. If we do not adapt to meet these evolving challenges, including hiring and maintaining the right number of employees for each aspect of our business, or if our management team does not effectively scale with our growth, we may experience erosion to our brand, the quality of our products may suffer and our company culture may be harmed.
Our growth strategy contemplates an increase in our advertising and other sales and marketing spending, which represented 8%, 7% and 10% of revenue in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Our advertising and other sales and marketing spending represented 15% and 9% for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Successful implementation of our growth strategy will require significant expenditures before any substantial associated revenue is generated, and we cannot guarantee that these increased investments will result in corresponding and offsetting revenue growth.
Because we have a limited history of operating our business at its current scale, it is difficult to evaluate our current business and future prospects, including our ability to plan for and model future growth and anticipate the risks that may affect our business. This limited operating experience, combined with the complexity of our business and rapidly evolving nature of the market in which we sell our products, raises substantial uncertainty concerning how these markets and other economic factors beyond our control may develop and reduces our ability to
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accurately forecast quarterly or annual revenue. Failure to manage our future growth effectively could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is affected by seasonality.
Our business has historically been influenced by seasonal trends. We generate a disproportionate amount of sales activity related to our products during the fourth quarter, due in large part to seasonal holiday demand. For example, in 2019 and 2020 our fourth quarter represented 36% and 39% of total revenue for the year, respectively, and 30% of total revenue for the year 2021. Our promotional discounting activity is also higher in the fourth quarter, which negatively impacts gross margin during this period. Accordingly, adverse events that occur during these months could have a disproportionate effect on our results of operations for the entire fiscal year. In contrast, sales of accessories and materials typically slow in the second quarter of the year in connection with school summer holidays. Seasonality in our business can also be skewed by macroeconomic factors, such as inflation and reduction in consumer demand. In addition, seasonality can be affected by introductions of new or enhanced products, including the costs associated with such introductions. Furthermore, our rapid growth in recent years may obscure the extent to which seasonality trends have affected our business and may continue to affect our business. For example, we experienced unusually high demand in the first and second quarters of 2021, which is inconsistent with normal seasonality patterns. Accordingly, yearly or quarterly comparisons of our results of operations may not be useful and our results in any particular period will not necessarily be indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. Moreover, we experienced a significant increase in sales after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, lifting of restrictions on movement and/or normalized full-time return to work trends have negatively impacted demand for our products and subscriptions, as have current deteriorating general economic conditions, inflationary pressures affecting the pricing of our products, and changes in consumer spending preferences and buying trends, and our sales activity may continue to diminish as a result. As a result of these factors, our rate of adding new users is declining in comparison to the last two years and, in the short term, the number of paid subscribers could remain flat or decline.
Our quarterly results of operations and other operating metrics may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which makes these metrics difficult to predict.
Our quarterly results of operations and other operating metrics have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate in the future. Additionally, our limited operating history at our current scale of operations makes it difficult to forecast our future results. As a result, you should not rely on our past quarterly results of operations as indicators of future performance. Our financial condition, results of operations and operating metrics in any given quarter can be influenced by numerous factors, many of which we are unable to predict or are outside of our control, including those discussed in this Risk Factors section and:
•the continued market acceptance, and the growth, of the personal craft market;
•our ability to attract and engage our users, leading to increased sales to them;
•our development and improvement of the quality of our user experience, including enhancement of existing products, creation of new products, technology and features and licensing of new content;
•the continued development and upgrading of our proprietary software;
•the timing and success of new products, features and content introductions by us or our competitors or any other change in the competitive landscape of the markets in which we operate;
•pricing pressure as a result of inflationary pressures, competition or otherwise;
•the impact of price increases on our retail partners or consumers generally;
•cost increases, delays or disruptions in our supply chain;
•errors in our forecasting of the demand for our products, which could lead to lower revenue, increased costs or both;
•increases in marketing, sales and other operating expenses;
•seasonal fluctuations in subscriptions, engagement by users and purchases of accessories and materials;
•the mix of our products sales from period to period;
•our ability to maintain gross margins and operating margins;
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•system failures or breaches of security or privacy;
•adverse litigation judgments, settlements or other litigation-related costs;
•changes in the legislative or regulatory environment, including with respect to privacy, data protection and security, consumer product safety and advertising or enforcement by government regulators, including fines, orders or consent decrees;
•fluctuations in currency exchange rates and changes in the proportion of our revenue and expenses denominated in foreign currencies;
•changes in our effective tax rate;
•changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles; and
•changes in business or macroeconomic conditions, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, lower consumer confidence, recessionary conditions, inflationary pressures, increased unemployment rates or stagnant or declining wages.
As a result of these factors, our rate of adding new users is declining in comparison to the last two years and, in the short term, the number of paid subscribers could remain flat or decline. Any one of the factors above or the cumulative effect of some of the factors above may result in significant fluctuations in our results of operations.
The variability and unpredictability of our quarterly results of operations or other operating metrics could result in our failure to meet our or investors’ expectations or those of analysts that cover us with respect to revenue or other results of operations for a particular period. If we fail to meet such expectations, the market price of our Class A common stock could fall substantially, and we could face costly lawsuits, including securities class action suits.
Our future growth depends in part on further penetrating our SAM and TAM and we may not be successful in doing so.
We believe that our growth depends on our ability to reach our market opportunity in terms of our SAM, which includes active creatives who we address with our current products and price points, and our TAM, which includes potential creatives who we believe we can reach over the long term as we make products for new uses and products that are more accessible, even easier to use and available at a broad set of price points. See the section titled “Business - Our Opportunity” in our 2021 Form 10-K. We assess our SAM and TAM in the United States and Canada, as well as internationally. We believe that in order to further penetrate our SAM and TAM, we must continually improve ease of use and user experience, launch new products in new categories and expand internationally. For example, some users find our connected machines to be challenging to use or may require user education in order to operate them efficiently or have the best user experience. If we are not able to make our connected machines easier to use or improve user education and experience, we may not be able to expand our SAM and TAM. Our SAM and TAM are representative of a broad demographic. However, historically we have served a largely female demographic representing 94% of our users as of December 31, 2021. We continue to explore additional offerings that address new categories that will appeal to a wider demographic. Any new offerings may not appeal to current consumer preferences and may not be accepted by our user community or potential new users. While we believe our growth depends on our ability to expand our sales into our SAM and our TAM, we cannot be certain that we will be successful in doing so.
Our focus on delivering a high-quality product, which may not maximize short-term financial results, may yield results that conflict with the market’s expectations and could result in our stock price being negatively affected.
We focus on delivering a high-quality product, which may not necessarily maximize short-term financial results. We operate on the conviction that focusing on the needs of our users and our employees will produce positive results for our owners over the long term. We frequently make business decisions that may reduce our short-term financial results if we believe that the decisions are consistent with our goals to improve our users’ experience, which we believe will improve our financial results over the long term. These decisions may not be consistent with the short-term expectations of our stockholders or produce the long-term benefits that we expect, which could hinder the growth of the number and engagement of our users and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Any failure to successfully implement new technology or upgrade our information technology systems, or any major disruption or failure of our information technology systems or websites, could adversely affect our business and operations.
Certain of our information technology systems are designed and maintained by us and are critical for the efficient functioning of our business, including the manufacture and distribution of our products, online sales of our products and the ability of our users to access their content and designs. Our rapid growth has, in certain instances, strained these systems. As we grow, we continue to implement modifications and upgrades to our systems, including sunsetting the use of internal servers and implementing a company-wide product lifecycle management system. These changes subject us to inherent costs and risks associated with replacing and upgrading these systems, including, but not limited to, impairment of our ability to fulfill brick-and-mortar and online retail partners orders and other disruptions in our business operations. Further, our system implementations may not result in productivity improvements at a level that outweighs the costs of implementation, or at all.
Our platform is complex and multifaceted, and operational and performance issues could arise both from the platform itself and from outside factors, such as cybersecurity attacks or other third-party attacks. Errors, failures, vulnerabilities or bugs have been found in the past, and may in the future be found. Our platform also relies on third-party technology and systems to perform properly, and our platform is often used in connection with computing environments utilizing different operating systems, system management software, equipment and networking configurations, which may cause errors in, or failures of, our platform or such other computing environments. Operational and performance issues with our platform could include the failure of our user interface, outages, errors during upgrades or patches, unanticipated volume overwhelming our systems, server failure or catastrophic events affecting one or more server farms. While we have built redundancies in our systems, full redundancies do not exist, and some failures could shut our platform down completely. As our user community grows and their usage of our services increases, we will be required to make additional investments in network capacity to maintain adequate data transmission speeds, the availability of which may be limited, and the cost of which may be on terms unacceptable to us. If adequate capacity is not available to us as our users’ usage increases, our network may be unable to achieve or maintain sufficiently high reliability or performance. In the event that our users are unable to access our platform or suffer operational issues with our platform, it could negatively affect their experience with our products and platform and harm our reputation.
In addition, any unexpected technological interruptions to our systems, internal servers or websites could disrupt our operations, including our ability to process orders, timely ship and track product orders, project inventory requirements, manage our supply chain, sell our products online, provide Cricut Member Care and otherwise adequately serve our community. Specifically, a portion of our online sales comes directly from cricut.com, and any system interruptions or delays could prevent potential customers from purchasing our products directly from us. If users or potential customers fail to purchase our products directly from us, or if we are otherwise unable to maintain an efficient and uninterrupted operation of online order-taking and fulfillment operations, our revenue will be negatively impacted. In the event we experience significant disruptions or are unable to repair our systems in an efficient and timely manner, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our sales to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners can be subject to lower gross margins, heightened product or packaging requirements or long ramp up times.
Our top seven brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, measured by the product revenue we derive from them, accounted for 52% of product revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 40% for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Gross margins from sales to retailers may decline as a result of a number of factors outside our control, including inflationary pricing pressures, tariffs as a result of trade wars and our reliance on a primary contract manufacturer which holds influence over the supply chain. This may magnify the impact of variations in revenue and operating costs on our results of operations, which in turn could adversely affect our overall margins and profitability. We had in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and may continue to have in the future, low gross margins in the early stages of our relationships with certain brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, particularly international brick-and-mortar and online retail partners that often require significant ramp-up periods, which has and may in the future adversely affect our total revenue. To compete effectively, we have been, and may in the future decide to offer significant discounts to large brick-and-mortar and online retail partners at lower margins or reduce or withdraw from existing relationships with smaller brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, which could negatively impact our revenue and could adversely affect our gross margins and overall profitability.
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We rely on a limited number of distributors to generate a portion of our sales, particularly in our international target markets. The loss of, or a substantial decline in, volume of sales from any of our key distributors could adversely affect our financial performance.
We rely on a limited number of distributors for certain domestic sales, including to help establish relationships with certain retailers, and primarily sell through distributors internationally. If we lose any of our key distributors, particularly in our international target markets, if we are unable to meet our key distributors’ demand requirements or if our key distributors sell competing products, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. Moreover, because certain of our key distributors may have dominant positions in their markets, such key distributors may not be easy to replace and the loss of a key distributor could also impact our relationships with certain retailers. Any loss of market share or financial difficulties faced by our key distributors, including bankruptcy and financial restructuring, could adversely affect our financial performance.
We also continue to pursue direct to retailer sales, which may impact our relationships with existing distributors. In the future, we may choose to temporarily or permanently stop shipping product to distributors who do not follow the policies and guidelines in our sales agreements, which could adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
Additionally, many of our international distributors buy from us in U.S. dollars and sell to retailers in local currency, so significant currency fluctuations could affect their profitability, and in turn, affect their ability to buy products from us in the future. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant short-term volatility in global stock markets and has caused currency exchange rate fluctuations that make it more expensive for international distributors to purchase our products. Any reduction in sales by our international retailers could harm our international expansion and adversely affect our future growth.
Our future success depends on the continuing efforts of our key employees and our ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel and senior management.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to identify, attract, develop, integrate and retain qualified and highly skilled personnel, including senior management, engineers, designers, product managers, logistics and supply chain personnel, retail managers and Cricut Member Care personnel. In particular, we are highly dependent on the services of Ashish Arora, our Chief Executive Officer and the founder of our current product family and business model, who is critical to the development of, future vision for and strategic direction of our business. We also heavily rely on the continued service and performance of our senior management team, which provides leadership, contributes to the core areas of our business and helps us to efficiently execute our strategic direction. If our senior management team, including any new hires that we make, fails to work together effectively and to execute our plans and strategies on a timely basis, then our business and future growth prospects could be harmed.
Additionally, the loss of any key personnel could make it more difficult to manage our operations and research and development activities, reduce our employee retention and revenue and impair our ability to compete. For example, on January 3, 2022, Martin Petersen, Cricut’s Chief Financial Officer, informed Cricut of his intention to step down from his position as Chief Financial Officer, effective March 31, 2022, and to retire from Cricut effective September 30, 2022, serving as Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor from April 1, 2022 until his retirement. In connection with our initial public offering, we entered into employment letters with our key personnel. These letters have no specific duration and constitute at-will employment. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our employees.
Competition for highly skilled personnel in our industry is often intense. We may not be successful in attracting, integrating or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. We have from time to time experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. In addition, job candidates and existing employees often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. If the perceived value of our Class A common stock declines, it may adversely affect our ability to hire or retain highly skilled employees. In addition, we may periodically change our equity compensation practices, which may include reducing the number of employees eligible for equity awards or reducing the size of equity awards granted per employee. If we are unable to attract, integrate or retain the qualified and highly skilled personnel required to fulfill our current or future needs, our business and future growth prospects could be harmed.
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Our success depends on our ability to maintain the value and reputation of the Cricut brand.
We believe that our brand is important to our large and loyal community of users, many of whom become deeply engaged with our brand. Maintaining, protecting and enhancing our brand depends largely on the success of our marketing efforts, our ability to provide consistent, high-quality products, services, features, content and support and our ability to successfully secure, maintain and defend our rights to use the Cricut, Cricut Access, Cricut EasyPress, Cricut Explore, Cricut Maker and Design Space marks and other trademarks important to our brand or that we develop in the future. Our brand value also depends on our ability to maintain a positive user perception of our corporate integrity and culture. We believe that the importance of our brand will increase as competition further intensifies and brand promotion activities may require substantial expenditures. Our brand could be harmed if we fail to achieve these objectives or if our public image were to be tarnished by negative publicity, including through social media or other communications from our community. Unfavorable publicity about us, including our products, technology, Cricut Member Care, content, and personnel could diminish confidence in, and the use of, our products. In addition, negative publicity about our suppliers, including as a result of actual or perceived unfair labor practices, labor disputes or violations of laws or other obligations or issues unknown to us, could also have a negative impact on our reputation. Such negative publicity also could adversely affect the size, engagement and loyalty of our user base or the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing, and result in decreased revenue, or require us to expend additional funds for marketing efforts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on Amazon Web Services for a substantial portion of our computing, storage, data processing, networking and other services. Any disruption of or interference with our use of Amazon Web Services or other third-party services could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on Amazon Web Services for a substantial portion of our computing, storage, data processing, networking and other services. Any significant disruption of, or interference with, our use of Amazon Web Services could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Amazon Web Services has broad discretion to change and interpret the terms of service and other policies with respect to us, and those actions may be unfavorable to our business operations. Amazon Web Services may also take actions beyond our control that could seriously harm our business, including discontinuing or limiting our access to one or more services, increasing pricing terms, terminating or seeking to terminate our contractual relationship altogether or altering how we are able to process data in a way that is unfavorable or costly to us. Although we expect that we could obtain similar services from other third parties, if our arrangements with Amazon Web Services were terminated, we could experience interruptions on our platform and in our ability to make our content available to users, as well as delays and additional expenses in arranging for alternative cloud infrastructure services. Any transition of the cloud services currently provided by Amazon Web Services to another cloud provider would be difficult to implement and will cause us to incur significant time and expense.
Additionally, we are vulnerable to service interruptions experienced by Amazon Web Services and other providers, and we expect to experience interruptions, delays or outages in service availability in the future due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human, hardware or software errors, hosting disruptions and capacity constraints. Outages and capacity constraints could arise from a number of causes such as technical failures, natural disasters, fraud or security attacks. The level of service provided by these providers, or regular or prolonged interruptions in that service, could also affect the use of, and our users’ satisfaction with, our products and services and could harm our business and reputation. In addition, hosting costs will increase as user engagement grows, which could harm our business if we are unable to grow our revenue faster than the cost of using these services or the services of other providers. Any of these factors could further reduce our revenue or subject us to liability, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to offer high-quality customer support, our business and reputation will suffer.
Once users purchase our products, they depend on Cricut Member Care to resolve technical and operational issues relating to our products. Our ability to provide effective customer support is largely dependent on our ability to attract, train and retain qualified personnel with experience in supporting customers using complex products and software such as ours. We spend significant time and resources in training our Cricut Member Care team to effectively use our software and to resolve any issues that may arise with Design Space, Cricut Access and Cricut Access Premium. A variety of factors including an increase in sales or fluctuation in demand for support due to seasonality or other factors, have and will continue to put additional pressure on our customer support team. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic-related closure of our offices has largely forced our Cricut Member Care staff to work from home, which has and may continue to result in work-productivity issues or a decrease in efficiencies,
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particularly during times of high call volume as we have seen when delivery lead times get longer. We may be unable to respond quickly enough to accommodate short-term increases in demand for technical support. In addition, as we continue to grow our operations and expand internationally, our Cricut Member Care team will face additional challenges, including those associated with delivering support, training and documentation in languages other than English and across various time zones globally. If we are unable to provide efficient customer support globally at scale, our ability to grow our operations may be harmed, and we may need to hire additional support personnel, which could negatively impact our results of operations, particularly if it is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in revenue. We also rely on third-party business process outsourcing providers to provide international local language support as well as incremental temporary staffing. If our third-party business process outsourcing partners do not perform their obligations or meet our expectations, our business could be negatively impacted. In addition, we provide self-service support resources to our users, some of which rely on engagement and collaboration by and with other users. If we are unable to continue to develop self-service support resources that are easy to use and allow our users to resolve their technical issues, or if our users choose not to collaborate or engage with other users on technical support issues, our self-service support resources may not be effective, and our users’ experience with our platform may be negatively impacted. Any failure to, or market perception that we do not, maintain high-quality support, including through social media or other communications from our community, could harm our reputation, our ability to attract new users, the engagement of our existing users with our platform and our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our business depends on the integration of our software across a wide range of desktop and mobile devices and operating systems that are outside of our control.
Users engage with our software across a wide range of desktop and mobile devices and from a number of operating systems that are outside of our control. We are dependent on the interoperability of our software, as well as Cricut Access, Cricut Access Premium, Cricut Joy App, Design Space and other design apps, with popular desktop and mobile operating systems, such as Android and iOS. Any changes in such systems that degrade the functionality of our software or design apps or give preferential treatment to competitors could adversely affect our software’s usage on desktop and mobile devices. To deliver high-quality images and projects, it is important that our software is designed effectively and works well with a range of third-party desktop and mobile systems, networks and standards. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants with original equipment manufacturing or mobile industry or in developing software that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks or standards. For example, mobile network operators or operating system providers could block or place onerous restrictions on the ability to download and use our software.
Outside of the United States, it is possible that governments of one or more countries may seek to censor images or projects available on our software or website or even attempt to block access to our website or design apps. If we are restricted from operating in one or more countries, our ability to attract and engage users in those regions may be adversely affected, and we may not be able to grow our business as we anticipate.
Failures in Internet infrastructure or interference with broadband access, including regulatory actions, could cause current or potential users to believe that our platform system or design apps are unreliable, possibly leading our users to switch to our competitors or to avoid using our products and subscriptions.
Many of our products and our subscriptions depend on our users’ high-speed broadband access to the Internet. Increasing numbers of users and increasing bandwidth requirements may degrade the performance of our users’ Internet access and therefore their access to or experience with our services and design apps. If Internet access service providers have outages or deteriorations in their quality of service, our users will not have access to our platform or may experience a decrease in the quality of our services. Frequent or persistent interruptions, even if resulting from users’ personal Internet access rather than our systems, could cause current or potential users to believe that our systems or services are unreliable, leading them to switch to our competitors or avoid using our products and subscriptions, and could permanently harm our reputation and brands.
In addition, users who access our subscriptions and design apps through mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, should utilize a high-speed connection, such as Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G or LTE, to ensure the best experience with our services and design apps. Currently, this access is provided by companies that have significant and increasing market power in the broadband and Internet access marketplace, including incumbent phone companies, cable companies and wireless companies. These providers could take measures that degrade, disrupt or increase the cost of user access to high-speed Internet connections, any of which would make our design apps and subscriptions less attractive to users, and reduce our revenue. Failures of Internet infrastructure or interference
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with broadband access may also impact our international expansion in countries that lack widespread high-speed Internet.
Further, in January 2018, the Federal Communications Commission, or the FCC, released an order reclassifying broadband Internet access as an information service, subject to certain provisions of Title I of the Communications Act of 1934. Among other things, the order eliminates rules adopted in 2015 that prohibited broadband providers from blocking, impairing or degrading access to legal content, applications, services or non-harmful devices or engaging in the practice of paid prioritization, e.g., the favoring of some lawful Internet traffic over other traffic in exchange for higher payments. The order was contested in federal court; it was largely affirmed by a three-judge panel but the panel did order the FCC to reconsider certain elements of the repeal. The request for rehearing was denied and the parties declined to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. In October 2020, the FCC adopted an order concluding that the issues remanded by the court did not provide a basis to alter its conclusions in the 2018 order. The 2020 order could be subject to further petitions for reconsideration or court appeals. A number of states have enacted or are considering legislation or executive actions that would regulate the conduct of broadband providers. Democratic control of the Executive Branch, Congress and the FCC following the 2020 elections may increase the likelihood of legislative or FCC action to reverse the 2018 order or adopt new national network neutrality rules. We cannot predict whether the FCC order or state initiatives will be modified, overturned or vacated by legal action of the court, federal or state legislation or the FCC. Under the new FCC rules, broadband Internet access providers may be able to charge web-based services such as ours for priority access to customers, which could result in increased costs to us and a loss of existing users, impair our ability to attract new users and materially and adversely affect our business and opportunities for growth.
We may be subject to warranty claims and brick-and-mortar and online retail partner return policies that could result in significant direct or indirect costs, or we could experience greater product returns than expected, either of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We generally provide a one-year limited warranty on our connected machines and customer satisfaction guarantees on certain other products, and we permit returns of certain products for a full refund within 15 days of receipt of order. Additionally, our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and distributors provide users with their own respective warranty and/or return policies relative to our connected machines, accessories and materials and other Cricut products they sell, which in turn flow down to us as a contractual obligation and/or allowance that we must honor. The occurrence of any material defects in our connected machines or certain other products, or the flow-down obligations for brick-and-mortar and online retail partner and distributor returns, could result in an increase in product returns or make us liable for damages and warranty claims and/or returns in excess of our current reserves, which could result in an adverse effect on our business prospects, liquidity, financial condition and cash flows if warranty claims were to materially exceed anticipated levels. In addition, we could incur significant costs to correct any defects, warranty claims or other problems, including costs related to product recalls. We have experienced negative publicity related to the perceived quality and safety of our products, including social media or other communications from our community, and we may experience such negative publicity in the future. Such negative publicity could increase the number of warranty claims made, affect our brand image, decrease user confidence and demand and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Also, while our warranty is limited to repairs and returns, warranty claims may result in litigation, the occurrence of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to warranties supplied by us, our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners may offer the option for users to purchase third-party extended warranty and services contracts in some markets, which creates an ongoing performance obligation beyond the warranty period. Extended warranties are regulated in the United States on a state level and are treated differently by each state. Outside the United States, regulations for extended warranties vary from country to country. Changes in interpretation of the insurance regulations or other laws and regulations concerning extended warranties on a federal, state, local or international level may cause us to incur costs or have additional regulatory requirements to meet in the future. Our failure to comply with past, present and future similar laws could result in reduced sales of our products, reputational damage, penalties and other sanctions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Product recalls and/or product liability, as well as changes in product safety and other consumer protection laws, may adversely affect our operations, merchandise offerings, reputation, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.
We are subject to regulations by a variety of federal, state and international regulatory authorities, including the Consumer Product Safety Act, amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, California
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Proposition 65 (officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986), the European Union’s, or EU’s, European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals and Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive. While our contracts with our suppliers and manufacturers require them to comply with product safety requirements and quality control standards, one or more of our suppliers or contract manufacturers may fail to adhere to such requirements or standards, and we may not identify the deficiency before merchandise ships to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users. These issues may be exacerbated in the case of products like ours that are manufactured outside the United States, as the product safety regimes in some countries may be less robust than in the United States. Any issues of product safety, including but not limited to those manufactured in foreign countries, could cause us to recall some of those products. Furthermore, to the extent we are unable to replace any recalled products, we may have to reduce our product offerings, resulting in a decrease in sales, especially if a recall occurs near or during a period of seasonally higher demand. If our suppliers or manufacturers are unable or unwilling to recall products failing to meet our quality standards, we may be required to recall those products at a substantial cost to us. Moreover, changes in product safety or other consumer protection laws could lead to increased costs to us for certain merchandise, or additional labor costs associated with readying merchandise for sale. Long lead times on merchandise ordering cycles increase the difficulty for us to plan and prepare for potential changes to applicable laws. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 imposes significant requirements on manufacturing, importing, testing and labeling requirements for our products. In the event that we are unable to timely comply with regulatory changes or regulators do not believe we are complying with current regulations applicable to us, significant fines or penalties could result and could adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.
Furthermore, any product defects could make our products and services unsafe, create a risk of property damage and personal injury, harm our reputation and subject us to the hazards and uncertainties of product liability claims and related litigation. For example, we are aware of several situations in which our products were investigated as the potential cause of a fire. While we believe that in each of those cases, the investigations determined a different cause of the fire, any perception that our products are unsafe could harm our reputation and sales and use of our products. We maintain general liability insurance; however, design and manufacturing defects, and claims related thereto, may subject us to judgments or settlements that result in damages materially in excess of the limits of our insurance coverage. In addition, we may be exposed to write-offs of inventory or intangible assets or other expenses such as litigation costs and regulatory fines. If we cannot successfully defend any large claim, maintain our general liability insurance on acceptable terms or maintain adequate coverage against potential claims, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted.
Changes in how we market our products could adversely affect our marketing expenses and revenue.
We use a broad mix of marketing and other brand-building measures to attract potential customers. Traditionally, our users have been our most effective marketing tools, helping to generate robust word-of-mouth referrals, which have been significant drivers of our growth. However, we also employ traditional online advertising as marketing tools or market through third-party social media. As online and social media continue to rapidly evolve and grow more competitive, we must increase our efforts to maintain an advertising presence on these platforms and establish a presence on new or emerging popular social media and advertising and marketing platforms.
If our community of users does not continue to promote our products through word-of-mouth referrals at the same or increasing rates or we otherwise experience a decline in our ability to acquire new users organically, we will need to expend additional resources on advertising and increase our marketing expenses. Moreover, we expect our efforts to attract new users outside of the United States and Canada will require us to spend additional resources, particularly in marketing. If we cannot use marketing tools in a cost-effective manner or if we fail to promote our products efficiently and effectively, our ability to acquire new users and our financial condition may suffer. In addition, an increase in the use of online and social media for product promotion and marketing may increase the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations.
User metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics could harm our business, revenue and financial results.
We regularly review metrics, including the number of our users, whether a user created on their connected machines in the last 90 days, the number of Paid Subscribers and other measures to evaluate engagement and growth trends, to measure our performance and to make strategic decisions. These metrics are calculated using internal company data, and in some cases third-party data, and have not been validated by an independent third party. While these numbers are based on what we currently believe to be reasonable estimates for the applicable
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period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring how our products are used across our user population. In addition, we have no control over the third-party data we rely upon to calculate certain metrics, and the third-party may change the data, the way they calculate the data or the way they report the data, which could create inaccuracies or challenges in the reporting of our metrics. If we fail to maintain effective analytics capabilities, our metrics calculations may be inaccurate, and we may not be able to identify those inaccuracies.
An economic downturn or economic uncertainty may adversely affect consumer discretionary spending and demand for our products.
Our products and subscriptions may be considered discretionary items for consumers. Factors affecting the level of consumer spending for such discretionary items include general economic conditions, consumer confidence in future economic conditions, fears of recession, the availability and cost of consumer credit, inflationary pressures, consumers’ individual savings-to-spend ratio, levels of unemployment, discretionary time available, tax rates and political factors, including war or other armed conflicts, including the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While we saw an increase in demand for our products and subscriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, our current revenue growth rates are declining compared to those years. There can be no assurance that sales will remain at 2020 and 2021 levels in the future or that we will be able to continue to significantly grow our revenue in a post-COVID-19 environment. To date, our business has operated almost exclusively in a relatively strong economic environment. Current deteriorating general economic conditions, inflationary pressures affecting the pricing of our products, and changes in consumer spending preferences and buying trends are having an adverse effect on demand for our products. Unfavorable economic conditions or other related factors may lead consumers to delay or reduce purchases of our products and subscriptions, and consumer demand for our products and subscriptions may not grow as we expect. As a result of these factors, our rate of adding new users is declining in comparison to the last two years and, in the short term, the number of paid subscribers could remain flat or decline. Our sensitivity to economic cycles and any related fluctuation in consumer demand for our products and subscriptions could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our indebtedness could materially adversely affect our financial health, limit our ability to finance future acquisitions and capital expenditures and prevent us from fulfilling our financial obligations. Much of our debt is secured by a substantial portion of our assets. Much of our debt has a variable interest rate component that may significantly increase our interest costs in a rising rate environment.
In August 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (the “New Credit Agreement”), with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A, as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, providing for a five-year senior secured revolving credit facility with aggregate lender commitments of $300 million. We have the option to increase the lender commitments by up to $150 million (for maximum aggregate lender commitments of up to $450 million), subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions under the New Credit Agreement, including obtaining the consent of the administrative agent and each lender being added or increasing its commitment.
The New Credit Agreement and related loan documents could have important consequences to us, including the following:
•limitations on our ability to make acquisitions or declare dividends on our capital stock;
•impaired ability to obtained additional financing for acquisitions, dividends, capital expenditures, working capital or general corporate purposes;
•reduced funds available for our operations and other purposes, as a portion of our cash flow from operations may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on, and fees with respect to, our indebtedness;
•exposure to the risk of increasing interest rates as certain borrowings are, and will continue to be, at variable rates of interest.
The New Credit Agreement and related loan documents contain covenants that limit our discretion with respect to certain business matters, including incurring additional debt, granting liens on our assets, acquiring assets, disposing of assets, making investments, declaring dividends, entering into related-party transactions and engaging in new types of business. We are also subject to financial covenants that require us to maintain a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio. These restrictions may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to certain changes in our business or industry or take future actions. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the New Credit Agreement, which could
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result in the termination of the lenders’ commitments to make loans thereunder and the acceleration of our payment obligations under the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents.
Pursuant to the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents, we granted a security interest in substantially all of our assets. If we default on our obligations thereunder, the secured parties may be able to foreclosure upon their security interests and otherwise be entitled to obtain or control those assets.
If these events were to occur, we may not be able to pay our debts or borrow sufficient funds to refinance them. Even if new financing were available, it may not be on terms acceptable to us. As a result of this risk, we could be forced to take actions that we otherwise would not take, or not take actions that we otherwise might take, in order to comply with the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents.
In addition, the lenders’ obligations to make loans or other credit accommodations under the New Credit Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent including, for example, that our representations and warranties therein and the related loan documents are true and correct in all material respects as of the date of the proposed credit extension. If any of our representations or warranties in the New Credit Agreement or the related loan documents are not true and correct in all material respects as of the date of a proposed credit extension, or if other conditions precedent are not satisfied, we may not be able to request new loans or other credit accommodations under the New Credit Agreement, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation, financial condition and cash flows.
Additionally, from time to time in the future we may need to refinance obligations outstanding under the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents. At the time we must refinance, the market for our debt, or our financial condition or asset valuations, may not be favorable. It is possible that financing to replace or renew our debt may be unfavorable, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In certain cases, we may turn to equity or other alternative financing.
Our debt under the New Credit Agreement is subject to variable rates of interest. If interest rates increase, our borrowing costs may increase substantially. This could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation, financial condition and cash flows. We may use interest rate derivatives to hedge a portion of our variable rate debt, when appropriate, based upon market conditions.
We may not be able to satisfy our debt obligations upon the occurrence of a change in control under the New Credit Agreement
Upon the occurrence of a change in control as defined in the New Credit Agreement, the lenders will have the right to terminate their commitments to lend under the New Credit Agreement and to declare all outstanding obligations under the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents due and payable. There can be no assurance that we would have sufficient resources available to satisfy all of our obligations under the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents in the event of a change in control. If we were unable to satisfy these obligations, it could have a material adverse impact on our business and the holders of our capital stock. A “change in control”, as defined in the New Credit Agreement, includes, among other events, the acquisition of ownership, directly or indirectly, beneficially or of record, by any Person or group (within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules of the SEC thereunder as in effect on the date hereof), other than Permitted Holders (as defined therein), of equity interests representing more than 35% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by our issued and outstanding equity interests.
We may require additional capital to support business growth and objectives, and this capital may not be available to us on reasonable terms, if at all, and could result in stockholder dilution.
We expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for the foreseeable future. However, we intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional capital to fund our business and to respond to competitive challenges, including the need to promote our products, develop new products, enhance our existing products and operating infrastructure and potentially to acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. There can be no assurance that such additional funding will be available on terms attractive to us, or at all. Our inability to obtain additional funding when needed could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, holders of our Class A common stock could suffer significant dilution, and any new shares we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of our Class A common
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stock. Any debt financing secured by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital-raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions.
If we cannot maintain our culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation and teamwork that we believe contribute to our success and our business may be harmed.
We believe that a critical component of our success has been our corporate culture. As we continue to grow, including by expanding our presence internationally, and develop the infrastructure associated with being a public company, we will need to maintain our culture among a larger number of employees, dispersed across various geographic regions. The widespread stay-at-home orders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic required us to make substantial changes to the way that the vast majority of our employee population does their work, and we have faced new and unforeseen challenges arising from the management of remote, geographically-dispersed teams. Any failure to preserve our culture could adversely affect our future success, including our ability to retain and recruit personnel and to effectively focus on and pursue our corporate objectives.
Our management team has limited experience managing a public company.
Most members of our management team have limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Specifically, Ashish Arora, our Chief Executive Officer, has not previously been the chief executive officer of a publicly traded company, and Kimball Shill, our Chief Financial Officer, is serving in that role for the first time. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our continued transition to being a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These new obligations and constituents will require significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may experience fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rate.
We are subject to a variety of taxes and tax collection obligations in the United States and in numerous other foreign jurisdictions. We record tax expense, including indirect taxes, based on current tax payments and our estimates of future tax payments, which may include reserves for estimates of probable or likely settlements of tax audits. Fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rate could adversely affect our business.
In the ordinary course of our business, there are numerous transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. For example, our effective tax rates could be adversely affected by earnings being lower than anticipated in countries where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in countries where we have higher statutory rates, by changes in foreign currency exchange rates or by changes in the relevant tax, accounting and other laws, regulations, principles and interpretations. As we operate in numerous taxing jurisdictions, the application of tax laws can be subject to diverging and sometimes conflicting interpretations by tax authorities of these jurisdictions. It is not uncommon for taxing authorities in different countries to have conflicting views with respect to, among other things, the manner in which the arm’s-length standard is applied for transfer pricing purposes, or with respect to the valuation of intellectual property. Although we believe that our tax positions and related provisions reflected in the financial statements are fully supportable, we recognize that these tax positions and related provisions have been challenged and may be challenged in the future by various tax authorities. These tax positions and related provisions are reviewed on an ongoing basis and are adjusted as additional facts and information become available, including progress on tax audits, changes in interpretation of tax laws, developments in case law and closing of statute of limitations. To the extent that the ultimate results differ from our original or adjusted estimates, our effective tax rate can be adversely affected.
Projected levels of taxable income and tax planning could change the effective tax rate and tax balances recorded by us. In addition, tax authorities periodically review income tax returns filed by us and can raise issues regarding our filing positions, timing and amount of income and deductions and the allocation of income among the jurisdictions in which we operate. A significant period of time may elapse between the filing of an income tax return and the ultimate resolution of an issue raised by a tax authority with respect to that return. Any adjustments as a result of any examination may result in additional taxes or penalties being assessed on or imposed against us. If the ultimate result of any audit differs from original or adjusted estimates, it could have a material impact our effective tax rate and tax liabilities.
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At any one time, multiple tax years could be subject to audit by various taxing jurisdictions. As a result, we could be subject to higher than anticipated tax liabilities as well as ongoing variability in our quarterly tax rates as audits close and exposures are re-evaluated.
We continue to analyze our exposure for taxes and related liabilities and have accrued $3.4 million and $2.5 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively, and $3.9 million as of June 30, 2022 for uncertain tax positions.
We may incur significant losses from fraud.
We have incurred and may in the future incur losses from various types of fraud, including stolen credit card numbers, claims that a user did not authorize a purchase, merchant fraud and users who have closed bank accounts or have insufficient funds in open bank accounts to satisfy payments. In addition to the direct costs of such losses, if the fraud is related to credit card transactions and becomes excessive, it could result in us paying higher fees or losing the right to accept credit cards for payment. In addition, under current credit card practices, we are typically liable for fraudulent credit card transactions. Our failure to adequately prevent fraudulent transactions could damage our reputation, result in litigation or regulatory action and lead to expenses that could substantially impact our results of operations.
Risks Related to Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Fulfillment
We primarily depend upon a single contract manufacturer, and our operations would be disrupted if we encountered problems with the contract manufacturer.
We depend on third-party contract manufacturers to produce all of our products, and primarily rely upon one contract manufacturer, Intretech, to build most of our connected machines in Malaysia and China. The agreements with our top vendors in 2019, 2020 and 2021, including Intretech, each have an initial term of five years from 2018 and automatically renew for subsequent periods of one year unless either party provides notice of non-renewal at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the initial term. Such agreements may be terminated by the vendors only for cause, such as (i) a breach of our payment obligation for accepted products that is not cured within ten days after notice from the vendor or (ii) certain events relating to our insolvency or filing a petition for bankruptcy. Such agreements may be terminated by us for cause, such as (i) failure to deliver products pursuant to the terms of the agreement, (ii) breaches of product warranty, indemnity or insurance; intellectual property; property and representations and covenants contained in the agreements; (iii) breaches of any other representations and warranties that are not cured within five days after notice or (iv) certain events relating to our top vendors’ insolvency or their filing a petition for bankruptcy. We may also terminate the agreements for convenience for any reason by giving 60 days’ prior written notice to the vendor.
As is the case generally with contract manufacturers, Intretech may be vulnerable to capacity constraints and reduced component availability, and our control over delivery schedules, manufacturing yields and costs, particularly when components are in short supply or when we introduce new products or features, is limited. In addition, we must rely on Intretech to manufacture our connected machines and other accessories and materials to our quality and performance standards and specifications. Delays, component shortages and other manufacturing and supply problems could impair the distribution of our connected machines and ultimately our brand, or could negatively affect our gross margins. Furthermore, any adverse change in Intretech’s or our other contract manufacturers’ financial or business conditions could disrupt our ability to supply our products to our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, distributors and online sales channels. In addition, Intretech primarily manufactures our connected machines at one facility located in Malaysia with some manufacturing conducted in the People’s Republic of China, or China. Manufacturing in these countries may be subject to political, economic, pandemic-related labor constraints, border closures, social and legal uncertainties that may harm our relationships with these parties. Our other contract manufacturers are also located in China and Malaysia, which may increase supply risk, including the risk of supply interruptions.
Our contract with Intretech does not obligate them to supply our connected machines in any specific quantity or at any specific price and allows us to enter purchase orders with Intretech. Entering into agreements requiring additional purchase orders is a typical part of our business and is common practice with other vendors that we may use from time to time. If Intretech fails for any reason to continue manufacturing our connected machines in required volumes, in a timely manner, at high quality levels or at all, we may have to increase connected machine production at currently qualified contract manufacturers or engage acceptable alternative contract manufacturers, either of which would be time consuming, particularly given the complexity of our connected machines. Identifying, selecting
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and onboarding acceptable alternative contract manufacturers could also be costly. Alternative contract manufacturers may not be available to us when needed or may not be in a position to satisfy our production requirements at commercially reasonable prices or to our quality and performance standards. Any significant interruption in manufacturing at Intretech would reduce our supply of connected machines, which could cause us to delay our orders or breach our purchase orders with our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, distributors and online sales channels, which in turn would reduce our revenue and user growth.
If our third-party contract manufacturers are unable to meet our needs, as a result of operational issues or other factors, our business would be harmed. The location of our third-party manufacturers in Malaysia and China may exacerbate some of these risks.
We believe that we must continue to upgrade and expand our current third-party contract manufacturer production capability to meet our projected revenue targets and quality control requirements. Operational difficulties, such as a significant interruption in the operations of or equipment breakdowns in production facilities operated by third parties, could delay production or shipment of our products. In addition, events such as inclement weather, natural disasters, government shut-downs as a result of air quality, power grid limitations, pandemics, civil unrest or other reasons, labor strikes or shortages, transportation security vulnerabilities or cyberattacks could impair third-party production capabilities. The inability of our third-party contract manufacturers to meet our production requirements, particularly in our peak season, could lead to customer dissatisfaction, impact sales and damage our reputation and brand, which would result in reduced revenue. Moreover, if the costs of meeting production requirements, including capital expenditures, were to exceed our expectations, our results of operations would be harmed.
Our third-party manufacturers, including Intretech, are largely based in Malaysia and China. As a result, our manufacturing, and therefore our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by social, political, regulatory and economic developments in Malaysia and China. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and will likely continue to cause, interruptions in the development, manufacturing (including the procurement of key components) and shipment of our connected machines, which could adversely impact our revenue, gross margins and results of operations. Such interruptions may be due to, among other things, industry-wide capacity limitations, temporary closures of our facilities or those of our contract manufacturers or other vendors in our supply chain, restrictions on travel or the import and export of goods and services from certain ports that we use and local quarantines.
Any adverse change in the operations of our manufacturers, including as a result of political, social, economic or transportation conditions in Malaysia or China, supply chain issues, failure of our manufacturers to remain in business, or issues such as actual or perceived unfair labor practices, labor disputes or violations of laws or other obligations or issues unknown to us, could affect deliveries of our products to our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users, possibly resulting in business interruptions, substantially delayed or lost sales, loss of inventory or increased expenses that cannot be passed on to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users, any of which could ultimately adversely affect our business and financial results.
We rely on a limited number of third-party suppliers, some of which are sole-source suppliers, and many of which are located internationally, to provide components to our manufacturers, as well as to source our accessories and materials, which may lead to supply shortages, long lead times for components and supply changes, any of which could disrupt our supply chain and may negatively affect our business.
All of the components that go into the manufacturing of our products, as well as our accessories and materials, are sourced from a limited number of third-party suppliers, many of which are located internationally. Some of the key components our manufacturers use in the production of our products come from a limited or single source of supply. We are subject to the risk of shortages and long lead times in the supply of these components or accessories and materials, and the risk that our suppliers discontinue or modify components used in our products. In addition, the lead times associated with procuring certain components or accessories and materials are lengthy and preclude rapid changes in quantities and delivery schedules and could increase for a number of reasons outside our control, including natural disaster, a pandemic, social or political unrest or other interruptions. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and will likely continue to cause, interruptions in the development, manufacturing, sourcing and shipment of our products, which could adversely affect our revenue, gross margins and results of operations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have secured long-lead-time component supply directly from suppliers on a purchase order basis. Our contract manufacturers then procure these components from our suppliers within the lead times provided by our finished goods purchase orders based on component allocations that we control. To the extent that we do not accurately forecast the components we purchase, we may be left
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paying for components that our contract manufacturers do not need. Furthermore, most of our contract manufacturers’ primary facilities are located in Malaysia and China, which exposes us to certain additional risks in addition to the above that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, we have experienced issues with the import of goods and services from certain ports. Access to credit in Asia is tightening, which is having an impact on the terms upon which we and our contract manufacturers are able to obtain access to components or accessories and materials from particular suppliers. If we or our contract manufacturers lose access to components or accessories and materials from a particular supplier or experience a significant disruption in the supply of products and components from a current supplier, we may be unable to locate alternative suppliers of comparable quality on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, which may undermine our ability to deliver our products to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users in a timely manner and our business could be materially and adversely affected. Such supply chain issues, if severe enough, could also affect our contract manufacturers’ ability to remain in business, which would require us to shift production of products made by such manufacturers to other of our manufacturers or new manufacturers, either of which could result in delays in delivery of our products and could have a material and adverse effect on our business. In addition, if we experience an increase in demand for our products, our suppliers may not have the capacity or may elect not to meet our needs as they allocate components or accessories and materials to their other customers. Identifying suitable alternate sources of supply for these components or accessories and materials is an extensive process that requires us to become satisfied with their quality control, technical capabilities, responsiveness and service, financial stability, regulatory compliance and labor and other ethical practices. Accordingly, a loss of any of our component or accessories and materials suppliers could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our reliance on single source, or a small number of suppliers involves a number of additional risks, including risks related to supplier capacity constraints, price increases, timely delivery, component quality, electronic component availability, failure of a key supplier to remain in business and adjust to market conditions, delays in or the ability to execute on a supplier roadmap, and natural disasters. Acquiring additional suppliers could be time consuming and expensive, particularly given the complexity of our connected machines and their components.
In particular, our connected machines incorporate certain alloys, resins, sheet metals, and electronic components that are critical to the performance of our connected machines. The global availability of these components remains constrained. These components have unique performance profiles, and, as a result, it is not commercially practical to support multiple sources for these components for our products. We do not currently have alternative suppliers for several key components. In particular, there are currently shortages in global electronic component supply, and we may not be able to obtain the electronic components necessary for the performance of our connected machines in a timely manner or at all. In the event that any of our key or sole suppliers for any of our components are unable to supply the components that our manufacturers need to meet anticipated consumer demand, our business would be materially and adversely affected. To mitigate electronic component shortages we have or may experience, we have identified and qualified and continue to seek out and qualify new component suppliers to promote continuity of supply. Doing so on a large scale and at a fast pace and the novelty of certain component suppliers to us and our products carries inherent risk that may impact the quality of our products.
Managing our inventory supply chain, including manufacturing and component lead time, is complex and exposes us to risk.
To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and expenses and place orders with our contract manufacturers and component suppliers sufficiently in advance, based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. Failure to accurately forecast our needs may result in manufacturing delays, increased costs or excess inventory. Because we bear supply risk under our contract manufacturing arrangements, any such delays, increased costs or excess inventory could negatively impact our business. Failure to forecast appropriate demand, lead times, significant price fluctuations or shortages in materials or components, including the costs to transport such materials or components, the uncertainty of currency fluctuations against the U.S. dollar, increases in labor rates, trade duties or tariffs and/or the introduction of new and expensive raw materials could adversely affect our contract manufacturers’ ability to manufacture our products in sufficient quantity and within sufficient time to meet our consumer demand, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operational results.
If we overestimate our production requirements, we or our contract manufacturers may purchase excess components and build excess inventory. If we, or our contract manufacturers at our request, purchase excess components that are unique to our products or build excess products, we could be required to pay for these excess
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components or products. In limited circumstances, we have agreed to reimburse our manufacturers for purchased components that were not used as a result of our decision to discontinue products or the use of particular components. If we incur costs to cover excess supply commitments, this would harm our business. If we underestimate our product requirements, our contract manufacturers may have inadequate component inventory, which could interrupt the manufacturing of our products and result in delays or cancellation of orders from brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, distributors and online sales channels. We may be required to incur higher costs to secure the necessary production capacity and components to meet unanticipated demand, which could result in lower margins. We currently intend to carry higher inventory levels into the future until we are comfortable current supply chain risks have improved. These dynamics, along with an increased level of promotions in the fourth quarter of 2021, decreased our margins in the fourth quarter of 2021, and have continued to put pressure on margins in 2022.
The failure of our third-party logistics partners to adequately and effectively staff could adversely affect our brick-and-mortar and online retail partner and user experience and results of operations.
We currently receive and distribute merchandise through six third-party logistics partners, two of which are located in the United States and one of which is located in each of Australia, China, Europe, and Singapore. The majority of our products are received and distributed through one of our third-party logistics partners in California. These third-party logistics partners assist with online logistics, inventory management, warehousing and fulfillment for both business-to-business (to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and distributors) and business-to-consumer (drop-ship via retail partners and direct-to-consumer). If our third-party logistics partners are unable to adequately staff their third-party logistics facilities to meet demand, or if the cost of such staffing is higher than historical or projected costs due to mandated wage increases, regulatory changes, international expansion or other factors, these effects could be exacerbated and our results of operations could be further harmed. In addition, operating third-party logistics partner facilities comes with potential risks, such as workplace safety issues and employment claims for the failure or alleged failure to comply with labor laws or laws respecting union organizing activities. Any such issues may result in delays in shipping times, reduced packing quality or costly litigation, and our reputation and results of operations may be harmed.
By using third-party operators for our inventory management, warehousing and fulfillment, we also face additional risks associated with not having complete control over operations at those facilities. Any deterioration in the financial condition or operations of the third parties, or the loss of the relationship with any third party, would have significant impact on our operations.
We also rely on our third-party logistics partners, including last mile warehouse and delivery partners, to complete a substantial percentage of our deliveries to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, distributors and online sales channels. If our third-party logistics partners do not perform their obligations or meet our expectations, or those of our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, distributors or our online sales channels, our reputation and business could suffer.
A disruption in the service, a significant increase in the cost of our primary delivery and shipping services for our products or a significant disruption at shipping ports could adversely affect our business.
We use a variety of shipping services for delivery of our products to users and brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, including air carriers and ocean shipping services. All of our contract manufacturers are based in Asia, so our products are shipped to our third-party logistics partner facilities primarily via ocean shipping services. We have experienced and could continue to experience increased congestion and new import and export restrictions implemented at ports on which we rely for our business. In many cases, we have had to secure alternative transportation, such as air freight, or use alternative routes, at increased costs, to run our supply chain.
In the event of any significant interruption in service by shipping providers or at airports or shipping ports, we may be unable to engage alternative suppliers or to receive or ship goods through alternate sites in order to deliver our products in a timely and cost-efficient manner. As a result, we could experience delays, increased shipping costs and lost sales as a result of missed delivery deadlines and product demand cycles. For example, at times during the COVID-19 pandemic, shipping of our products has been delayed, which has inconvenienced our users and brick-and-mortar and online retail partners. We could experience shipping delays in the future as a result of shortages of containers and ships, local port challenges or for other reasons. Furthermore, if the cost of delivery or shipping services were to increase significantly and the additional costs could not be covered by product pricing, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
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In particular, we are dependent upon major shipping companies, including FedEx and UPS, for the shipment of our products to and from our third-party logistics partner facilities. Changes in shipping terms, or the inability of these third-party shippers to perform effectively, could affect our responsiveness to our users and brick-and-mortar and online retail partners. Increases in our shipping costs may adversely affect our financial results if we are unable to pass on these higher costs to our users or brick-and-mortar and online retail partners.
We have limited control over our contract manufacturers, component suppliers and third-party logistics partners, which may subject us to significant risks, including the potential inability to produce or obtain quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have limited control over our contract manufacturers, component suppliers and third-party logistics partners, which subjects us to additional risks, including, but not limited to:
•inability to satisfy demand for our products;
•reduced control over delivery timing and product reliability;
•reduced ability to monitor the manufacturing process and components used in our products;
•limited ability to develop comprehensive manufacturing specifications that take into account any materials shortages or substitutions;
•variance in the manufacturing capability of our third-party manufacturers;
•price increases;
•difficulties in establishing additional supplier, manufacturer or third-party logistics partner relationships if we experience difficulties with our existing suppliers, manufacturers or third-party logistics partners, or such partners go out of business;
•shortages of materials or components;
•infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property or cyberattacks;
•exposure to natural catastrophes, political unrest, terrorism, labor strikes or disputes, pandemics and economic instability resulting in the disruption of trade from foreign countries in which our products are manufactured or the components thereof are sourced;
•changes in local economic conditions in the jurisdictions where our manufacturers, suppliers and third-party logistics partners are located;
•the imposition of new laws and regulations, including those relating to labor conditions, quality and safety standards, imports, duties, tariffs, taxes and other charges on imports, as well as trade restrictions and restrictions on currency exchange or the transfer of funds; and
•insufficient warranties and indemnities on components supplied to our manufacturers or performance by our partners.
The occurrence of any of these risks, especially during seasons of peak demand, could cause us to experience a significant disruption in our ability to produce and deliver our products, affect the quality of our products and harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our products may be affected from time to time by design and manufacturing defects, and we may face claims related to such defects, either of which could adversely affect our business and result in harm to our reputation.
Our connected machines and design apps may be affected by design and manufacturing defects. In addition, sophisticated firmware and applications, such as those offered by us, may have issues that unexpectedly interfere with the intended operation of hardware or software products. Defects may also exist in software, components and products that we source from third parties. Any such defects could make our products unsafe, create a risk of environmental or property damage, personal injury or data privacy, security and data protection harms, and subject us to the hazards and uncertainties of product liability and other claims and related litigation. As a result, our services may not perform as anticipated and may not meet expectations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix all issues and defects in the hardware, software and services we offer.
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Failure to timely identify, patch, fix or recall products and services with such defects could result in widespread technical and performance issues affecting our products and could lead to claims against us. We maintain general liability insurance; however, design and manufacturing defects, and claims related thereto, may subject us to judgments or settlements that result in damages materially in excess of the limits of our insurance coverage. In addition, we may be exposed to recalls, product replacements or modifications, write-offs of inventory or intangible assets and significant warranty and other expenses, such as litigation costs and regulatory fines. If we cannot successfully defend any large claim, maintain our general liability insurance on acceptable terms or maintain adequate coverage against potential claims, our financial results could be adversely affected.
In the event that we receive shipments of products that have defects or otherwise fail to comply with our technical specifications or that fail to conform to our quality control standards, and we are not able to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we risk revenue losses from the inability to sell those products, increased administrative and shipping costs and lower profitability. Further, quality problems could adversely affect the experience for users of our products, and result in harm to our reputation, including through social media or other communications from our community, loss of competitive advantage, poor market acceptance, reduced demand for our products, delay in new product and service introductions and lost revenue.
Regulations related to conflict minerals may cause us to incur additional expenses and could limit the supply and increase the costs of certain metals used in the manufacturing of our products.
We are subject to requirements under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which will require us to conduct due diligence on and disclose whether or not our products contain conflict minerals. The implementation of these requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, availability and pricing of the materials used in the manufacture of components used in our products. In addition, we will incur additional costs to comply with the potential disclosure requirements, including costs related to conducting diligence procedures to determine the sources of minerals that may be used or necessary to the production of our products and, if applicable, potential changes to products, processes or sources of supply as a consequence of such due diligence activities. It is also possible that we may face reputational harm if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict free or if we are unable to alter our products, processes or sources of supply to avoid such materials.
Significant increases in inflation, commodity prices or transportation costs may adversely affect the costs of our component suppliers and contract manufacturers, and we may be unable to pass on these higher costs to our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users.
We are currently experiencing inflationary pressures affecting the prices of components for our products and transportation resources. Significant increases in commodity prices, such as base metals (e.g. copper), alloys or plastic resins, or inflation could adversely affect the costs of our component suppliers and contract manufacturers and result in higher costs to us if we are unable to pass on the increased costs to our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users. Furthermore, transportation costs have fluctuated as a result of a variety of factors, such as capacity shortages, higher fuel prices and labor shortages, and we may not be able to pass such costs on to our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if we are unable to secure, or are able to secure only at significantly higher costs, components for our products or adequate transportation resources.
Key third-party manufacturers are located in China and may be affected by recent and possible future political, social and economic conditions.
We rely on third-party manufacturers in China and Chinese-owned manufacturers in Malaysia through which the substantial majority of our finished products are prepared and shipped to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, users or third-party logistics partners. Our business therefore could be affected by social, political, regulatory or economic developments in China. In 2018, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, or the USTR, enacted a tariff of 10% on imports into the U.S. from China, including communications equipment products and components manufactured and imported from China. Since then, additional tariffs have been imposed by the USTR on imports into the United States from China, and China has also imposed tariffs on imports into China from the United States. In addition, due to concerns with the security of products and services from certain telecommunications and video providers based in China, the United States government has enacted bans on the use of certain Chinese-origin components or systems either in items sold to the U.S. government or in the internal networks of government contractors and subcontractors (even if those networks are not used for government-related projects). It is possible that the U.S. government may take future measures to impose stricter export controls
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on items destined for China or additional duties on shipments made from China. In addition, the U.S. government may add additional parties to the Entity List, which could harm our business, increase the cost of conducting our operations in China or result in retaliatory actions against U.S. interests. We also depend on semiconductors made in Taiwan, and a worsening of the geopolitical situation between China and Taiwan could affect our ability to procure these semiconductors. Continued deterioration in trade relations or adverse developments in political, social or economic conditions in China or future unforeseen problems, including health pandemics or regulatory changes, could affect deliveries of our products to our retail partners or users, possibly resulting in business interruptions, substantially delayed or lost sales, loss of inventory or increased expenses that cannot be passed on to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users, any of which could ultimately have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. In such an eventuality, we could be forced to relocate our manufacturing, either temporarily or permanently, to another potentially costlier location or find alternative potentially costlier methods of shipping our finished products to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and users. While we are taking measures to attempt to maintain the continuity of our product delivery operations notwithstanding the impact on the use of our international facilities, the continued or deteriorating conditions in China or other future unforeseen problems in China, we cannot ensure that these measures will be successful in eliminating disruptions in our business.
Developments in the social, political, regulatory and economic environment in Malaysia may have a material adverse impact on us.
We have shifted the majority of our contract manufacturing presence to Malaysia. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by social, political, regulatory, labor and economic developments in Malaysia. Such political and economic uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks of war, terrorism, nationalism, nullification of contract, changes in interest rates, imposition of capital controls and methods of taxation. In addition, our contract manufacturers in Malaysia are subject to risks of theft, fire, earthquake, flooding and other similar casualty risks.
Negative developments in Malaysia’s socio-political environment may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Although the overall Malaysian economic environment appears to be positive, there can be no assurance that this will continue to prevail in the future. Economic growth is determined by countless factors, and it is extremely difficult to predict with any level of certainty.
Changes in U.S. tax, tariff or other trade policy regarding products produced in other countries could adversely affect our business.
A predominant portion of the products we sell is originally manufactured in countries other than the United States. International trade disputes that result in tariffs and other protectionist measures could adversely affect our business, including disruption in and cost increases for sourcing our merchandise and increased uncertainties in planning our sourcing strategies and forecasting our margins. Importing and exporting has involved more risk since the beginning of 2018, as there has been increasing rhetoric, in some cases coupled with legislative or executive action, from several United States and foreign leaders regarding tariffs against foreign imports of certain materials. For example, the U.S. government imposed significant new tariffs on China related to the importation of certain product categories following the U.S. Trade Representative’s Section 301 investigation. It is possible that the U.S. government may take further measures in the future to impose stricter export controls on items destined for China or additional duties on shipments made from China. During fiscal 2019, the Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS, of the U.S. Department of Commerce placed certain Chinese entities on the Entity List, limiting the ability of U.S. companies to do business with those entities. The U.S. government may add additional parties to the Entity List, which could harm our business, increase the cost of conducting our operations in China or result in retaliatory actions against U.S. interests. In addition, the U.S. government has exercised additional trade-related powers in a manner that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. For example, on May 15, 2019, then-President Trump issued an executive order that invoked national emergency economic powers to implement a framework to regulate the acquisition or transfer of information communications technology in transactions that imposed undue national security risks. The executive order was subject to implementation by the Secretary of Commerce and purports to apply to contracts entered into prior to the effective date of the order. On January 19, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce published interim final rules in the Federal Register, subject to public notice and comment, which purport to permit the Department of Commerce to investigate transactions involving the use of information communications technology products or services provided by persons owned or controlled by certain nations, including China, and potentially to modify or prohibit those transactions. In addition, the White House, the Department of Commerce and other executive branch agencies have
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implemented additional restrictions and may implement still further restrictions that would affect conducting business with certain Chinese companies. We cannot predict whether these recent rules and restrictions will be implemented and acted upon by the Biden administration, modified, overturned or vacated by legal action. A substantial portion of our products are manufactured in China. As a result of tariffs, our cost of goods imported from China increased substantially, and could increase further depending on the outcome of the current trade negotiations, which have been protracted and resulted in increases in U.S. tariff rates on specified products from China. Although we continue to work with our vendors to mitigate our exposure to current or potential tariffs, there can be no assurance that we will be able to offset any increased costs. Other changes in U.S. tariffs, quotas, trade relationships or tax provisions could also reduce the supply of goods available to us or increase our cost of goods. We may fail to effectively adapt to and manage the adjustments in strategy that would be necessary in response to those changes. In addition to the general uncertainty and overall risk from potential changes in U.S. laws and policies, as we make business decisions in the face of such uncertainty, we may incorrectly anticipate the outcomes, miss out on business opportunities or fail to effectively adapt our business strategies and manage the adjustments that are necessary in response to those changes. These risks could adversely affect our revenue, reduce our profitability and negatively impact our business.
Risks Related to Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity
Our actual or perceived failure to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws, regulations and obligations could harm our business.
We are subject to numerous federal, state, local and international laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, information security and the storing, sharing, use, processing, transfer, disclosure and protection of personal information and other content and data, which we refer to collectively as privacy laws, the scope of which is changing, subject to differing interpretations and may be inconsistent among countries, or conflict with other laws, regulations or other obligations. We are also subject to the terms of our privacy policies and obligations to our users and other third parties related to privacy, data protection and information security. We strive to comply with applicable privacy laws; however, the regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and information security worldwide is, and is likely to remain for the foreseeable future, varied, and it is possible that these or other actual obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another.
We also expect that there will continue to be new privacy laws proposed and enacted in various jurisdictions. For example, in May 2018, the GDPR went into effect in the EU. The GDPR imposed stringent data protection requirements and provides greater penalties for noncompliance than previous data protection laws, including potential penalties of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater. Among other requirements, the GDPR regulates transfers of personal data subject to the GDPR to the United States as well as other countries that have not been found to provide adequate protection to such personal data. The GDPR also introduced numerous privacy-related changes for companies operating in the EU, including enhanced disclosures to data subjects about how personal data is processed (including information about the profiling of individuals and automated individual decision-making), limiting retention periods of personal data, requiring mandatory data breach notification and requiring additional policies and procedures to comply with the accountability principle under the GDPR. In addition, data subjects have more robust rights with regard to their personal data.
Although legal mechanisms have been designed to allow for the transfer of personal data from the United Kingdom, the EEA, and Switzerland to the United States, uncertainty about compliance with such data protection laws remains and such mechanisms may not be available or applicable with respect to the personal data processing activities necessary to research, develop and market our products and services. For example, legal challenges in Europe to the mechanisms allowing companies to transfer personal data from the EEA to the United States could result in further limitations on the ability to transfer personal data across borders, particularly if governments are unable or unwilling to reach agreement on or maintain existing mechanisms designed to support cross-border data transfers. Specifically, on July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the EU, or CJEU, invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. The same decision also imposed additional conditions with respect to use of the Standard Contractual Clauses, or the SCCs, to lawfully transfer personal data from Europe to the United States and most other countries. The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner also has stated that it no longer considers the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield adequate for the purposes of personal data transfers from Switzerland to the United States. These developments may result in European data protection regulators applying differing standards for, and requiring ad hoc verification of, transfers of personal data from Europe to the United States. We may be required to take additional steps to legitimize any personal data transfers impacted by these developments and be subject to increased costs of compliance and limitations on our vendors, contractors, consultants and us. On
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June 4, 2021, the European Commission published new SCCs. The CJEU’s decision, the revised SCCs, regulatory guidance and opinions and other developments relating to cross-border data transfer may require us to implement additional contractual and technical safeguards for any personal data transferred out of the EEA. More generally, we may find it necessary or desirable to modify our data handling practices, and our practices relating to cross-border transfers of data or other data handling practices, or those of our vendors, contractors and consultants and vendors, may be challenged and our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely impacted. We continue to monitor and review the impact of any developments relating to cross-border data transfers from the EEA that could affect our operations.
Further, the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU, and ongoing developments in the United Kingdom, have created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. Data processing in the United Kingdom is now governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation and other domestic data protection laws, such as the UK Data Protection Act of 2018, which provide for penalties for noncompliance of up to the greater of £17.5 million or 4% of worldwide revenues. Although the European Commission adopted an adequacy decision for the United Kingdom in June 2021 that allows for the continued flow of personal data from the EU to the United Kingdom, this decision may be revoked or modified and will need to be renewed after four years from the date of adoption. In February 2022, the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office issued new standard contractual clauses, or the UK SCCs, to support personal data transfers out of the United Kingdom, which went into effect in March 2022. We may, in addition to other impacts, experience additional costs associated with increased compliance burdens and be required to engage in new contract negotiations with third parties that aid in processing personal data on our behalf or localize certain data. We cannot fully predict how United Kingdom data protection laws or regulations may develop in the medium to longer term or how the EU will treat the United Kingdom with respect to data protection issues, including those relating to data transfers to and from the United Kingdom. We continue to monitor and review the impact of any resulting changes to EU or United Kingdom law, or related developments, that could affect our operations. We may incur liabilities, expenses, costs and other operational losses relating to the GDPR and privacy laws of applicable EU Member States and the United Kingdom, including in connection with any measures we take to comply with them.
In Brazil, the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais – Law No. 13,709/2018, or LGPD, similar in many respects to the GDPR, was enacted August 14, 2018 and entered into effect September 18, 2020. Penalties for violation of the LGPD, if and when enforced, may be up to 2% of revenue in Brazil, capped at R$50 million per violation. The LGPD applies to businesses that process the personal data of individuals located in Brazil and provides consumer rights similar to the GDPR. A Brazilian Data Protection Authority, Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados, or ANPD), has been established and has begun issuing guidance on how to interpret and implement the LGPD’s requirements. The ANPD has been tasked with issuing guidance regarding notice of processing, data transfer requirements and other compliance obligations, such as security measures, recordkeeping, training and governance. Pending such developments from the ANPD and any emerging caselaw, our LGPD approach may be subject to further change, our compliance measures when implemented may not be fully adequate, we may expend significant time and cost in developing a privacy governance program and data transfer mechanisms in an effort to comply with the LGPD and any implementing regulations or guidance, and we may potentially face litigation prior to the implementation of regulations and guidance regarding the LGPD or before we have had a reasonable opportunity to fully implement measures designed to comply with such regulations and applicable guidance.
Vietnam’s cybersecurity law went into effect on January 1, 2019 and includes stringent requirements regarding data localization and data transfers. A draft Decree on Personal Data Protection, with sub-legislation introduced December 27, 2019, elaborates requirements relating to data protection; however, further notice and comment is anticipated before its requirements enter into effect. As proposed, the draft decree would require us to further invest in potentially duplicative infrastructure and personnel in Vietnam, establish and maintain a local data protection program, incur other costs and expenses related to these new requirements.
California also enacted legislation affording consumers expanded privacy protections, the CCPA, that went into effect as of January 1, 2020 and was subject to enforcement starting July 1, 2020. Additionally, the California Attorney General issued regulations that may add additional requirements on businesses. The potential effects of this legislation and the related CCPA regulations are far-reaching and may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply. For example, the CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access personal information, request deletion of personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is collected and used. The CCPA also provides for civil penalties for violations (up to $7,500 per violation), as well
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as a private right of action for certain data breaches that may increase data breach litigation. Additionally, a new privacy law, the CPRA, was approved by California voters in November 2020, which will go into effect January 1, 2023. The CPRA creates obligations relating to consumer personal information collected as of January 1, 2022, with implementing regulations expected in the third or fourth quarter of 2022, and enforcement beginning July 1, 2023. The CPRA significantly modifies the CCPA, potentially resulting in further uncertainty and requiring us to incur additional costs and expenses in efforts to comply. Other states have also enacted or proposed similar data privacy laws. For example, in 2021 and 2022, Virginia passed its Consumer Data Protection Act, Colorado passed the Colorado Privacy Act, Utah passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, and Connecticut passed the Act Concerning Personal Data and Online Monitoring, all of which differ from the CPRA and become effective in 2023. This legislation and other proposed laws at the state and federal level in the United States, could create the potential for a patchwork of overlapping but different laws, result in further uncertainty, require us to incur additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply or require changes in business practices and policies.
Further, some countries also are considering or have passed legislation requiring local storage and processing of data, or similar requirements, which could increase the cost and complexity of operating our products and services and other aspects of our business.
With laws and regulations such as the GDPR, LGPD, CCPA and CPRA imposing new and relatively burdensome obligations, and with substantial uncertainty over the interpretation and application of these and other laws and regulations, there is a risk that the requirements of these or other laws and regulations, or of contractual or other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, are interpreted or applied in a manner that is, or is alleged to be, inconsistent with our management and processing practices, our policies or procedures, or the features of our products and services. We may face challenges in addressing their requirements and making any necessary changes to our policies and practices, and we may find it necessary or appropriate to assume additional burdens with respect to data handling, to restrict our data processing or otherwise to modify our data handling practices and to incur significant costs and expenses in these efforts. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, our privacy, data protection or information security-related obligations to brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, users or other third parties, or any of our other legal obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others, and could result in significant liability or cause our users to lose trust in us, which could adversely affect our reputation and business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners may limit the adoption and use of, and reduce the overall demand for, our products and services.
Additionally, if third parties we work with, such as vendors or developers, violate applicable laws or regulations or our contracts and policies, such violations may also put our users’ content and personal information at risk and could in turn adversely affect our business. Any significant change to applicable privacy laws or relevant industry practices could increase our costs and require us to modify our platform, design apps and features, possibly in a material manner, which we may be unable to complete and may limit our ability to store and process user data or develop new design apps and features.
Cybersecurity risks could adversely affect our business and disrupt our operations.
Information technology helps us operate more efficiently, interface with users and brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, offer features for our products and services, maintain financial accuracy and efficiency and accurately produce our financial statements. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build, sustain and secure necessary information technology infrastructure, we could be subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, the loss of brick-and-mortar and online retail partners or users, business disruptions or the loss of or unauthorized access to personal information or personal data or loss or damage to intellectual property through a security breach or cyberattack. Such security breaches or cyberattacks could expose us to a risk of lost, exposed or corrupted information, unauthorized disclosure of information, litigation and possible liability to employees, users, brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and regulatory authorities. In addition, a significant portion of our data and information is hosted in a cloud-computing environment, where design apps and data are hosted, accessed and processed through a third-party provider over a broadband Internet connection. In a cloud-computing environment, we could be subject to outages, security breaches and cyberattacks affecting the third-party service provider. In the COVID-19 pandemic, more of our and our service providers’ personnel are working remotely, which increases the risks of security breaches and cyberattacks.
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If our data management systems do not effectively and securely collect, store, process and report relevant data and information for the operation of our business, whether due to equipment malfunction or constraints, software defects or deficiencies, bugs, vulnerabilities, computer viruses, malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, distributed denial-of-service attacks, security breaches, cyberattacks, catastrophic events or human error or malfeasance, our ability to effectively plan, forecast and execute our business plan and comply with applicable laws and regulations will be impaired, perhaps materially. Any such impairment could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the timeliness with which we internally and externally report our results of operations. As a result, our data management systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving legal and regulatory standards, the increasing need to protect customer, partner and employee information, including personal data and personal information, and the information technology needs associated with our changing products and services. We strive to implement reasonable security procedures and practices to help ensure that our data management systems effectively collect, store, process and report relevant data for the operation of our business, though there are no assurances that these procedures and practices will be successful or that additional systems issues will not arise in the future.
In addition, security breaches from errors, malfeasance or misconduct by employees, contractors or others with access to our systems may pose a risk that sensitive data, including personal data and personal information, may be exposed to unauthorized persons or to the public and may compromise our security systems. We have been, and may in the future be, subject to compromises and other security breaches impacting such data. There can be no assurance that any efforts we make to prevent against such breaches will prevent breakdowns in our systems or security breaches that could adversely affect our business. Third parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees or users into disclosing usernames, passwords or other sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access information technology systems used in our business. For example, our employees have received and likely will continue to receive “phishing” e-mails attempting to induce them to divulge sensitive information. In addition, unauthorized persons may attempt to hack into our products or systems to obtain personal data relating to users or employees, our confidential or proprietary information or confidential information we maintain from third parties, which, if successful, could pose a risk of loss of data, risk to customer safety and risk of product recall. While we provide security and privacy training to attempt to protect against these risks, the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to systems and data change frequently and may be difficult to detect, so we may not be able to anticipate and prevent these intrusions or other security breaches, to identify them promptly or to mitigate them when they occur.
Moreover, we manufacture and sell hardware and software products that allow our users to store confidential information, including their original designs, locally or in our cloud infrastructure. We do not have measures to configure, update or secure our users’ desktop or mobile devices or any information stored in our users’ own systems or at their locations, which is the responsibility of our users. While we have implemented security measures to protect our hardware and software products from unauthorized access and cyberattacks, these measures may not be effective in securing these products, particularly since techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or otherwise sabotage systems, change frequently and may not be recognized until launched against a target. A security breach, cyberattack or other event that causes the loss or public disclosure of, or unauthorized access by third parties to, sensitive information stored by us or our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, or the perception that any of these have occurred, could have serious negative consequences for our business, including loss of information, indemnity obligations, claims, regulatory investigations, fines, penalties and damages, reduced demand for our products and services, an unwillingness of our users to use our products or services, harm to our reputation and brand, and time consuming and expensive litigation, any of which could adversely affect our financial results. We also expect to incur significant costs in an effort to detect and prevent security breaches and cyberattacks, and we may face increased costs and requirements to expend substantial resources in the event of an actual or perceived security breach or cyberattack.
Many governments have enacted laws requiring companies to provide notice of security breaches or cyberattacks involving certain types of personal data or personal information. We are also contractually required to notify certain customers of security breaches or cyberattacks. We cannot be certain that any limitations of liability provisions in our contracts would be enforceable or adequate or would otherwise protect us from any liabilities or damages with respect to any particular claim relating to a security breach or cyberattack. We maintain cybersecurity insurance, subject to applicable deductibles and policy limits; however, our cybersecurity insurance may not cover losses from all types of incidents or may provide insufficient compensation that does not cover our total losses. We also cannot be sure that our existing insurance coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceed available insurance
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coverage, or the occurrence of changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements, could have an adverse effect on our reputation, brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If the use of “cookie” tracking technologies is further restricted, regulated or blocked, or if changes in technology cause cookies to become less reliable or acceptable as a means of tracking consumer behavior, the amount or accuracy of Internet user information we collect would decrease, which could harm our business and results of operations.
Cookies are small data files sent by websites and stored locally on an Internet user’s computer or mobile device. We, and third parties who work on our behalf, collect data via cookies to track the behavior of visitors to our sites, provide a more personalized and interactive experience and analyze and increase the effectiveness of our marketing. However, Internet users can easily disable, delete and block cookies directly through browser settings or through other software, browser extensions or hardware.
Privacy laws and regulations restrict how we deploy our cookies, and this could potentially increase the number of Internet users that choose to proactively disable cookies on their systems. Federal, state and foreign governmental authorities continue to evaluate the privacy implications inherent in the practice of online tracking for behavioral advertising and other purposes. Governments in the United States and internationally have enacted, have considered or are considering legislation or regulations that could significantly restrict the ability of companies and individuals to engage in these activities, such as by regulating the level of consumer notice and consent required before a company can employ electronic tracking tools or the use of data gathered with such tools. For example, the European Commission has proposed a draft regulation, known as the Regulation of Privacy and Electronic Communications, or the ePrivacy Regulation, which would replace the current ePrivacy Directive. If adopted, the earliest date for entry into force is in 2023, with broad potential impacts on the use of internet-based services and tracking technologies, such as cookies. We expect to incur additional costs to comply with the requirements of the ePrivacy Regulation and national implementation laws once they are enacted. In addition to the EU and United Kingdom, other regulators are increasingly focusing on compliance with requirements related to the online behavioral advertising ecosystem. For example, the CCPA grants California residents the right to opt-out of a company’s sharing of personal information for advertising purposes in exchange for money or other valuable consideration.
Additionally, some providers of consumer devices and web browsers have implemented means to make it easier for Internet users to block tracking technologies or to require new permissions from users for certain activities, which could, if widely adopted, significantly reduce the effectiveness of such practices and technologies. For example, Apple introduced an iOS update in April 2021 that allowed users to more easily opt-out of tracking activity across devices, which has impacted and may continue to impact business. In February 2022, Google announced it planned to adopt similar restrictions to restrict tracking activity across Android devices. In addition, the most commonly used Internet browsers—Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari—allow Internet users to modify their browser settings to prevent cookies from being accepted by their browsers, and a number of other software tools allow users to block or otherwise limit the functionality of cookies. Users can decide to opt out of nearly all cookie data creation, which could negatively impact operations. We may have to develop alternative systems to determine our users’ behavior, customize their online experience or efficiently market to them if users block cookies or regulations introduce additional barriers to collecting cookie data.
Risks Related to Foreign Operations
We plan to further expand into international target markets, which will expose us to significant risks.
Our primary international markets include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Western Europe. We are also present in the Middle East, Latin America, South Africa and Asia, and we plan to expand our operations further, which requires significant resources and management attention and subjects us to regulatory, economic and political risks in addition to those we already face in the United States. There are significant risks and costs inherent in doing business in international target markets, including:
•difficulty establishing and managing international operations and the increased travel, infrastructure, including establishment of local delivery service and Cricut Member Care operations, and legal compliance costs associated with locations in different countries or regions;
•difficulty accessing and maintaining operations with international brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and distribution channels that may be small, fragmented or complex;
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•the need to vary pricing and margins to effectively compete in international target markets;
•the need to adapt, translate and localize products for specific countries, comply with country-specific product safety and liability laws, as well as obtaining rights to third-party intellectual property used in each country;
•increased competition from local providers of competing or imitation products;
•the ability to protect and enforce intellectual property rights abroad;
•the need to offer content and customer support in various languages;
•difficulties in understanding and complying with local laws, regulations and customs in other jurisdictions;
•compliance with anti-bribery laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and the United Kingdom Bribery Act 2010, or U.K. Bribery Act, by us, our employees and our business partners;
•complexity and other risks associated with current and future legal requirements in other countries, including legal requirements related to consumer protection, consumer product safety and data privacy frameworks, such as the EU’s GDPR, including data transfer or localization restrictions, or LGPD;
•varying levels of Internet technology adoption and infrastructure, and increased or varying network and hosting service provider costs;
•tariffs and other non-tariff barriers, such as quotas and local content rules, as well as tax consequences;
•fluctuations in currency exchange rates and the requirements of currency control regulations, which might restrict or prohibit conversion of other currencies into U.S. dollars; and
•political or social unrest or economic instability in a specific country or region in which we operate, including, for example, recent social and political unrest in China, which could have an adverse impact on our operations in that location.
These risks can make it more expensive to operate our business outside the United States, meaning that our international business may be less profitable than our U.S. business.
We have limited experience with international regulatory environments and market practices and may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in the markets we choose to enter. In addition, we may incur significant expenses as a result of our international expansion, and we may not be successful or may not execute our strategy successfully. We currently face limited brand recognition in certain parts of the world that could lead to non-acceptance or delayed acceptance of our products by consumers in new markets. Our failure to successfully manage these risks could harm our international operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, Brexit, and the ongoing negotiations of the future trading relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU during the transition period, have yet to provide clarity on what the outcome will be for the United Kingdom or Europe. Changes related to Brexit could subject us to heightened risks in that region, including disruptions to trade and free movement of goods, services and people to and from the United Kingdom, disruptions to the workforce of our business partners, increased foreign exchange volatility with respect to the British pound and additional legal, political and economic uncertainty. If these actions impacting our international distribution and sales channels result in increased costs for us or our international partners, such changes could result in higher costs to us, adversely affecting our operations, particularly as we expand our international presence.
We are subject to governmental export and import controls and economic sanctions laws that could subject us to liability and impair our ability to compete in international target markets.
The United States and various foreign governments have imposed controls, license requirements and restrictions on the import and/or export of certain technologies, products, software and services. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements regarding the export of our products and services may create delays in the introduction of our products and services in some international target markets, prevent our international users from accessing our products and services, and, in some cases, prevent the export of our products and services to some countries altogether.
Furthermore, U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws prohibit the provision of products and services to countries, governments and persons that are the subject of U.S. sanctions. Even though we take precautions to
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prevent our products from being provided to persons and jurisdictions in violation of U.S. sanctions laws, our products and services, including our firmware updates, could find their way to such prohibited parties, which could have negative consequences, including government investigations, penalties and reputational harm. Our failure to obtain any required import or export approval for our products could harm our international and domestic sales and adversely affect our revenue.
Additionally, our supply chain is very complex and compliance with U.S. import laws and regulations requires that we make determinations based on the best information that we have available at the time. U.S. Customs and Border Protection may not always agree with those determinations and, at has times, has requested that we modify the information we have provided to them including that related to country of origin determinations.
We could be subject to future enforcement action with respect to compliance with governmental export and import controls and economic sanctions laws that result in penalties, costs and restrictions on export privileges that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to comply with anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, including the FCPA and similar laws associated with our activities outside of the United States, could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
We operate a global business and may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We are subject to the FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and possibly other anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. These laws prohibit companies and their directors, officers, employees and third-party business partners and intermediaries, representatives, contractors and agents from corruptly promising, authorizing, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything of value to foreign government officials, political parties and private-sector recipients for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, directing business to any person or securing any improper advantage.
Our global operations expand our compliance obligations. For example, we import and export items to and from several countries. In many foreign countries, including countries in which we may conduct business, including interacting with governmental officials, it may be a local custom that businesses engage in practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other applicable laws and regulations. In addition, we or our third-party business partners or intermediaries, employees, representatives, contractors, suppliers and agents may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities, including as governmental customers. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees or third-party business partners or intermediaries, representatives, contractors and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities.
In addition, U.S. public companies are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions and maintain internal controls and compliance procedures designed to prevent violations of anti-corruption laws. While we have policies, procedures and training to foster compliance with these laws, we cannot assure you that our employees or third-party business partners or intermediaries, contractors, representatives and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies or applicable law for which we may ultimately be held responsible.
Any violation of the FCPA, other applicable anti-corruption laws or anti-money laundering laws could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, fines, damages, severe criminal or civil penalties against us, our officers or our employees, disgorgement of profits, suspension or debarment from government contracts, any of which could adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations, stock price, financial condition and prospects. In addition, detecting, investigating and resolving actual or alleged violations of anti-corruption laws and responding to any enforcement action may result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense costs and other professional fees.
Changes in legislation in U.S. and foreign taxation of international business activities or the adoption of other tax reform policies, as well as the application of such laws, could adversely impact our financial position and results of operations.
Recent or future changes to U.S., Canada, United Kingdom and other foreign tax laws could impact the tax treatment of our foreign earnings. We generally conduct our international operations through wholly owned
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subsidiaries and report our taxable income in various jurisdictions worldwide based upon our business operations in those jurisdictions. The intercompany relationships between our legal entities are subject to complex transfer pricing regulations administered by taxing authorities in various jurisdictions. Although we believe we are compliant with applicable transfer pricing and other tax laws in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other relevant countries, due to changes in such laws and rules, we may have to modify our international structure in the future, which will incur costs, may increase our worldwide effective tax rate and may adversely affect our financial position and results of operations. In addition, significant judgment is required in evaluating our tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes.
If U.S., Canadian, United Kingdom or other foreign tax laws further change, if our current or future structures and arrangements are challenged by a taxing authority, or if we are unable to appropriately adapt the manner in which we operate our business, we may have to undertake further costly modifications to our international structure and our tax liabilities and results of operations may be adversely affected. In addition, increases in corporate tax rates, such as have been proposed by the current U.S. administration, could increase our effective tax rate and have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We may face exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
While we have historically transacted the majority of our business in U.S. dollars, we also transact in some foreign currencies, such as the Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Chinese Yuan, Euro, British Pound Sterling and Malaysian Ringgit, and we may transact in more foreign currencies in the future. Accordingly, changes in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar can affect our revenue and results of operations. As a result of such foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, it could be more difficult to detect underlying trends in our business and results of operations. In addition, to the extent that fluctuations in currency exchange rates cause our results of operations to differ from our expectations or the expectations of our investors, the trading price of our Class A common stock could be lowered. We do not currently maintain a program to hedge transactional exposures in foreign currencies. However, in the future, we expect to use derivative instruments, such as foreign currency forward and option contracts, to hedge certain exposures to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The use of such hedging activities may not offset any or more than a portion of the adverse financial effects of unfavorable movements in foreign exchange rates over the limited time the hedges are in place and may introduce additional risks if we are unable to structure effective hedges with such instruments.
Risks Related to our Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products, services and brand.
Our success depends in large part on our proprietary technology and our patents, trade secrets, trademarks and other intellectual property rights. We rely on, and expect to continue to rely on, a combination of trademark, trade dress, domain name, copyright, trade secret and patent laws, as well as confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, contractors, consultants and third parties with whom we have relationships, to establish and protect our brand and other intellectual property rights. However, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient or effective, and any of our intellectual property rights may be challenged, which could result in them being narrowed in scope or declared invalid or unenforceable. There can be no assurance that our intellectual property rights will be sufficient to protect against others offering products, services or technologies that are substantially similar to ours and that compete with our business.
Effective protection of patents, trademarks and domain names is expensive and difficult to maintain, both in terms of application and registration costs as well as the costs of defending and enforcing those rights. As we have grown, we have sought to obtain and protect our intellectual property rights in an increasing number of countries, a process that can be expensive and may not always be successful. For example, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural requirements to complete the patent application process and to maintain issued patents, and noncompliance or non-payment could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in a relevant jurisdiction. Further, intellectual property protection may not be available to us in every country in which our products are available. For example, the existence of prior art – or information that is already in the public domain – may limit our ability to obtain additional patents in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. Some foreign countries also have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against certain third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit.
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We have an active program of monitoring, investigating and enforcing our proprietary rights against companies and individuals who attempt to reverse engineer, market or manufacture counterfeits and “knockoff” products, particularly ancillary and/or specialized products used with our connected machines. We assert our rights against infringers of our copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade dress. However, these efforts may not be successful in reducing sales of imitation products by these infringers. Additionally, other manufacturers may be able to produce successful personal desktop manufacturing devices which imitate our designs without infringing any of our copyrights, patents, trademarks or trade dress. Particularly with respect to the accessories and materials we sell to users for use with their machines, counterfeits, knockoffs or imitations are known to exist in the industry. The failure to prevent or limit such infringers or imitators could adversely affect our reputation and sales.
In order to protect our brand and intellectual property rights, we may be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect these rights. Litigation brought to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Accordingly, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property. Our failure to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could seriously damage our brand and our business.
We have faced threats, and in the future may be threatened, by third parties for alleged infringement of their proprietary rights.
There is considerable patent and other intellectual property development activity in the technology industry, and litigation, based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property, is frequent in the technology industry. Furthermore, it is common for individuals and groups to purchase patents and other intellectual property assets for the purpose of making claims of infringement to extract settlements from companies like ours. Our use of third-party content, including images, software and other intellectual property may be subject to claims of infringement or misappropriation. We cannot guarantee that our internally-developed or acquired technologies and content do not or will not infringe the intellectual property rights of others. From time to time, our competitors or other third parties may claim that we are infringing upon or misappropriating their intellectual property rights, and we may be found to be infringing upon such rights. Any claims or litigation could cause us to incur significant expenses and, if successfully asserted against us, could require that we pay substantial damages or ongoing royalty payments, prevent us from offering our products or services or using certain technologies, force us to implement expensive work-arounds or impose other unfavorable terms. We expect that the occurrence of infringement claims is likely to grow as the market for our products and services grows and as we introduce new and updated products and services. Accordingly, our exposure to damages resulting from infringement claims could increase and this could further exhaust our financial and management resources. Further, during the course of any litigation, we may make announcements regarding the results of hearings and motions, and other interim developments. If securities analysts and investors regard these announcements as negative, the market price of our Class A common stock may decline. Even if intellectual property claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and require significant expenditures. Any of the foregoing could prevent us from competing effectively and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend upon third-party licenses and the purchase of third-party works for the use of digital content. An adverse change to, loss of or claim that we do not hold necessary licenses or rights may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Digital content is an important element of the overall content that we make available to our users. To secure the rights to use certain fonts, images, ready-to-make projects, patterns and other digital contents that are used on or with our products and services, we enter into agreements to obtain licenses from rights holders such as copyright owners or their agents. We pay royalties to such parties or their agents around the world. In other instances, we enter into agreements with various third parties to purchase their pre-existing works or engage on a “works for hire” basis to procure desired content.
The process of obtaining licenses, purchasing pre-existing works and new engagement involves identifying and negotiating with many rights holders, some of whom are unknown or difficult to identify, and implicates a myriad of complex and evolving legal issues across many jurisdictions, including open questions of law as to when and whether particular licenses are needed. Rights holders also may attempt to take advantage of their market power to seek onerous financial terms from us. Our relationship with certain rights holders may deteriorate. Additionally, there
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is a risk that aspiring rights holders, their agents or legislative or regulatory bodies will create or attempt to create new rights that could require us to enter into new license agreements with, and pay royalties to, newly defined groups of rights holders, some of which may be difficult or impossible to identify.
Although we expend significant resources to seek to comply with the statutory, regulatory and judicial frameworks, we cannot guarantee that we currently hold, or will always hold, every necessary right to use all of the digital content that is used with our products and services, and we cannot assure you that we are not infringing or violating any third-party intellectual property rights, or that we will not do so in the future.
These challenges, and others concerning the use of licensed content with our products, may subject us to significant liability for copyright infringement, breach of contract or other claims. For additional information, see the section titled “Business—Legal Proceedings.”
Legislation regarding copyright protection or content review could impose complex and costly constraints on our business model.
Although our agreements with users submitting designs or other content to our websites and mobile apps specifically require users to represent that they have the right and authority to provide and license the designs and other content they submit for the purposes used by us, that the content does not and will not violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation, and that the content (and our use of it) does not and will not infringe on any rights of any third party, we do not currently have the ability to determine the accuracy of these representations on a case-by-case basis. There is a risk that a user may supply an image or other content that is the property of another party used without permission, that infringes the copyright or trademark of another party or another party’s right of privacy or right of publicity or that would be considered to be defamatory, pornographic, hateful, racist, scandalous, obscene or otherwise offensive, objectionable or illegal under the laws or court decisions of the jurisdiction where that user lives. There is, therefore, a risk that users may intentionally or inadvertently order and receive products from us that are in violation of the rights of another party or a law or regulation of a particular jurisdiction.
The EU has also enacted a new law that will require us to use best efforts in accordance with the high industry standards of professional diligence to exclude infringing content from our platform that may be uploaded by our users. To comply with this new law, we will likely have to devote significant time and resources to develop technologies to prevent infringing content from being uploaded to our platform and, to the extent infringing content makes it onto our platform, to expeditiously remove such content and implement measures to prevent re-uploads of such content. Although the new law does not mandate monitoring, there may be no practical way for us to comply with the law’s stringent new requirements without adopting some form of robust content identification systems. We may also be required to enter into license agreements with various rights holders to obtain licenses that authorize the storage and use of content uploaded by our users. We may not be able to develop technological solutions to comply with applicable law on economically reasonable terms and there is no guarantee that we will be able to enter into agreements with all relevant rights holders on terms that we deem reasonable. Compliance may therefore cause us to encounter increased costs which could substantially harm our business and results of operations.
Some of our products contain open source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software, technologies, products and services in a manner that could harm our business.
We use open source software in our products and anticipate using open source software in the future. Some open source software licenses require those who distribute open source software as part of their own software product to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software product or to make available any derivative works of the open source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost. The terms of many open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and there is a risk that open source software licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to provide or distribute our products or services. Additionally, we could face claims from third parties claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software, which could include proprietary source code, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to make our software source code freely available, purchase a costly license or cease offering the implicated products or services unless and until we can re-engineer them to avoid infringement. This re-engineering process could require us to expend significant additional research and development resources, and we cannot guarantee that we will be successful.
Additionally, the use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of
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software. There is typically no support available for open source software, and we cannot ensure that the authors of such open source software will implement or push updates to address security risks or will not abandon further development and maintenance. Many of the risks associated with the use of open source software, such as the lack of warranties or assurances of title or performance, cannot be eliminated, and could, if not properly addressed, negatively affect our business. We have processes to help alleviate these risks, including a review process for screening requests from our developers for the use of open source software, but we cannot be sure that all open source software is identified or submitted for approval prior to use in our products. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage, and, if not addressed, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
The dual class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting power with our pre-initial public offering stockholders, which limits their ability to influence the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of our board of directors, the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, and the approval of any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transaction.
Our Class A common stock has one vote per share and our Class B common stock has five votes per share, except as otherwise required by law. As of June 30, 2022, Petrus and affiliates hold 126,965,929 shares of issued and outstanding Class B common stock. Accordingly, Petrus and affiliates hold approximately 68% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock in the aggregate. Petrus is able to determine or significantly influence any action requiring the approval of our stockholders, including the election of our board of directors, the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the approval of any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transaction. Petrus may have interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. This concentrated control may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of our company, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their capital stock as part of a sale of our company and might ultimately affect the market price of our Class A common stock. Further, the separation between voting power and economic interests could cause conflicts of interest between Petrus and our other stockholders, which may result in Petrus undertaking, or causing us to undertake, actions that would be desirable for Petrus but would not be desirable for our other stockholders.
Future transfers by the holders of Class B common stock will generally result in those shares automatically converting into shares of Class A common stock, subject to limited exceptions, such as certain transfers effected for estate planning or other transfers by Petrus. In addition, each share of Class B common stock will convert automatically into one share of Class A common stock upon (i) the date following the Effectiveness Date on which the number of shares of our capital stock, including Class A common stock and Class B common stock, and any shares of capital stock underlying any securities, including restricted stock units, options or other convertible instruments, held by “Petrus Affiliates,” as defined in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and their permitted entities is less than 50% of the number of shares of Class B common stock held by Petrus Affiliates and their permitted entities as of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the Effectiveness Date, which we refer to herein as the 50% Ownership Threshold, (ii) the first date after the Effectiveness Date when the outstanding shares of Class B common stock represent less than a majority of the total voting power of the then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or (iii) the time following the Effectiveness Date specified by affirmative vote or written election of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock. We refer to the date on which such final conversion of all outstanding shares of Class B common stock pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation occurs as the Final Conversion Date.
We cannot predict the effect our dual class structure may have on the market price of our Class A common stock.
We cannot predict whether our dual class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other negative consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indices. In July 2017, FTSE Russell and S&P Dow Jones announced that they would cease to allow most newly public companies utilizing dual or multi-class capital structures to be included in their indices. Affected indices include the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up the S&P Composite 1500. Beginning in 2017, MSCI, a leading stock index provider, opened public consultations on their
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treatment of no-vote and multi-class structures and temporarily barred new multi-class listings from certain of its indices; however, in October 2018, MSCI announced its decision to include equity securities “with unequal voting structures” in its indices and to launch a new index that specifically includes voting rights in its eligibility criteria. Under the announced policies, our dual class capital structure would make us ineligible for inclusion in certain indices, and as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track those indices will not be investing in our stock. These policies are still fairly new and it is currently unclear what effect, if any, they will have on the valuations of publicly traded companies excluded from the indices, but it is possible that they may depress their valuations compared to the valuations of other similar companies that are included. Because of our dual class structure, we will likely be excluded from certain of these indices and we cannot assure you that other stock indices will not take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indices, exclusion from stock indices would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our Class A common stock less attractive to other investors. As a result, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.
The stock price of our Class A common stock may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance
The market prices of the securities of newly public companies such as us have historically been highly volatile. The market price of our Class A common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
•overall performance of the equity markets and the performance of technology companies in particular;
•variations in our results of operations, cash flows and other financial metrics and non-financial metrics and how those results compare to analyst expectations;
•changes in the financial projections or business guidance we may provide to the public, or our failure to meet these projections;
•failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
•recruitment or departure of key personnel;
•the economy as a whole and market conditions in our industry;
•negative publicity related to problems in our manufacturing or the real or perceived quality of our products, as well as the failure to timely launch new products or services that gain market acceptance;
•rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;
•announcements by us or our competitors of new products, accessories, features and content, significant technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
•actual or perceived privacy or data security incidents;
•new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;
•lawsuits threatened or filed against us, litigation involving our industry, or both;
•developments or disputes concerning our or other parties’ products, services or intellectual property rights;
•the inclusion or exclusion of our Class A common stock from any trading indices, such as the S&P 500 Index;
•other events or factors, including those resulting from war, including the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, incidents of terrorism, man-made or natural disasters, pandemics or responses to these events;
•the effects of our stock repurchase program;
•the size of our public float; and
•purchases or sales of shares of our Class A common stock by us or our stockholders or public announcements of such activities.
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In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business and adversely affect our business.
Our directors, executive officers and holders of 5% or more of our common stock hold approximately 86% of the total voting power of our common stock and are able to exert significant control over us, which will limit your ability to influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change of control.
Our directors, executive officers and holders of 5% or more of our outstanding common stock, and their respective affiliates, hold, in the aggregate, approximately 86% of the total voting power of shares of our outstanding common stock, based on the number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2022. Further, Petrus and affiliates, collectively, are currently our largest stockholder. Petrus and affiliates hold approximately 68% of the total voting power of our common stock-based on the number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2022. As a result, our directors, executive officers and holders of 5% or more of our outstanding common stock, and their respective affiliates, if acting together, are able to determine or significantly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents and approval of any merger, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction. These stockholders may have interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. This concentration of ownership may delay, prevent or discourage acquisition proposals or other offers for our Class A common stock that you may feel are in your best interest as a stockholder and ultimately could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your Class A common stock as part of a sale of our company, which in turn might adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Exchange rules and, as a result, are entitled to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that are designed to provide protection to stockholders of companies that are not “controlled companies.”
Because Petrus and affiliates own more than 50% of the total voting power of our common shares, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Exchange’s corporate governance standards. As a controlled company, we are exempt under the Exchange’s standards from the obligation to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements:
•that a majority of our board of directors consists of independent directors;
•that we have a nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
•that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
As a result of relying on the controlled company exemptions, the procedures for approving significant corporate decisions could be determined by directors who have a direct or indirect interest in such decisions, and our stockholders do not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of other companies that are required to comply with all of the independence rules of the Exchange.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, the price of our Class A common stock and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If securities analysts fail to publish reports on us regularly, or if industry analysts cease coverage of us, demand for our Class A common stock could decrease, which might cause our Class A common stock price and trading volume to decline. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our Class A common stock price would likely decline.
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Future sales of our Class A common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.
The market price of our Class A common stock could decline significantly as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our Class A common stock in the market. These sales, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A common stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
Also, in the future, we may issue shares of our Class A common stock in connection with investments or acquisitions. The amount of shares of our Class A common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of then-outstanding shares of our common stock.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We do not intend to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Additionally, our ability to pay dividends on our capital stock is limited by the restrictions under the terms of our New Credit Agreement. Generally, under our New Credit Agreement, we cannot pay dividends on our capital stock unless both (a) no default or event of default has occurred and is continuing and (b) our Leverage ratio (as defined therein) will not exceed 2.50 to 1.00, determined on a pro forma basis as of the most recently completed fiscal quarter for which we have delivered financial statements to the administrative agent and giving effect to any indebtedness incurred in connection therewith. We anticipate that for the foreseeable future we will retain all of our future earnings for use in the development of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their Class A common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments.
Provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our Class A common stock.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing transactions involving an actual or potential change in our control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our Class A common stock.
Our charter documents also contain other provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect, such as:
•subject to the rights of the holders of preferred stock, permitting the board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships;
•prohibiting cumulative voting for directors;
•requiring super-majority voting to amend some provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws;
•authorizing the issuance of undesignated preferred stock that our board of directors could use to implement a stockholder rights plan;
•eliminating the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;
•prohibiting stockholder action by written consent prior to the Final Conversion Date unless the action is first recommended or approved by the board, and prohibiting stockholder action by written consent from and after the Final Conversion Date, which requires stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;
•certain litigation against us can only be brought in Delaware; and
•our dual class common stock structure as described above.
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Our charter documents provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, to the fullest extent permitted by law, will be the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. This exclusive forum provision will not apply to claims that are vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or for which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have subject matter jurisdiction.
Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for U.S. federal and state courts over causes of action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, both U.S. state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. This exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provision of our amended and restated bylaws.
Although we believe this exclusive forum provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of U.S. federal securities laws in the types of lawsuits to which they apply, the exclusive forum provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with us or any of our directors, shareholders, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims against us and our current and former directors, shareholders, officers or other employees. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder as a result of our exclusive forum provision. Further, in the event a court finds the exclusive forum provision contained in our amended and restated bylaws to be unenforceable or inapplicable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our results of operations.
General Risk Factors
The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant volatility in financial markets. Public health problems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and precautionary measures instituted by governments and businesses to mitigate its spread, have contributed to, and could in the future contribute to, a general slowdown in the global economy, adversely impact our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners, potential customers, third-party suppliers, contract manufacturers, third-party logistics providers and other business partners, and disrupt our operations. Changes in our operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted, and could continue to result in, inefficiencies or delays, including in manufacturing, sales, delivery and product development efforts, and additional costs related to business continuity initiatives, that cannot be fully mitigated through succession and business continuity planning, employees working remotely or teleconferencing technologies.
During certain periods of the COVID-19 pandemic we experienced an increase in demand for our products and subscriptions. For example, from 2018 to 2019 our revenue from connected machines grew 35%, our revenue from subscriptions grew 72% and our revenue from accessories and materials grew 45%. In comparison, from 2019 to 2020 our revenue from connected machines grew 110%, our revenue from subscriptions grew 107% and our revenue from accessories and materials grew 84%. From 2020 to 2021 our revenue from connected machines grew 32%, our revenue from subscriptions grew 85% and our revenue from accessories and materials grew 28%. We believe that some portion of our 2020 and 2021 revenue growth was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are
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not able to quantify the proportion of the increase in demand that is attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic as opposed to other factors contributing to our growth in recent periods.
Our current revenue growth rates are declining compared to those in 2020 and 2021. There is no guarantee that sales will remain at 2020 and 2021 levels in the future or that we will be able to continue to significantly grow our revenue in a post-COVID-19 environment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had and may lead to a negative impact on our business and results of operations due to the occurrence of some or all of the following events or circumstances, among others:
•our inability to manage our business effectively due to key employees becoming ill or infection clusters in worker populations, working from home inefficiently and being unable to travel to our facilities;
•our third-party suppliers’, contract manufacturers’, third-party logistics providers’ and other business partners’ inability to operate worksites, including manufacturing facilities, shipping and fulfillment centers and third-party logistics facilities; for example, we have experienced longer lead times requirements with suppliers and slowdowns with our contract manufacturers during the COVID-19 pandemic;
•prolonged delivery timelines;
•increased return rates or decreased sales of our connected machines, subscriptions and accessories and materials, as applicable, due to a decrease in consumer discretionary spending;
•inventory shortages caused by a combination of increased demand for our products and longer lead-times in the manufacturing of our connected machines and certain other products, due to work restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, import and export conditions, such as port congestion and local government orders;
•interruptions in manufacturing (including the sourcing and procurement of key components) and shipment of our products; for example, in certain instances, our suppliers, manufacturers and third-party logistic partners have closed and may in the future temporarily close certain of their facilities for short periods of time;
•government mandated shutdowns or movement control orders in the countries in which our contract manufacturers and suppliers are located, specifically China and Malaysia, which may disrupt the operations of our contract manufacturers and third-party suppliers, which could impact our ability to purchase components at efficient prices and in sufficient amounts; and
•incurrence of significant increases to employee health care and benefits costs.
Although recent vaccine rates have raised hopes of a turnaround in the COVID-19 pandemic, renewed waves and new variants continue to pose concerns for the outlook. Growth may be stymied if virus surges (including from new variants) prove difficult to contain, infections and deaths mount rapidly and social distancing or lockdowns return and are more stringent than anticipated. Moreover, if policy support is withdrawn before full economic recovery, bankruptcies of viable but illiquid companies could mount, leading to further employment and income losses. The ensuing tighter financial conditions could increase rollover risks for vulnerable borrowers, add to the already large number of economies in debt distress, and increase insolvencies among corporations and households.
There are no comparable recent events which may provide guidance as to the effect of the spread and the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the total magnitude of impact to our business and duration of impact is uncertain and difficult to reasonably estimate at this time.
The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and financial results will depend largely on future developments, including the duration of the spread of the pandemic, the impact on capital and financial markets and the related impact on the financial circumstances of our customers, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. This situation is changing rapidly, and additional impacts may arise that we are not aware of currently.
Our business is subject to a large number of U.S. and non-U.S. laws, many of which are evolving, including laws specific to e-commerce.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and around the world, including those relating to traditional businesses, such as employment laws and taxation, as well as laws and regulations focused
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on e-commerce and online marketplaces, such as online payments, privacy, anti-spam, data security and protection, online platform liability, intellectual property and consumer protection, the ability to collect and/or share necessary information that allows us to conduct business on the Internet, marketing communications and advertising, content protection, electronic contracts or gift cards. In some cases, non-U.S. privacy, data protection, information security, consumer protection, e-commerce and other laws and regulations are more detailed than those in the United States and, in some countries, are actively enforced.
These laws and regulations are continuously evolving, and compliance is costly and could require changes to our business practices and significant management time and effort, or may result in enforcement actions or litigation. For example, California’s Automatic Renewal Law requires companies to adhere to enhanced disclosure requirements when entering into automatically renewing contracts with consumers. As a result, a wave of consumer class action lawsuits was brought against companies that offer online products and services on a subscription or recurring basis. Other laws, like the CCPA and the EU’s GDPR, require us to implement reasonable privacy and security measures, including applying security requirements by contract to certain service providers and processors acting on our behalf, as well as requiring certain privacy and security disclosures to consumers and employees. In some jurisdictions, these laws and regulations may be subject to attempts to apply such domestic rules world-wide against us or our subsidiaries. Additionally, it is not always clear how existing laws apply to online marketplaces as many of these laws do not address the unique issues raised by online marketplaces or e-commerce. For example, as described elsewhere in this Risk Factors section, laws relating to privacy, data protection and information security are evolving differently in different jurisdictions. Federal, state and non-U.S. governmental authorities, as well as courts interpreting relevant laws, continue to evaluate and assess applicable privacy, data protection and information security requirements.
Existing and future laws and regulations enacted by federal, state or non-U.S. governments or the inconsistent enforcement of such laws and regulations could impede the growth of e-commerce or online marketplaces, which could have a negative impact on our business and operations. Examples include data localization requirements, limitations on marketplace scope or ownership, intellectual property intermediary liability rules, regulation of online speech, limits on network neutrality and rules related to security, privacy, data protection or national security, which may impede us or our users. We could also face regulatory challenges or be subject to discriminatory or anti-competitive practices that could impede both our growth prospects, increase our costs and harm our business.
We strive to comply with all applicable laws, but they may conflict with each other, and by complying with the laws or regulations of one jurisdiction, we may find that we are in conflict with the laws or regulations of another jurisdiction. Despite our best efforts, we may not have fully complied with all applicable laws and may not in the future. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation, lost business and proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, which could result in significant expenses, fines or penalties. Laws or regulations, or enforcement thereof, could also force us to change the way we operate, which could require us to incur significant expenses or to discontinue certain services, which could negatively affect our business.
Additionally, if third parties with whom we work violate applicable laws or our policies, those violations could result in other liabilities for us and could harm our business. Furthermore, the circumstances in which we may be held liable for the acts, omissions or responsibilities of these parties is uncertain, complex and evolving. If an increasing number of such laws are passed, the resulting compliance costs and potential liability risk could negatively impact our business.
From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings, regulatory disputes and governmental inquiries that could cause us to incur significant expenses, divert our management’s attention and materially harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
From time to time, we may be subject to claims, lawsuits, regulatory disputes, government inquiries and other proceedings, including matters related to intellectual property, commercial, royalties, employment and tax that could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. As we have grown, we have seen a rise in the number and significance of these disputes and inquiries. Litigation and regulatory proceedings, and particularly any intellectual property infringement matters that we may face, could be protracted and expensive, and the results are difficult to predict. Certain of these matters may include speculative claims for substantial or indeterminate amounts of damages and include claims for injunctive relief. Adverse outcomes with respect to any of these legal proceedings may result in significant settlement costs or judgments, penalties and fines, or require us to modify our products or services, make content unavailable or require us to stop offering certain features, all of which
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could negatively affect our subscription and revenue growth. See the section titled “Business—Legal Proceedings” for additional information.
The results of claims, lawsuits, regulatory disputes, government inquiries and other proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, and determining reserves for pending litigation and other legal and regulatory matters requires significant judgment. There can be no assurance that our expectations will prove correct, and even if these matters are resolved in our favor or without significant cash settlements, these matters, and the time and resources necessary to litigate or resolve them, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may engage in merger and acquisition activities, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our results of operations.
As part of our business strategy, we may in the future engage in investment, merger or acquisition activities involving other companies, products or technologies. We may not be able to find suitable acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to complete acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. If we do complete acquisitions, we may not ultimately strengthen our competitive position or achieve our goals, and any acquisitions we complete could be viewed negatively by our users or investors. Moreover, an acquisition, investment or business relationship may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures, including disrupting our ongoing operations, diverting management from their primary responsibilities, subjecting us to additional liabilities, increasing our expenses and adversely affecting our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, we may be exposed to unknown liabilities, and the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, investment or business relationship may not be realized, if, for example, we fail to successfully integrate such acquisitions, or the technologies associated with such acquisitions, into our company.
To pay for any such acquisitions, we would have to use our cash and cash equivalents, incur debt or issue equity securities, or a combination thereof, each of which may affect our financial condition or the value of our Class A common stock and could result in dilution to our existing stockholders. If we incur more debt, it would result in increased fixed obligations and could also subject us to additional covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations. Additionally, we may receive indications of interest from other parties interested in acquiring some or all of our business. The time required to evaluate such indications of interest could require significant attention from management, disrupt the ordinary functioning of our business and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is subject to the risk of earthquakes, fire, power outages, floods, public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and other catastrophic events, and to interruption by manmade problems such as war or terrorism.
Our business is vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, pandemics, floods, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war, including the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, human errors, break-ins, public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and similar events. For example, our operations are subject to a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. A wide range of governmental restrictions have been imposed on our employees’, customers’ and suppliers’ physical movement to limit the spread of COVID-19. There can be no assurance that precautionary measures, whether adopted by us or imposed by others, will be effective, and such measures could negatively affect our sales, marketing and Cricut Member Care efforts, delay and lengthen our sales cycles, decrease our employees’ or customers’ or partners’ productivity or create operational or other challenges, any of which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. The third-party systems and operations and manufacturers we rely on are subject to similar risks. As another example, we engage third-party service providers, a portion of whose software development staff resides in Ukraine. Due to the current conflict, we may experience an interruption in the services provided by these parties. Our insurance policies may not cover losses from these catastrophic events or may provide insufficient compensation that does not cover our total losses. For example, a significant natural disaster, such as a pandemic, earthquake, fire or flood, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and our insurance coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur. Acts of terrorism, which may be targeted at metropolitan areas that have higher population density than rural areas, could also cause disruptions in our or our suppliers’ and manufacturers’ businesses or the economy as a whole. We may not have sufficient protection or recovery plans in some circumstances, such as natural disasters affecting locations that store significant inventory of our products, that house our servers, or from which we generate content. As we rely heavily on our computer and communications systems, and the Internet to conduct our business and provide high-quality Cricut Member Care, these disruptions could negatively impact our
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ability to run our business and either directly or indirectly disrupt suppliers’ and manufacturers’ businesses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to payment processing risk.
Our brick-and-mortar and online retail partners and users pay for our products using a variety of different payment methods, including credit and debit cards, gift cards, electronic fund transfers and electronic payment system and third-party financing providers. We rely on internal systems as well as those of third parties to process payment. Acceptance and processing of these payment methods are subject to certain rules and regulations and require payment of interchange and other fees. To the extent there are disruptions in our payment processing systems, increases in payment processing fees, material changes in the payment ecosystem, such as large re-issuances of payment cards, delays in receiving payments from payment processors or changes to rules or regulations concerning payment processing, our revenue, operating expenses and results of operation could be adversely impacted. We leverage our third-party payment processors to bill users on cricut.com and Paid Subscriber on our behalf. If these third parties become unwilling or unable to continue processing payments on our behalf, we would have to find alternative methods of collecting payments, which could adversely impact user and Paid Subscriber acquisition and retention. In addition, from time to time, we encounter fraudulent use of payment methods, which could impact our results of operation and if not adequately controlled and managed could create negative consumer perceptions of our service.
In 2020, we introduced an integration with a third-party financing provider, Affirm, which allows users to finance the purchase of our connected machines through third-party consumer financing. There is no assurance that Affirm, or any other company that may in the future offer financing to our users, will continue to provide users with access to credit or that credit limits under such arrangements will be sufficient. Such restrictions or limitations on the availability of consumer credit could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The estimates of market size included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K or that we have provided publicly may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the market in which we compete is of the size we estimate, we cannot assure you that our business will penetrate some or all of our SAM or TAM.
Market size estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The estimates of market size in our Annual Report on Form 10-K or that we have provided publicly relating to our SAM and TAM, including estimates based on our commissioned surveys or our own internal survey data, may prove to be inaccurate. Even if the market is of the size we estimate, we may not further penetrate our SAM or TAM, or at all. Accordingly, the estimates of market size should not be taken as indicative of our future growth.
The requirements of being a public company, including maintaining adequate internal control over our financial and management systems, may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain executive management and qualified board members.
As a public company we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We are subject to reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, the rules and regulations and the listing standards of the Exchange and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will likely strain our financial and management systems, internal controls and employees.
The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and results of operations and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures, and internal control, over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures, and internal control over, financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. If, in the future, we have material weaknesses or deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, we may not detect errors on a timely basis and our consolidated financial statements may be materially misstated. Effective internal control is necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and is important to prevent fraud.
In addition, we will be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as early as in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. We expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the
79
auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. As a result of the complexity involved in complying with the rules and regulations applicable to public companies, our management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Although we have already hired additional employees to assist us in complying with these requirements, our finance team is small and we may need to hire more employees in the future, or engage outside consultants, which will increase our operating expenses.
Being a public company and complying with applicable rules and regulations will make it much more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we will incur substantially higher costs to obtain and maintain the same or similar coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors and qualified executive officers.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates.” The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities and stockholders’ equity/deficit and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements include those related to deferred revenue and entitlements. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the price of our Class A common stock.
We may be subject to sales and other taxes, and we may be subject to liabilities on past sales for taxes, surcharges and fees.
The application of indirect taxes, such as sales and use tax, subscription sales tax, value-added tax, provincial taxes, goods and services tax, business tax and gross receipt tax, to businesses like ours is a complex and evolving issue. Significant judgment is required to evaluate applicable tax obligations. In many cases, the ultimate tax determination is uncertain because it is not clear how existing statutes apply to our business. One or more states, the federal government or other countries may seek to impose additional reporting, record-keeping or indirect tax collection obligations on businesses like ours that offer subscription services. For example, on June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court held in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. that states could impose sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state sellers even if those sellers lack any physical presence within the states imposing the sales taxes. Under Wayfair, a person requires only a “substantial nexus” with the taxing state before the state may subject the person to sales tax collection obligations therein. An increasing number of states (both before and after the publication of Wayfair) have considered or adopted laws that attempt to impose sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state sellers. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision has removed a significant impediment to the enactment and enforcement of these laws, and it is possible that states may seek to tax out-of-state sellers on sales that occurred in prior tax years, which could create additional administrative burdens for us, put us at a competitive disadvantage if such states do not impose similar obligations on our competitors and decrease our future sales, which could adversely impact our business and results of operations. Although we believe that we currently collect and remit sales taxes in all states that have adopted laws imposing sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state sellers since Wayfair was decided, a successful assertion by one or more states requiring us to collect sales taxes where we presently do not do so, or to collect more taxes in a jurisdiction where we currently do collect some sales taxes, could result in substantial tax liabilities, including taxes on past sales, as well as interest and penalties. The adoption of new laws by, or a successful assertion by taxing authorities of such laws, could also require us to incur substantial costs to capture data and collect and remit taxes. If such obligations were imposed, the additional costs associated with tax collection, remittance and audit requirements could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
Not applicable.
80
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
Not applicable.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
Entry into New Credit Agreement; Termination of Previous Credit Agreement
On August 4, 2022, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (the “New Credit Agreement”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and the lenders party thereto. The New Credit Agreement refinances and replaces the Company’s prior asset-based Credit Agreement, dated as of September 4, 2020, with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and the lenders party thereto, as amended.
The New Credit Agreement makes available to the Company a five-year, senior secured revolving Credit Facility (the “Credit Facility”) with an aggregate commitment of $300 million and an accordion feature whereby the Company may request, subject to certain agent or lender consent rights, increases in the aggregate commitment amount up to an additional $150 million (for a maximum aggregate commitment of up to $450 million). As of August 9, 2022, the Company had no borrowings on the Credit Facility, leaving $300 million available to be drawn. Subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions to borrowing, the Company may use the Credit Facility to finance its working capital needs and for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and share repurchases permitted under the New Credit Agreement.
The New Credit Agreement permits the usage of a portion of the Credit Facility for the issuance of letters of credit in an aggregate amount not to exceed $20 million. The New Credit Agreement also permits the Company to borrow revolving loans denominated in Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars and Pounds Sterling, plus any additional currencies determined after the effective date with the consent of the agent and certain lenders.
The Credit Facility matures on August 4, 2027. The Company may prepay revolving loans without premium payment or penalty except for customary breakage fees if revolving loans bearing interest according to term benchmark rates are prepaid on a date other than the end of the applicable interest period.
The New Credit Agreement is collateralized by substantially all of the Company’s assets, including its capital stock or other equity interests in its foreign subsidiaries, and contains affirmative and negative covenants, representations and warranties, events of default and other terms customary for credit facilities of this type. Among other covenants, the New Credit Agreement requires the Company to maintain (a) a “Leverage Ratio”—defined as the ratio of Consolidated Total Indebtedness to Consolidated EBITDA (each as defined therein)—of not less than 3.00 to 1.00 (provided that following a permitted acquisition for which aggregate consideration in respect thereof equals or exceeds $100 million, the Company may elect to increase the Leverage Ratio to 3.50 to 1.00 for a period of four consecutive fiscal quarters (commencing with the fiscal quarter in which such acquisition occurs) and (b) an Interest Coverage Ratio—defined as the ratio of Consolidated EBITDA to Consolidated Interest Expense (each as defined therein)—of not less than 3.00 to 1.00. Failure to comply with the financial or other covenants set forth in the New Credit Agreement or related loan documents would entitle the lenders party to the New Credit Agreement to terminate their lending commitments and to accelerate the maturity of all amounts outstanding under the loan documents.
Under the terms of the New Credit Agreement and related loan documents, the Company has paid and/or will pay arrangement fees, agent fees, upfront fees, letter of credit fees and commitment fees. U.S. dollar-denominated borrowings under the New Credit Agreement bear interest at a rate based upon either (a) the term secured overnight financing rate plus 0.10% (the “Adjusted Term SOFR Rate”) or (b) the Alternate Base Rate (as defined therein), plus, in each case, the Applicable Margin, which varies from 1.25% to 2.25% (for Adjusted Term SOFR Rate loans) or 0.25% to 1.25% (for Alternate Base Rate loans) based on the Company’s Leverage Ratio. Revolving loans denominated in Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars or Pounds Sterling bear interest at a rate based on the Adjusted AUD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate, the Adjusted NZD Rate or the Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate, respectively, each as defined in the New Credit Agreement plus, in each case, the Applicable Margin, which varies from 1.25% to 2.25% for such foreign currency-denominated loans based on the Company’s Leverage Ratio.
81
The foregoing description of the New Credit Agreement is only a summary, does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the New Credit Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
82
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
The documents listed below are incorporated by reference or are filed with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, in each case as indicated therein (numbered in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K).
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit Number | Description | |||||||
| 10.1* | ||||||||
| 31.1* | ||||||||
| 31.2* | ||||||||
32.1*† | ||||||||
32.2*† | ||||||||
| 101.INS | Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | |||||||
| 101.SCH* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | |||||||
| 101.CAL* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 101.DEF* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 101.LAB* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 101.PRE* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 104* | Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page interactive data is embedded within the Inline XBRL document or included within the Exhibit 101 attachments | |||||||
* Filed herewith
+ Indicates management contract or compensatory plan.
† The certifications furnished in Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 hereto are deemed to accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and will not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.
83
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| Date: | August 9, 2022 | By: | /s/ Ashish Arora | |||||||||||
| Name: | Ashish Arora | |||||||||||||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |||||||||||||
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||||||||||||||
| Date: | August 9, 2022 | By: | /s/ Kimball Shill | |||||||||||
| Name: | Kimball Shill | |||||||||||||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||||||||||||
(Principal Financial Officer) | ||||||||||||||
| Date: | August 9, 2022 | By: | /s/ Ryan Harmer | |||||||||||
| Name: | Ryan Harmer | |||||||||||||
| Title: | VP of Accounting, Corporate Controller | |||||||||||||
| (Principal Accounting Officer) | ||||||||||||||
84
EXECUTION VERSION
  | ||
CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of
August 4, 2022
among
CRICUT, INC.,
The Other Loan Parties Party Hereto,
dated as of
August 4, 2022
among
CRICUT, INC.,
The Other Loan Parties Party Hereto,
The Lenders Party Hereto,
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent,
CITIBANK, N.A.,
as Syndication Agent,
and
as Syndication Agent,
and
KEYBANK N.A.
and
PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Co-Documentation Agents
as Co-Documentation Agents
___________________________
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. and CITIBANK, N.A.,
as Joint Bookrunners and Joint Lead Arrangers
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE I Definitions | 1 | ||||
SECTION 1.01. Defined Terms | 1 | ||||
SECTION 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings | 35 | ||||
SECTION 1.03. Terms Generally | 35 | ||||
SECTION 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP | 36 | ||||
SECTION 1.05. Exchange Rates; Currency Equivalents. | 36 | ||||
SECTION 1.06. Pro Forma Adjustments | 37 | ||||
SECTION 1.07. Status of Obligations | 37 | ||||
SECTION 1.08. Interest Rates; Benchmark Notification | 37 | ||||
SECTION 1.09. Letter of Credit Amounts | 38 | ||||
SECTION 1.10. Divisions | 38 | ||||
SECTION 1.11. Conversion of Non-Global Revolving Commitments. | 38 | ||||
ARTICLE II The Credits | 39 | ||||
SECTION 2.01. Revolving Commitments | 39 | ||||
SECTION 2.02. Loans and Borrowings | 39 | ||||
SECTION 2.03. Requests for Borrowings | 40 | ||||
SECTION 2.04. Determination of Dollar Amounts | 41 | ||||
SECTION 2.05. Swingline Loans | 41 | ||||
SECTION 2.06. Letters of Credit | 42 | ||||
SECTION 2.07. Funding of Borrowings | 47 | ||||
SECTION 2.08. Interest Elections | 48 | ||||
SECTION 2.09. Termination and Reduction of Revolving Commitments; Increase in Revolving Commitments; Incremental Term Loans | 49 | ||||
SECTION 2.10. Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt | 51 | ||||
SECTION 2.11. Prepayment of Loans | 52 | ||||
SECTION 2.12. Fees | 52 | ||||
SECTION 2.13. Interest | 53 | ||||
SECTION 2.14. Alternate Rate of Interest | 54 | ||||
SECTION 2.15. Increased Costs | 57 | ||||
SECTION 2.16. Break Funding Payments | 58 | ||||
SECTION 2.17. Taxes | 59 | ||||
SECTION 2.18. Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs | 62 | ||||
SECTION 2.19. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders | 64 | ||||
SECTION 2.20. Defaulting Lenders | 65 | ||||
SECTION 2.21. Returned Payments | 67 | ||||
SECTION 2.22. Banking Services and Swap Agreements | 67 | ||||
ARTICLE III Representations and Warranties | 67 | ||||
SECTION 3.01. Organization; Powers | 67 | ||||
SECTION 3.02. Authorization; Enforceability | 67 | ||||
SECTION 3.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts | 67 | ||||
SECTION 3.04. Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change | 68 | ||||
i
SECTION 3.05. Properties | 68 | ||||
SECTION 3.06. Litigation and Environmental Matters | 68 | ||||
SECTION 3.07. Compliance with Laws and Agreements; No Default | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.08. Investment Company Status | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.09. Taxes | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.10. ERISA | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.11. Disclosure | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.12. Material Agreements | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.13. Solvency | 69 | ||||
SECTION 3.14. Insurance | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.15. Capitalization and Subsidiaries | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.16. Security Interest in Collateral | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.17. Employment Matters | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.18. Margin Regulations | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.19. Use of Proceeds | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.20. No Burdensome Restrictions | 70 | ||||
SECTION 3.21. Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions | 71 | ||||
SECTION 3.22. Affected Financial Institutions | 71 | ||||
SECTION 3.23. Common Enterprise | 71 | ||||
SECTION 3.24. Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions | 71 | ||||
ARTICLE IV Conditions | 71 | ||||
SECTION 4.01. Effective Date | 71 | ||||
SECTION 4.02. Each Credit Event | 74 | ||||
ARTICLE V Affirmative Covenants | 74 | ||||
SECTION 5.01. Financial Statements and Other Information | 74 | ||||
SECTION 5.02. Notices of Material Events | 76 | ||||
SECTION 5.03. Existence; Conduct of Business | 76 | ||||
SECTION 5.04. Payment of Obligations | 77 | ||||
SECTION 5.05. Maintenance of Properties | 77 | ||||
SECTION 5.06. Books and Records; Inspection Rights | 77 | ||||
SECTION 5.07. Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations | 77 | ||||
SECTION 5.08. Use of Proceeds | 77 | ||||
SECTION 5.09. Accuracy of Information | 78 | ||||
SECTION 5.10. Insurance | 78 | ||||
SECTION 5.11. Casualty and Condemnation | 78 | ||||
SECTION 5.12. Depository Banks | 78 | ||||
SECTION 5.13. Subsidiary Guarantors; Additional Collateral; Further Assurances | 78 | ||||
SECTION 5.14. Post-Closing Requirements | 80 | ||||
ARTICLE VI Negative Covenants | 80 | ||||
SECTION 6.01. Indebtedness | 80 | ||||
SECTION 6.02. Liens | 81 | ||||
SECTION 6.03. Fundamental Changes | 83 | ||||
SECTION 6.04. Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions | 83 | ||||
ii
SECTION 6.05. Asset Sales | 84 | ||||
SECTION 6.06. Sale and Leaseback Transactions | 85 | ||||
SECTION 6.07. Swap Agreements | 85 | ||||
SECTION 6.08. Restricted Payments; Payments of Subordinated Indebtedness | 86 | ||||
SECTION 6.09. Transactions with Affiliates | 86 | ||||
SECTION 6.10. Restrictive Agreements | 87 | ||||
SECTION 6.11. Amendment of Material Documents | 87 | ||||
SECTION 6.12. Financial Covenants | 87 | ||||
ARTICLE VII Events of Default | 88 | ||||
ARTICLE VIII The Administrative Agent | 91 | ||||
SECTION 8.01. Authorization and Action | 91 | ||||
SECTION 8.02. Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Etc. | 93 | ||||
SECTION 8.03. Posting of Communications | 94 | ||||
SECTION 8.04. The Administrative Agent Individually | 95 | ||||
SECTION 8.05. Successor Administrative Agent | 96 | ||||
SECTION 8.06. Acknowledgments of Lenders and Issuing Banks | 96 | ||||
SECTION 8.07. Collateral Matters | 98 | ||||
SECTION 8.08. Credit Bidding | 99 | ||||
SECTION 8.09. Certain ERISA Matters | 100 | ||||
SECTION 8.10. Flood Laws | 101 | ||||
ARTICLE IX Miscellaneous | 101 | ||||
SECTION 9.01. Notices | 101 | ||||
SECTION 9.02. Waivers; Amendments | 103 | ||||
SECTION 9.03. Expenses; Limitation of Liability; Indemnity; Etc | 105 | ||||
SECTION 9.04. Successors and Assigns | 107 | ||||
SECTION 9.05. Survival | 110 | ||||
SECTION 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution | 110 | ||||
SECTION 9.07. Severability | 111 | ||||
SECTION 9.08. Right of Setoff | 111 | ||||
SECTION 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process | 112 | ||||
SECTION 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL | 113 | ||||
SECTION 9.11. Headings | 113 | ||||
SECTION 9.12. Confidentiality | 113 | ||||
SECTION 9.13. Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law | 114 | ||||
SECTION 9.14. USA PATRIOT Act | 114 | ||||
SECTION 9.15. Disclosure | 114 | ||||
SECTION 9.16. Appointment for Perfection | 114 | ||||
SECTION 9.17. Interest Rate Limitation | 115 | ||||
SECTION 9.18. No Fiduciary Duty, etc. | 115 | ||||
SECTION 9.19. Marketing Consent | 115 | ||||
SECTION 9.20. Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions | 115 | ||||
SECTION 9.21. Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs | 116 | ||||
iii
ARTICLE X Loan Guaranty | 116 | ||||
SECTION 10.01. Guaranty | 116 | ||||
SECTION 10.02. Guaranty of Payment | 117 | ||||
SECTION 10.03. No Discharge or Diminishment of Loan Guaranty | 117 | ||||
SECTION 10.04. Defenses Waived | 118 | ||||
SECTION 10.05. Rights of Subrogation | 118 | ||||
SECTION 10.06. Reinstatement; Stay of Acceleration | 118 | ||||
SECTION 10.07. Information | 118 | ||||
SECTION 10.08. Release of Loan Guarantors | 118 | ||||
SECTION 10.09. Taxes | 119 | ||||
SECTION 10.10. Maximum Liability | 119 | ||||
SECTION 10.11. Contribution | 119 | ||||
SECTION 10.12. Liability Cumulative | 120 | ||||
SECTION 10.13. Keepwell | 120 | ||||
ARTICLE XI Collection Allocation Mechanism | 120 | ||||
SCHEDULES:
Commitment Schedule
Schedule 3.05 – Properties, etc.
Schedule 3.12 – Material Agreements
Schedule 3.14 – Insurance
Schedule 3.15 – Capitalization and Subsidiaries
Schedule 5.14 – Post-Closing Requirements
Schedule 6.01 – Existing Indebtedness
Schedule 6.02 – Existing Liens
Schedule 6.04 – Existing Investments
Schedule 6.10 – Existing Restrictions
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A – Assignment and Assumption
Exhibit B – [Reserved]
Exhibit C-1 – Borrowing Request
Exhibit C-2 – Interest Election Request
Exhibit D-1 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Lenders That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit D-2 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Participants That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit D-3 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Participants That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit D-4 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Lenders That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit E – Compliance Certificate
Exhibit F – Joinder Agreement
iv
CREDIT AGREEMENT (as it may be amended, restated, supplemented or modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), dated as of August 4, 2022, among CRICUT, INC., as Borrower, the other Loan Parties party hereto, the Lenders party hereto, and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Administrative Agent.
The parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
Definitions
SECTION 1.01. Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
“ABR”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate. All ABR Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.
“Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Security Agreement.
“Account Debtor” means any Person obligated on an Account.
“Acquisition” means any transaction, or any series of related transactions, consummated on or after the Effective Date, by which any Loan Party or Subsidiary (a) acquires any going business or all or substantially all of the assets of any Person, whether through purchase of assets, merger or otherwise or (b) directly or indirectly acquires (in one transaction or as the most recent transaction in a series of transactions) at least a majority (in number of votes) of the Equity Interests of a Person which has ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other similar management personnel of a Person (other than Equity Interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) or a majority of the outstanding Equity Interests of a Person.
“Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of Adjusted Daily Simple RFR.
“Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of Adjusted Daily Simple RFR.
“Adjusted Daily Simple RFR” means, (i) with respect to any RFR Borrowing denominated in Sterling, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the Daily Simple RFR for Pounds Sterling, plus (b) 0.0326% (the “Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate”), and (ii) with respect to any RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the Daily Simple RFR for Dollars, plus (b) 0.10% (“Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR”); provided that if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted AUD Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the AUD Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate; provided that, if the Adjusted AUD Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted CDOR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Canadian Dollars for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the CDOR Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate; provided that, if the Adjusted CDOR Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted NZD Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the NZD Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate; provided that, if the Adjusted NZD Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted Term SOFR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the Term SOFR Rate for such Interest Period, plus (b) 0.10%; provided that if the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Administrative Agent” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (or any of its designated branch offices or affiliates), in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
“Affected Financial Institution” means (a) any EEA Financial Institution or (b) any UK Financial Institution.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the specified Person.
“Agent-Related Person” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.03(d).
“Aggregate Revolving Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate Revolving Exposure of all the Lenders at such time.
“Agreed Currencies” means (i) Dollars and (ii) each Foreign Currency.
“ALTA” means the American Land Title Association.
“Alternate Base Rate” means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the NYFRB Rate in effect on such day plus ½ of 1%, and (c) the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for a one-month Interest Period as published two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such day (or if such day is not a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the immediately preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day) plus 1%; provided that, for the purpose of this definition, the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for any day shall be based on the Term SOFR Reference Rate at approximately 5:00 a.m. Chicago time on such day (or any amended publication time for the Term SOFR Reference Rate, as specified by the CME Term SOFR Administrator in the Term SOFR Reference Rate methodology). Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, respectively. If the Alternate Base Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section 2.14 (for the avoidance of doubt, only until the Benchmark Replacement has been determined pursuant to Section 2.14(b)), then the Alternate Base Rate shall be the greater of clauses (a) and (b) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (c) above. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Alternate Base Rate as determined pursuant to the foregoing would be less than 1.00% per annum, such rate shall be deemed to be 1.00% per annum for purposes of this Agreement.
“Ancillary Document” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.06(b).
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means all laws, rules, and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption,
2
including, without limitation, the UK Bribery Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
“Applicable Parties” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03(c).
“Applicable Percentage” means, at any time with respect to any Lender, a percentage equal to a fraction the numerator of which is such Lender’s Revolving Commitment at such time and the denominator of which is the aggregate Revolving Commitments at such time (provided that, if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon such Lender’s share of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure at such time); provided that, in accordance with Section 2.20, so long as any Lender shall be a Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Commitment shall be disregarded in the calculations above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any reference to “Applicable Percentage” relating to Revolving Loans and LC Exposure denominated in any Foreign Currency or any costs, expenses, fees or other amounts related to any of the foregoing, shall be calculated excluding the Revolving Commitments and Revolving Exposure of the Non-Global Lenders.
“Applicable Rate” means, for any day, with respect to any ABR Loan, Canadian Prime Loan, Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan, or with respect to the commitment fees payable hereunder, as the case may be, the applicable rate per annum set forth below under the caption “ABR and Canadian Prime Spread”, “Term Benchmark and RFR Spread” or “Commitment Fee Rate”, as the case may be, based upon the Borrower’s Leverage Ratio as of the most recent determination date, provided that, until the delivery to the Administrative Agent of the Financial Statements pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) for the first full fiscal quarter ending after the Effective Date, the “Applicable Rate” shall be the applicable rates per annum set forth below in Category 1:
| Leverage Ratio | ABR and Canadian Prime Spread | Term Benchmark and RFR Spread | Commitment Fee Rate | ||||||||
Category 1 < 1.50 to 1.00 | 0.25% | 1.25% | 0.175% | ||||||||
Category 2 ≥ 1.50 to 1.00 but < 2.00 to 1.00 | 0.50% | 1.50% | 0.225% | ||||||||
Category 3 ≥ 2.00 to 1.00 but < 2.50 to 1.00 | 0.75% | 1.75% | 0.275% | ||||||||
Category 4 ≥ 2.50 to 1.00 but < 3.00 to 1.00 | 1.00% | 2.00% | 0.325% | ||||||||
Category 5 ≥ 3.00 to 1.00 | 1.25% | 2.25% | 0.375% | ||||||||
For purposes of the foregoing, (a) the Applicable Rate shall be determined as of the end of each fiscal quarter of the Borrower, based upon the Financial Statements delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) for such fiscal quarter and (b) each change in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Leverage Ratio shall be effective during the period commencing on and including the date of delivery to the Administrative Agent of such Financial Statements indicating such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change, provided that at the option of the Administrative Agent or at the request of the Required Lenders, if the Borrower fails to deliver the annual or quarterly Financial Statements required to be delivered by it pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the Leverage Ratio shall be deemed to be in Category 3 during the period from the expiration of the time for delivery thereof until such consolidated financial statements are delivered.
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If at any time the Administrative Agent determines that the Financial Statements upon which the Applicable Rate was determined were incorrect (whether based on a restatement, fraud or otherwise), or any ratio or compliance information in a Compliance Certificate or other certification was incorrectly calculated, relied on incorrect information or was otherwise not accurate, true or correct, the Borrower shall be required to retroactively pay any additional amount that the Borrower would have been required to pay if such Financial Statements, Compliance Certificate or other information had been accurate and/or computed correctly at the time they were delivered.
“Approved Electronic Platform” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03(a).
“Approved Fund” has the meaning assigned to the term in Section 9.04(b).
“Arranger” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Citibank, N.A., in their capacities as joint bookrunners and joint lead arrangers for the credit facility evidenced by this Agreement.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form (including electronic records generated by the use of an electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.
“AUD Interpolated Rate” means, at any time, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars and for any Interest Period, the rate per annum (rounded to the same number of decimal places as the AUD Screen Rate) determined by the Administrative Agent (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) to be equal to the rate that results from interpolating on a linear basis between: (a) the AUD Screen Rate for the longest period (for which the AUD Screen Rate is available) that is shorter than the Impacted AUD Rate Interest Period; and (b) the AUD Screen Rate for the shortest period (for which the AUD Screen Rate is available) that exceeds the Impacted AUD Rate Interest Period, in each case, at such time; provided that if any AUD Interpolated Rate shall be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“AUD Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars and for any Interest Period, the AUD Screen Rate at approximately 11:00 a.m., Sydney, Australia time, on the first day of such Interest Period; provided that, if the AUD Screen Rate shall not be available at such time for such Interest Period (an “Impacted AUD Rate Interest Period”) with respect to Australian Dollars, then the AUD Rate shall be the AUD Interpolated Rate.
“AUD Screen Rate” means, for any day and time, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars and for any Interest Period, the average bid reference rate administered by ASX Benchmarks Pty Limited (ACN 616 075 417) (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate) for Australian Dollar bills of exchange with a tenor equal in length to such Interest Period as displayed on page BBSY of the Reuters screen (or, in the event such rate does not appear on such Reuters page, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate as shall be selected by the Administrative Agent from time to time in its reasonable discretion); provided that if, the AUD Screen Rate shall be less than the Floor, the AUD Screen Rate shall be deemed to be the Floor for purposes of this Agreement.
“Australian Dollars” means the lawful currency of Australia.
“Availability Period” means the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Revolving Credit Maturity Date and the date of termination of the Revolving Commitments.
“Available Tenor” means, as of any date of determination and with respect to the then-current Benchmark for any Agreed Currency, as applicable, any tenor for such Benchmark (or component thereof) or payment period for interest calculated with reference to such Benchmark (or component thereof), as applicable, that is or may be used for determining the length of an Interest Period for any term rate or otherwise, for determining any frequency of making payments of interest calculated pursuant to
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this Agreement as of such date and not including, for the avoidance of doubt, any tenor for such Benchmark that is then-removed from the definition of “Interest Period” pursuant to Section 2.14(e).
“Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an Affected Financial Institution.
“Bail-In Legislation” means (a) with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law, regulation, rule or requirement for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, Part I of the United Kingdom Banking Act 2009 (as amended from time to time) and any other law, regulation or rule applicable in the United Kingdom relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (other than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).
“Banking Services” means each and any of the following bank services provided to any Loan Party or any Subsidiary by any Lender or any of its Affiliates: (a) credit cards for commercial customers (including, without limitation, “commercial credit cards” and purchasing cards), (b) stored value cards, (c) merchant processing services, and (d) treasury management services (including, without limitation, controlled disbursement, automated clearinghouse transactions, return items, any direct debit scheme or arrangement, overdrafts and interstate depository network services and cash pooling services).
“Banking Services Obligations” means any and all obligations of the Loan Parties or its Subsidiaries, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor) in connection with Banking Services.
“Bankruptcy Code” means Title 11 of the United States Code entitled “Bankruptcy,” as now and hereafter in effect, or any successor thereto, as hereafter amended.
“Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person, when such Person becomes the subject of a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, or has had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with the reorganization or liquidation of its business, appointed for it, or, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, has taken any action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any such proceeding or appointment or has had any order for relief in such proceeding entered in respect thereof, provided that a Bankruptcy Event shall not result solely by virtue of any ownership interest, or the acquisition of any ownership interest, in such Person by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality thereof, unless such ownership interest results in or provides such Person with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the U.S. or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permits such Person (or such Governmental Authority or instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made by such Person.
“Benchmark” means, initially, with respect to any (i) RFR Loan in any Agreed Currency, the applicable Relevant Rate for such Agreed Currency or (ii) Term Benchmark Loan in any Agreed Currency, the Relevant Rate for such Agreed Currency; provided that if a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred with respect to the applicable Relevant Rate or the then-current Benchmark for such Agreed Currency, then “Benchmark” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement to the extent that such Benchmark Replacement has replaced such prior benchmark rate pursuant to Section 2.14(b).
“Benchmark Replacement” means, for any Available Tenor, the first alternative set forth in the order below that can be determined by the Administrative Agent for the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date; provided that, in the case of any Loan denominated in an Agreed Currency other than Dollars, “Benchmark Replacement” shall mean the alternative set forth in (2) below:
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(1) (a) Daily Simple SOFR and (b) the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment; or
(2) the sum of: (a) the alternate benchmark rate that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower as the replacement for the then-current Benchmark for the applicable Corresponding Tenor giving due consideration to (i) any selection or recommendation of a replacement benchmark rate or the mechanism for determining such a rate by the Relevant Governmental Body or (ii) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a benchmark rate as a replacement for the then-current Benchmark for syndicated credit facilities denominated in the applicable Agreed Currency at such time in the United States at such time and (b) the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
If the Benchmark Replacement as determined pursuant to clause (1) or (2) above would be less than the Floor, the Benchmark Replacement will be deemed to be the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
“Benchmark Replacement Adjustment” means, with respect to any replacement of the then-current Benchmark with an Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for any applicable Interest Period and Available Tenor for any setting of such Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement, the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower for the applicable Corresponding Tenor giving due consideration to (i) any selection or recommendation of a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement by the Relevant Governmental Body on the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date and/or (ii) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for syndicated credit facilities denominated in the applicable Agreed Currency at such time.
“Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes” means, with respect to any Benchmark Replacement and/or any Term Benchmark Loan denominated in Dollars, any technical, administrative or operational changes (including changes to the definition of “Alternate Base Rate,” the definition of “Business Day,” the definition of “U.S. Government Securities Business Day,” the definition of “Interest Period,” timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices, length of lookback periods, the applicability of breakage provisions, and other technical, administrative or operational matters) that the Administrative Agent decides may be appropriate to reflect the adoption and implementation of such Benchmark and to permit the administration thereof by the Administrative Agent in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Administrative Agent decides that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or if the Administrative Agent determines that no market practice for the administration of such Benchmark exists, in such other manner of administration as the Administrative Agent decides is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents).
“Benchmark Replacement Date” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the earliest to occur of the following events with respect to such then-current Benchmark:
(1) in the case of clause (1) or (2) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the later of (a) the date of the public statement or publication of information referenced therein and (b) the date on which the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) permanently or indefinitely ceases to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(2) in the case of clause (3) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the first date on which such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) has been determined and announced by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) to be no longer representative; provided that such non-representativeness will be determined by reference to the most recent statement or publication
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referenced in such clause (3) and even if any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) continues to be provided on such date.
For the avoidance of doubt, (i) if the event giving rise to the Benchmark Replacement Date occurs on the same day as, but earlier than, the Reference Time in respect of any determination, the Benchmark Replacement Date will be deemed to have occurred prior to the Reference Time for such determination and (ii) the “Benchmark Replacement Date” will be deemed to have occurred in the case of clauses (1) or (2) above with respect to any Benchmark upon the occurrence of the applicable event or events set forth therein with respect to all then-current Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Transition Event” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the occurrence of one or more of the following events with respect to such then-current Benchmark:
(1) a public statement or publication of information by or on behalf of the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that such administrator has ceased or will cease to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof), permanently or indefinitely, provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof);
(2) a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof), the Federal Reserve Board, the NYFRB, the CME Term SOFR Administrator, the central bank for the Agreed Currency applicable to such Benchmark, an insolvency official with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), a resolution authority with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component) or a court or an entity with similar insolvency or resolution authority over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), in each case, which states that the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component) has ceased or will cease to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) permanently or indefinitely, provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(3) a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) are no longer, or as of a specified future date will no longer be, representative.
For the avoidance of doubt, a “Benchmark Transition Event” will be deemed to have occurred with respect to any Benchmark if a public statement or publication of information set forth above has occurred with respect to each then-current Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Unavailability Period” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the period (if any) (x) beginning at the time that a Benchmark Replacement Date pursuant to clauses (1) or (2) of that definition has occurred if, at such time, no Benchmark Replacement has replaced such then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.14 and (y) ending at the time that a Benchmark Replacement has replaced such then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.14.
“Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership or control as required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
“Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.
“Benefit Plan” means any of (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a “plan” as defined in and subject to Section 4975 of the
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Code to which Section 4975 of the Code applies, and (c) any Person whose assets include (for purposes of the Plan Asset Regulations or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan”.
“BHC Act Affiliate” of a party means an “affiliate” (as such term is defined under, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 1841(k)) of such party.
“Borrower” means Cricut, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“Borrowing” means (a) Revolving Loans of the same Type and Agreed Currency, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of Term Benchmark Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect or (b) a Swingline Loan.
“Borrowing Request” means a request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03, which shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C-1 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Burdensome Restrictions” means any consensual encumbrance or restriction of the type described in clause (a) or (b) of Section 6.10.
“Business Day” means, any day (other than a Saturday or a Sunday) on which banks are open for business in New York City or Chicago; provided that, in addition to the foregoing, a Business Day shall be (a) in relation to RFR Loans and any interest rate settings, fundings, disbursements, settlements or payments of any such RFR Loan, or any other dealings in the applicable Agreed Currency of such RFR Loan, any such day that is also a RFR Business Day and (b) in relation to Loans referencing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate and any interest rate settings, fundings, disbursements, settlements or payments of any such Loans referencing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate or any other dealings of such Loans referencing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, any such day that is a U.S. Government Securities Business Day and (c) in relation to Loans denominated in any other Agreed Currency or any interest rate settings, fundings, disbursements, settlements or payments of any such Loan, such day is a day on which dealings in the applicable Agreed Currency are carried on in the principal financial center of such Agreed Currency.
“CAM” means the mechanism for the allocation and exchange of interests in the Designated Obligations and collections thereunder established under Article XI.
“CAM Exchange” means the exchange of the Revolving Lenders’ interests provided for in Article XI.
“CAM Exchange Date” means the first date on which there shall occur (a) any event referred to in clauses (h) or (i) of Section 7.01 with respect to any Borrower or (b) an acceleration of Revolving Loans pursuant to Article VII.
“CAM Percentage” means, as to each Revolving Lender, a fraction, expressed as a decimal, of which (a) the numerator shall be the aggregate Dollar Amount (determined on the basis of Exchange Rates prevailing on the CAM Exchange Date) of the Designated Obligations owed to such Revolving Lender (whether or not at the time due and payable) on the date immediately prior to the CAM Exchange Date and (b) the denominator shall be the Dollar Amount (as so determined) of the Designated Obligations owed to all the Revolving Lenders (whether or not at the time due and payable) on the date immediately prior to the CAM Exchange Date.
“Canadian Dollars” means the lawful currency of Canada.
“Canadian Prime” when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Canadian Prime Rate.
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“Canadian Prime Rate” means, on any day, a rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be the higher of (a) the rate equal to the PRIMCAN Index rate that appears on the Bloomberg screen at 10:15 a.m. Toronto, Ontario time on such day (or, in the event that the PRIMCAN Index is not published by Bloomberg, any other information service that publishes such index from time to time, as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion), and (b) the CDOR Rate for a one month Interest Period at approximately 10:15 a.m., Toronto, Ontario time on such day (and, if such day is not a Business Day, then on the immediately preceding Business Day (as adjusted by Administrative Agent after 10:15 a.m. Toronto, Ontario time to reflect any error in the posted rate of interest or in the posted average annual rate of interest)), rounded to the nearest 1/100th of 1% (with .005% being rounded up), plus 1% per annum; provided, that if any the above rates shall be less than 1% per annum, such rate shall be deemed to be 1% per annum for purposes of this Agreement. Any change in the Canadian Prime Rate due to a change in the PRIMCAN Index or the CDOR Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the PRIMCAN Index or CDOR Rate, respectively. If the Canadian Prime Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section 2.14 (for the avoidance of doubt, only until the applicable Benchmark Replacement has been determined pursuant to Section 2.14(b)), then the Canadian Prime Rate shall be determined solely by reference to clause (a) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (b) above.
“Capital Lease Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as capital lease obligations or finance lease obligations on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.
“CBR Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate determined by reference to the Central Bank Rate.
“CBR Spread” means, with respect to a CBR Loan, the Applicable Rate applicable to the Loan that was replaced such CBR Loan pursuant to Section 2.08(e).
“CDOR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Canadian Dollars and for any Interest Period, the CDOR Screen Rate at approximately 10:15 a.m., Toronto, Ontario time, on the first day of such Interest Period (and, if such day is not a Business Day, then on the immediately preceding Business Day (as adjusted by Administrative Agent after 10:15 a.m. Toronto, Ontario time to reflect any error in the posted rate of interest or in the posted average annual rate of interest)), rounded to the nearest 1/100th of 1% (with .005% being rounded up).
“CDOR Screen Rate” means, for any day and time, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Canadian Dollars and for any Interest Period, the annual rate of interest equal to the average rate applicable to Canadian Dollar Canadian bankers’ acceptances for the applicable Interest Period that appears on such day and time on the “Reuters Screen CDOR Page” as defined in the International Swap Dealer Association, Inc. definitions, as modified and amended from time to time (or, in the event such rate does not appear on such page or screen, on any successor or substitute page or screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate from time to time, as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion); provided that, if the CDOR Screen Rate shall be less than the Floor, the CDOR Screen Rate shall be deemed to be the Floor for purposes of this Agreement.
“Central Bank Rate” means, the greater of (I)(A) for any Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, the Bank of England (or any successor thereto)’s “Bank Rate” as published by the Bank of England (or any successor thereto) from time to time, (b) Canadian Dollars, the Canadian Prime Rate and (c) any other Foreign Currency determined after the Effective Date, a central bank rate as determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion plus (B) the applicable Central Bank Rate Adjustment and (II) the Floor.
“Central Bank Rate Adjustment” means for any day, for any Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, a rate equal to the difference (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) of (i) the
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average of Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Pounds Sterling Borrowings for the five most recent RFR Business Days preceding such day for which Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Pounds Sterling Borrowings was available (excluding, from such averaging, the highest and the lowest such Adjusted Daily Simple RFR applicable during such period of five RFR Business Days) minus (ii) the Central Bank Rate in respect of Pounds Sterling in effect on the last RFR Business Day in such period, and (b) any other Foreign Currency determined after the Effective Date, a Central Bank Rate Adjustment as determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion. For purposes of this definition, the term Central Bank Rate shall be determined disregarding clause (B) of the definition of such term.
“Change in Control” means (a) the acquisition of ownership, directly or indirectly, beneficially or of record, by any Person or group (within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules of the SEC thereunder as in effect on the date hereof), other than Permitted Holders, of Equity Interests representing more than 35% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of the Borrower; (b) occupation at any time of a majority of the seats (other than vacant seats) on the board of directors of the Borrower by Persons who were not (i) directors of the Borrower on the date of this Agreement or nominated or appointed by the board of directors of the Borrower or (ii) appointed by directors so nominated or appointed; or (c) the occurrence of a change in control, or other similar event, as defined in any agreement or instrument evidencing any Material Indebtedness of a Loan Party (triggering a default or mandatory prepayment, which default or mandatory prepayment has not been waived in writing).
“Change in Law” means the occurrence after the date of this Agreement (or, with respect to any Lender, such later date on which such Lender become a party to this Agreement) of any of the following: (a) the adoption of or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) compliance by any Lender or the Issuing Bank (or, for purposes of Section 2.15(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any) with any request, rules, guideline, requirement or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or issued after the date of this Agreement; provided that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith or in the implementation thereof, and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements and directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the U.S. or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.
“Charges” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.17.
“Chase” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, in its individual capacity, and its successors.
“Class”, when used in reference to (a) any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Revolving Loans or Swingline Loans, (b) any Revolving Lender, refers to whether such Revolving Lender is a Global Lender or Non-Global Lender and (c) any Revolving Commitment, refers to whether such Revolving Commitment is a Global Revolving Commitment or a Non-Global Revolving Commitment.
“CME Term SOFR Administrator” means CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited as administrator of the forward-looking term SOFR (or a successor administrator).
“Co-Documentation Agent” means each of KeyBank N.A. and PNC Bank, National Association, in its capacity as co-documentation agent for the credit facility evidenced by this Agreement.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
“Collateral” means any and all property owned, leased or operated by a Person covered by the Collateral Documents and any and all other property of any Loan Party, now existing or hereafter
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acquired, that may at any time be, become or be intended to be, subject to a security interest or Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, on behalf of itself and the other Secured Parties, to secure the Secured Obligations.
“Collateral Access Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Security Agreement.
“Collateral Documents” means, collectively, the Security Agreement, the Mortgages and Mortgage Instruments and all other agreements, instruments and documents executed or delivered by any Loan Party in connection with this Agreement that are intended to create or perfect Liens to secure the Secured Obligations, including, without limitation, all other security agreements, pledge agreements, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan agreements, notes, guarantees, subordination agreements, pledges, powers of attorney, consents, assignments, contracts, fee letters, notices, leases, financing statements and all other written matter whether heretofore, now or hereafter executed by any Loan Party and delivered to the Administrative Agent.
“Commitment Schedule” means the Schedule attached hereto identified as such.
“Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.
“Communications” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(c).
“Compliance Certificate” means a certificate of a Financial Officer in substantially the form of Exhibit E.
“Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.
“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for any period, Consolidated Net Income for such period plus (a) without duplication and to the extent deducted in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period, the sum of (i) Consolidated Interest Expense for such period, (ii) tax expense based on income, profits or capital, including federal, foreign, state, franchise and similar taxes (and for the avoidance of doubt, specifically excluding any sales taxes or any other taxes held in trust for a Governmental Authority) for such period net of tax refunds for such taxes for such period, (iii) all amounts attributable to depreciation and amortization expense for such period, (iv) (A) any extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring non-cash charges, expenses or losses for such period (but excluding any non-cash charge in respect of an item that was included in Consolidated Net Income in a prior period) and (B) any extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring cash charges for such period, in each case of this clause (iv) (“Specified Cash Charges”), (v) all proceeds of business interruption insurance to the extent not already included in Consolidated Net Income and actually received during such period, (vi) documented expenses, charges and fees in connection with any of the following which are attempted, whether or not consummated: (A) any Permitted Acquisition and any related debt or equity offering undertaken in connection therewith, (B) the issuance of Equity Interests, (C) any Investments not prohibited under the Loan Documents, (D) the incurrence, refinancing, amendment or modification of any Indebtedness (including the Secured Obligations); provided that amounts added back pursuant to this clause (vi) shall be limited to $10,000,000 for any transaction (or series of related transactions) that is not consummated, (vii) unrealized losses (net of gains) on financial derivatives, (viii) any write-off or amortization made in such period of deferred financing costs or any write-downs of intangible assets or intangible asset value carried on the balance sheet of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, (ix) foreign currency translation losses (net of foreign currency translation gains), (x) any restructuring charges incurred during such period (collectively, “Restructuring Charges”), (xi) non-cash compensation expenses, including as a result of any grant of equity or options to employees, officers, directors or contractors, and (xii) the amount of any expected “run rate” cost savings and cost synergies (collectively, “Expected Cost Savings”) (net of actual amounts realized) that are reasonably identifiable, factually supportable and projected in the good faith determination of the Borrower related to any acquisition, disposition, restructuring or cost savings initiative, and reasonably anticipated to result from such actions; provided that (A) such Expected Cost Savings are expected by the Borrower in good faith to be realized within 12 months of the consummation of the event giving rise thereto as a result of specified actions taken or committed to be taken and (B) the
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aggregate amount of any Specified Cash Charges, Restructuring Charges and Expected Cost Savings shall not exceed 15% of Consolidated EBITDA for the relevant period (calculated prior to giving effect to such Specified Cash Charges, Restructuring Charges and Expected Cost Savings); minus (b) without duplication and to the extent included in Consolidated Net Income, any extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring gains or other items of income for such period, all calculated for the Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“Consolidated Interest Expense” means, for any period, total interest expense (including that attributable to Capital Lease Obligations) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period with respect to all outstanding Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (including all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances and net costs under Swap Agreements in respect of interest rates, to the extent such net costs are allocable to such period in accordance with GAAP), calculated for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for such period in accordance with GAAP.
“Consolidated Net Income” means, for any period, the consolidated net income (or loss) determined for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; provided that there shall be excluded the income (or deficit) of any Person (other than a Subsidiary) in which the Borrower or any Subsidiary has an ownership interest, except to the extent that any such income is actually received by the Borrower or such Subsidiary in the form of dividends or similar distributions.
“Consolidated Total Assets” means, at any date, total assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries calculated in accordance with GAAP on a consolidated basis as of such date.
“Consolidated Total Indebtedness” means, at any date, the aggregate principal amount of total Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, determined for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis at such date, in accordance with GAAP.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.
“Corresponding Tenor” with respect to any Available Tenor means, as applicable, either a tenor (including overnight) or an interest payment period having approximately the same length (disregarding business day adjustment) as such Available Tenor.
“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).
“Covered Party” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“Credit Event” means a Borrowing, the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of a Letter of Credit, an LC Disbursement or any of the foregoing.
“Credit Party” means the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender or any other Lender.
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“Daily Simple RFR” means, for any day (an “RFR Interest Day”), an interest rate per annum equal to, for any RFR Loan denominated in (i) Pounds Sterling, SONIA for the day that is 5 RFR Business Days prior to (A) if such RFR Interest Day is an RFR Business Day, such RFR Interest Day or (B) if such RFR Interest Day is not an RFR Business Day, the RFR Business Day immediately preceding such RFR Interest Day, and (ii) Dollars, Daily Simple SOFR (following a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate).
“Daily Simple SOFR” means, for any day (a “SOFR Rate Day”), a rate per annum equal to SOFR for the day (such day “SOFR Determination Date”) that is five (5) RFR Business Days prior to (i) if such SOFR Rate Day is an RFR Business Day, such SOFR Rate Day or (ii) if such SOFR Rate Day is not an RFR Business Day, the RFR Business Day immediately preceding such SOFR Rate Day, in each case, as such SOFR is published by the SOFR Administrator on the SOFR Administrator’s Website. Any change in Daily Simple SOFR due to a change in SOFR shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in SOFR without notice to the Borrower.
“Daily Simple SONIA” means, for any day, SONIA, with the conventions for this rate (which may include a lookback) being established by the Administrative Agent in accordance with the conventions for this rate selected or recommended by the Relevant Governmental Body for determining “Daily Simple SONIA” for business loans or conventions that are otherwise used in the United States syndicated lending market for syndicated loans denominated in Pounds Sterling; provided that, if the Administrative Agent decides that any such convention is not administratively feasible for the Administrative Agent, then the Administrative Agent may establish another convention in its reasonable discretion.
“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“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.
“Defaulting Lender” means any Lender that (a) has failed, within two Business Days of the date required to be funded or paid, to (i) fund any portion of its Loans, (ii) fund any portion of its participations in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans or (iii) pay over to any Credit Party any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder, unless, in the case of clause (i) above, such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) has not been satisfied, (b) has notified the Borrower or any Credit Party in writing, or has made a public statement to the effect, that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations under this Agreement (unless such writing or public statement indicates that such position is based on such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) to funding a Loan under this Agreement cannot be satisfied) or generally under other agreements in which it commits to extend credit, (c) has failed, within three (3) Business Days after request by a Credit Party, acting in good faith, to provide a certification in writing from an authorized officer of such Lender that it will comply with its obligations (and is financially able to meet such obligations as of the date of certification) to fund prospective Loans and participations in then outstanding Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans under this Agreement, provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon such Credit Party’s receipt of such certification in form and substance satisfactory to it and the Administrative Agent, or (d) has become the subject of (i) a Bankruptcy Event or (ii) a Bail-In Action.
“Designated Obligations” means all obligations of the Borrower with respect to (a) principal of and interest on the Revolving Loans, (b) principal of and interest on the Swingline Loans, (c) unreimbursed LC Disbursements and interest thereon and (d) all commitment fees and Letter of Credit participation fees.
“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (in one transaction or in a series of transactions and whether effected pursuant to a division or otherwise) of any property by any Person (including any Sale and Leaseback Transaction and any issuance of Equity
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Interests by a Subsidiary of such Person), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.
“Dollar Amount” means, for any amount, at the time of determination thereof, (a) if such amount is expressed in Dollars, such amount, (b) if such amount is expressed in a Foreign Currency, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars determined by using the rate of exchange for the purchase of Dollars with the Foreign Currency last provided (either by publication or otherwise provided to the Administrative Agent) by Reuters on the Business Day (New York City time) immediately preceding the date of determination or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide a rate of exchange for the purchase of Dollars with the Foreign Currency, as provided by such other publicly available information service which provides that rate of exchange at such time in place of Reuters chosen by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion (or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide such rate of exchange, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion) and (c) if such amount is denominated in any other currency, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
“Dollars”, “dollars” or “$” refers to lawful money of the U.S.
“Domestic Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary organized under the laws of a jurisdiction located in the United States of America.
“ECP” means an “eligible contract participant” as defined in Section 1(a)(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and the applicable rules issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or the SEC.
“EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.
“EEA Member Country” means any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any Person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.
“Effective Date” means the date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).
“Electronic Signature” means an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to, or associated with, a contract or other record and adopted by a Person with the intent to sign, authenticate or accept such contract or record.
“Electronic System” means any electronic system, including e-mail, e-fax, web portal access for the Borrower and any other Internet or extranet-based site, whether such electronic system is owned, operated or hosted by the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank and any of its respective Related Parties or any other Person, providing for access to data protected by passcodes or other security system.
“Environmental Laws” means all laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental Authority, relating in any way to (a) the environment, (b) preservation or reclamation of natural resources, (c) the management, Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Material or (d) health and safety matters.
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“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower or any Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) any violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) any exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
“Equity Interests” means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any of the foregoing, but excluding any debt securities convertible into any of the foregoing.
“Equivalent Amount” means, for any amount of any Foreign Currency, at the time of determination thereof, (a) if such amount is expressed in such Foreign Currency, such amount and (b) if such amount is expressed in Dollars, the equivalent of such amount in such Foreign Currency determined by using the rate of exchange for the purchase of such Foreign Currency with Dollars last provided (either by publication or otherwise provided to the Administrative Agent) by the applicable Reuters source on the Business Day (New York City time) immediately preceding the date of determination or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide a rate of exchange for the purchase of such Foreign Currency with Dollars, as provided by such other publicly available information service which provides that rate of exchange at such time in place of Reuters chosen by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion (or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide such rate of exchange, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion).
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with the Borrower, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or Section 4001(14) of ERISA or, solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code.
“ERISA Event” means (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder, with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30 day notice period is waived); (b) the failure to satisfy the “minimum funding standard” (as defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not waived; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (e) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (f) the incurrence by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in critical status, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor Person), as in effect from time to time.
“Eurocurrency Payment Office” of the Administrative Agent means, for each Foreign Currency, the office, branch, affiliate or correspondent bank of the Administrative Agent for such currency as specified from time to time by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower and each Lender.
“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article VII.
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“Exchange Rate” means, for any Foreign Currency, the rate of exchange therefor as described in clause (b) of the definition of “Dollar Amount”.
“Excluded Property” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Security Agreement.
“Excluded Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Guarantor, any Swap Obligation if, and to the extent that, all or a portion of the Guarantee of such Loan Guarantor of, or the grant by such Loan Guarantor of a security interest to secure, such Swap Obligation (or any Guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) by virtue of such Loan Guarantor’s failure for any reason to constitute an ECP at the time the Guarantee of such Loan Guarantor or the grant of such security interest becomes or would become effective with respect to such Swap Obligation. If a Swap Obligation arises under a master agreement governing more than one swap, such exclusion shall apply only to the portion of such Swap Obligation that is attributable to swaps for which such Guarantee or security interest is or becomes illegal.
“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient: (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its applicable lending office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan, Letter of Credit or Revolving Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan, Letter of Credit or Revolving Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 2.19(b)) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 2.17, amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender acquired the applicable interest in a Loan, Letter of Credit or Revolving Commitment or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 2.17(f) and (d) any withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.
“Factoring Assets” means (a) Accounts that are sold, transferred or disposed of in a Permitted Factoring Transaction, (b) collections and proceeds of Accounts referred to in the previous clause (a), (c) lockboxes, lockbox accounts, collection accounts or other deposit accounts substantially all of the deposits of which consist of such collections and proceeds referred to in the previous clause (b) and which have been identified and consented to by the Administrative Agent and (d) rights and payments which relate solely to the Accounts referred to in the previous clause (a).
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code and any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement, treaty or convention among Governmental Authorities and implementing such Sections of the Code.
“Federal Funds Effective Rate” means, for any day, the rate calculated by the NYFRB based on such day’s federal funds transactions by depositary institutions, as determined in such manner as shall be set forth on the NYFRB’s Website from time to time, and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as the effective federal funds rate; provided that, if the Federal Funds Effective Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Federal Reserve Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America.
“Financial Officer” means the chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower.
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“Financial Statements” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.01.
“Flood Laws” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.10.
“Floor” means the benchmark rate floor, if any, provided in this Agreement initially (as of the execution of this Agreement, the modification, amendment or renewal of this Agreement or otherwise) with respect to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR, Adjusted AUD Rate, AUD Rate, AUD Interpolated Rate, Adjusted NZD Rate, NZD Rate, NZD Interpolated Rate, Adjusted CDOR Rate, CDOR Rate, the Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate, Daily Simple SONIA or the Central Bank Rate. For the avoidance of doubt, the Floor as of the Effective Date with respect to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR, Adjusted AUD Rate, AUD Rate, AUD Interpolated Rate, Adjusted NZD Rate, NZD Rate, NZD Interpolated Rate, Adjusted CDOR Rate, CDOR Rate, the Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate, Daily Simple SONIA and the Central Bank Rate shall be zero.
“Foreign Currency” means (i) Australian Dollars, (ii) New Zealand Dollars, (iii) Canadian Dollars, (iv) Pounds Sterling and (v) any additional currencies determined after the Effective Date by mutual agreement of the Borrower, each Global Lender, the Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (or, solely in the case of any Letter of Credit, solely by mutual agreement of the Borrower, the Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent); provided that each such currency is a lawful currency that is readily available, freely transferable and not restricted and able to be converted into Dollars.
“Foreign Currency Exposure” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.11(b).
“Foreign Currency Sublimit” means an amount equal to the lesser of (a) $30,000,000 and (b) the total amount of the Global Revolving Commitments. The Foreign Currency Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Global Revolving Commitments and Revolving Commitments hereunder.
“Foreign Lender” means (a) if the Borrower is a U.S. Person, a Lender that is not a U.S. Person, and (b) if the Borrower is not a U.S. Person, a Lender that is resident or organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes.
“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary which is not a Domestic Subsidiary.
“Funding Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.01(h).
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
“Global Lender” means, as of any date of determination, a Lender with a Global Revolving Commitment or, if the Global Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Revolving Exposure in respect of such Class or otherwise denominated in any Foreign Currency.
“Global Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, of such Lender to make Revolving Loans denominated in Foreign Currencies and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit denominated in Foreign Currencies and participations in Swingline Loans hereunder, expressed as an amount representing the maximum aggregate permitted amount of such Lender’s Revolving Exposure hereunder, as such commitment (a) may be reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to (i) Section 2.09 and (ii) assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04, or (b) may be assumed pursuant to Section 1.11. The initial amount of each Lender’s Global Revolving Commitment is set forth opposite such Lender’s name as its “Global Revolving Commitment” on the Commitment Schedule, or in the Assignment and Assumption or other documentation or record (as such term is defined in Section 9-102(a)(70) of the UCC) as provided in Section 1.11 or Section 9.04 pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Global Revolving Commitment, as applicable.
“Governmental Authority” means the government of the U.S., any other nation or any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government.
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“Guarantee” of or by any Person (the “guarantor”) means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect, (a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of credit or letter of guaranty issued to support such Indebtedness or obligation; provided that the term Guarantee shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business. The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof.
“Guaranteed Obligations” means (i) with respect to the Borrower, the Specified Ancillary Obligations and (ii) with respect to any Subsidiary Guarantor, the Secured Obligations, and, in each case, all costs and expenses including, without limitation, all court costs and reasonable attorneys’ and paralegals’ fees (including allocated costs of in-house counsel and paralegals) and expenses paid or incurred by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders in endeavoring to collect all or any part of the Secured Obligations from, or in prosecuting any action against, the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor or any other guarantor of all or any part of the Secured Obligations; provided that, in each case, the definition of “Guaranteed Obligations” shall not create any guarantee by any Loan Guarantor of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Guarantor to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Guarantor for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Guarantor.
“Hazardous Materials” means: (a) any substance, material, or waste that is included within the definitions of “hazardous substances,” “hazardous materials,” “hazardous waste,” “toxic substances,” “toxic materials,” “toxic waste,” or words of similar import in any Environmental Law; (b) those substances listed as hazardous substances by the United States Department of Transportation (or any successor agency) (49 C.F.R. 172.101 and amendments thereto) or by the Environmental Protection Agency (or any successor agency) (40 C.F.R. Part 302 and amendments thereto); and (c) any substance, material, or waste that is petroleum, petroleum-related, or a petroleum by-product, asbestos or asbestos-containing material, polychlorinated biphenyls, flammable, explosive, radioactive, freon gas, radon, or a pesticide, herbicide, or any other agricultural chemical.
“Hostile Acquisition” means (a) the acquisition of the Equity Interests of a Person through a tender offer or similar solicitation of the owners of such Equity Interests which has not been approved (prior to such acquisition) by the board of directors (or any other applicable governing body) of such Person or by similar action if such Person is not a corporation and (b) any such acquisition as to which such approval has been withdrawn.
“Impacted AUD Rate Interest Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of “AUD Rate.”
“Impacted NZD Rate Interest Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of “NZD Rate.”
“Incremental Facility Amendment” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.09.
“Incremental Term Loan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.09.
“Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) [reserved], (d) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person, (e) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding current accounts payable
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incurred in the ordinary course of business), (f) all Indebtedness of others secured by any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the Indebtedness secured thereby has been assumed (which for all purposes of this Agreement shall be valued at the lesser of (x) the principal amount of the obligations secured and (y) the fair market value of the encumbered property), (g) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (h) all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (i) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty, (j) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of bankers’ acceptances, (k) obligations under any earn-out (which for all purposes of this Agreement shall be valued at the maximum potential amount payable with respect to each such earn-out), (l) any other Off-Balance Sheet Liability and (m) obligations, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor), under (i) any and all Swap Agreements, and (ii) any and all cancellations, buy backs, reversals, terminations or assignments of any Swap Agreement transaction (which for all purposes of this Agreement shall be valued at the Swap Termination Value). The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness provide that such Person is not liable therefor.
“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in the foregoing clause (a), Other Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(c).
“Ineligible Institution” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Information” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.12.
“Intercompany Subordination Agreement” means that certain Intercompany Subordination Agreement dated as of the date hereof, entered into among the Loan Parties and Subsidiaries listed on the signature pages thereof or that execute joinders thereto after the Effective Date, in favor of the Administrative Agent.
“Information Memorandum” means the Confidential Information Memorandum dated July 2022 relating to the Borrower and the Transactions.
“Interest Coverage Ratio” means, for any period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for such period to (b) cash Consolidated Interest Expense for such period.
“Interest Election Request” means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.08, which shall be substantially in the form attached as Exhibit C-2 hereto or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Interest Payment Date” means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan (other than a Swingline Loan) or any CBR Loan, the first day of each calendar quarter and the Revolving Credit Maturity Date, (b) with respect to any Term Benchmark Loan, the last day of the Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three months’ duration after the first day of such Interest Period and the Revolving Credit Maturity Date, (c) with respect to any RFR Loan, (1) each date that is on the numerically corresponding day in each calendar month that is one month after the Borrowing of such Loan (or, if there is no such numerically corresponding day in such month, then the last day of such month) and (2) the Revolving Credit Maturity Date, and (d) with respect to any Swingline Loan, the day that such Loan is required to be repaid and the Revolving Credit Maturity Date.
“Interest Period” means with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing, the period commencing on the date of such Borrowing and ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month
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that is one, three or six months (or, solely in the case of any Borrowing bearing interest at the Adjusted CDOR Rate, two months) thereafter (in each case, subject to the availability for the Benchmark applicable to the relevant Loan or Revolving Commitment for any Agreed Currency), as the Borrower may elect; provided that (a) if any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day, (b) any Interest Period that commences on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period, and (c) no tenor that has been removed from this definition pursuant to Section 2.14(e) shall be available for specification in such Borrowing Request or Interest Election Request. For purposes hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such Borrowing is made and thereafter, in the case of any Borrowing other than a Swingline Loan, shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Borrowing.
“Inventory” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Security Agreement.
“investment” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.04.
“Interpolated Rate” means, with respect to (a) any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars, the AUD Interpolated Rate, and (b) any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars, the NZD Interpolated Rate.
“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
“Issuing Bank” means, individually and collectively, each of Chase, in its capacity as the issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, and any other Lender from time to time designated by the Borrower as an Issuing Bank, with the consent of such Lender and the Administrative Agent, and their respective successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.06(i). Any Issuing Bank may, in its discretion, arrange for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued by its Affiliates, in which case the term “Issuing Bank” shall include any such Affiliate with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate (it being agreed that such Issuing Bank shall, or shall cause such Affiliate to, comply with the requirements of Section 2.06 with respect to such Letters of Credit). At any time there is more than one Issuing Bank, all singular references to the Issuing Bank shall mean any Issuing Bank, either Issuing Bank, each Issuing Bank, the Issuing Bank that has issued the applicable Letter of Credit, or both (or all) Issuing Banks, as the context may require.
“Issuing Bank Sublimit” means, as of the Effective Date, (i) $20,000,000 (or up to $35,000,000, in Chase’s sole discretion), in the case of Chase and (ii) in the case of any other Issuing Bank, such amount as shall be designated to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing by such Issuing Bank; provided that (a) any Issuing Bank (other than Chase) shall be permitted at any time to increase or reduce its Issuing Bank Sublimit upon providing five (5) days’ prior written notice thereof to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, (b) no reduction shall affect any outstanding Letter of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank and (c) the aggregate Issuing Bank Sublimit of all the Issuing Banks shall not exceed the “Overall LC Sublimit”.
“Joinder Agreement” means a Joinder Agreement in substantially the form of Exhibit F.
“LC Collateral Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(j).
“LC Disbursement” means any payment made by an Issuing Bank pursuant to a Letter of Credit.
“LC Exposure” means at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time plus (b) the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Percentage of the aggregate LC Exposure at such time.
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“Lender” means, as of any date of determination, a Person listed on the Commitment Schedule (or, if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Person holding Revolving Exposure), and any other Person that shall have become a Lender hereunder pursuant to Section 2.09 or an Assignment and Assumption or other documentation contemplated hereby, other than any such Person that ceases to be a Lender hereunder pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption or other documentation contemplated hereby. Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “Lenders” includes the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank.
“Lender-Related Person” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(b).
“Letter of Credit Agreement” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 2.06(b).
“Letters of Credit” means the letters of credit issued pursuant to this Agreement, and the term “Letter of Credit” means any one of them or each of them singularly, as the context may require.
“Leverage Ratio” means, on any date, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Total Indebtedness on such date to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ended on or most recently prior to such date.
“Liabilities” means any losses, claims (including intraparty claims), demands, damages or liabilities of any kind.
“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset and (c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or similar right of a third party with respect to such securities.
“Loan Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement, each promissory note issued pursuant to this Agreement, each Letter of Credit Agreement, each Collateral Document, each Compliance Certificate, the Loan Guaranty, the Intercompany Subordination Agreement and each other agreement, fee letter, instrument, document and certificate executed by or on behalf of any Loan Party and delivered to, or in favor of, the Administrative Agent or any Lender and including each other pledge, power of attorney, consent, assignment, contract, notice, letter of credit agreement, letter of credit applications and any agreements between the Borrower and the Issuing Bank regarding the Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit or the respective rights and obligations between the Borrower and the Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance of Letters of Credit, and each other written matter whether heretofore, now or hereafter executed by or on behalf of any Loan Party, or any employee of any Loan Party, and delivered to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Any reference in this Agreement or any other Loan Document to a Loan Document shall include all appendices, exhibits or schedules thereto, and all amendments, restatements, supplements or other modifications thereto, and shall refer to this Agreement or such Loan Document as the same may be in effect at any and all times such reference becomes operative.
“Loan Guarantor” means each Loan Party.
“Loan Guaranty” means Article X of this Agreement.
“Loan Parties” means, collectively, the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors and their successors and assigns, and the term “Loan Party” shall mean any one of them or all of them individually, as the context may require.
“Loans” means the loans and advances made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement, including Swingline Loans.
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“Margin Stock” means margin stock within the meaning of Regulations T, U and X, as applicable.
“Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on (a) the business, assets, operations or condition, financial or otherwise, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) the ability of any Loan Party to perform any of its Obligations, (c) the Collateral, or the Administrative Agent’s Liens (on behalf of itself and the other Secured Parties) on the Collateral or the priority of such Liens, or (d) the rights of or benefits available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or the Lenders under any of the Loan Documents.
“Material Subsidiary” means each Subsidiary (i) which, as of the most recent fiscal quarter of the Borrower, for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters then ended, for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) (or, if prior to the date of the delivery of the first financial statements to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the most recent financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)), contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated EBITDA for such period, (ii) which constituted greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of such date or (iii) which is an obligor with respect to Material Indebtedness of a Loan Party (whether as a primary obligor, guarantor or otherwise); provided that, if at any time the aggregate amount of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets attributable to all Subsidiaries that are not Material Subsidiaries exceeds ten percent (10%) of Consolidated EBITDA for any such period or ten percent (10%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of any such fiscal quarter, the Borrower (or, in the event the Borrower has failed to do so within thirty (30) days, the Administrative Agent) shall designate sufficient Subsidiaries as “Material Subsidiaries” to eliminate such excess, and such designated Subsidiaries shall for all purposes of this Agreement constitute Material Subsidiaries; provided, further that the Borrower may change such designations from time to time so long as the Borrower is in compliance with the foregoing.
“Material Indebtedness” means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of Credit), or obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements, of any one or more of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $10,000,000. For purposes of determining Material Indebtedness, the “principal amount” of the obligations of the Borrower or any Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that the Borrower or such Subsidiary would be required to pay if such Swap Agreement were terminated at such time.
“Maximum Rate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.17.
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
“Mortgage” means any mortgage, deed of trust or other agreement which conveys or evidences a Lien securing the Secured Obligations in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties, on real property of a Loan Party, including any amendment, restatement, modification or supplement thereto.
“Mortgage Instruments” means such title reports, ALTA title insurance policies (with endorsements), evidence of zoning compliance, property insurance, flood certifications and flood insurance (and, if applicable, FEMA form acknowledgements of insurance), opinions of counsel, ALTA surveys, appraisals, environmental assessments and reports, mortgage tax affidavits and declarations and other similar information and related certifications as are requested by, and in form and substance reasonably acceptable to, the Administrative Agent from time to time.
“Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
“New Zealand Dollars” means the lawful currency of New Zealand.
“Non-Consenting Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.02(d).
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“Non-Global Lender” means, as of any date of determination, a Lender with a Non-Global Revolving Commitment or, if the Non-Global Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Revolving Exposure in respect of such Class or otherwise denominated solely in Dollars.
“Non-Global Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, of such Lender to make Revolving Loans denominated only in Dollars and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit denominated only in Dollars and participations in Swingline Loans hereunder, expressed as an amount representing the maximum aggregate permitted amount of such Lender’s Revolving Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may be (a) reduced from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04 or (b) converted to a Global Revolving Commitment in its entirety as provided under Section 1.11. The initial amount of each Lender’s Non-Global Revolving Commitment is set forth opposite such Lender’s name as its “Non-Global Revolving Commitment” on the Commitment Schedule, or in the Assignment and Assumption or other documentation or record (as such term is defined in Section 9-102(a)(70) of the UCC) as provided in Section 9.04 pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Non-Global Revolving Commitment, as applicable. For the avoidance of doubt, it is agreed and acknowledged that no Non-Global Lender shall have any Commitment with respect to Loans and Letters of Credit denominated in Foreign Currencies.
“NYFRB” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
“NYFRB Rate” means, for any day, the greater of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day and (b) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate in effect on such day (or for any day that is not a Business Day, for the immediately preceding Business Day); provided that if none of such rates are published for any day that is a Business Day, the term “NYFRB Rate” means the rate for a federal funds transaction quoted at 11:00 a.m. on such day received by the Administrative Agent from a federal funds broker of recognized standing selected by it; provided, further, that if any of the aforesaid rates as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“NYFRB’s Website” means the website of the NYFRB at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source.
“NZD Interpolated Rate” means, at any time, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars and for any Interest Period, the rate per annum (rounded to the same number of decimal places as the NZD Screen Rate) determined by the Administrative Agent (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) to be equal to the rate that results from interpolating on a linear basis between: (a) the NZD Screen Rate for the longest period (for which the NZD Screen Rate is available) that is shorter than the Impacted NZD Rate Interest Period; and (b) the NZD Screen Rate for the shortest period (for which the NZD Screen Rate is available) that exceeds the Impacted NZD Rate Interest Period, in each case, at such time; provided that if any NZD Interpolated Rate shall be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“NZD Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars and for any Interest Period, the NZD Screen Rate at approximately 11:00 a.m., Wellington, New Zealand time, on the first day of such Interest Period; provided that, if the NZD Screen Rate shall not be available at such time for such Interest Period (an “Impacted NZD Rate Interest Period”) with respect to New Zealand Dollars, then the NZD Rate shall be the NZD Interpolated Rate.
“NZD Screen Rate” means, for any day and time, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars and for any Interest Period, the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent which is equal to the average bank bill reference rate as administered by the New Zealand Financial Markets Association (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate) for bills of exchange with a tenor equal in length to such Interest Period as displayed on page BKBM of the Reuters screen (or, in the event such rate does not appear on such page, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate as shall be selected by the Administrative Agent from time to
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time in its reasonable discretion); provided that if, the NZD Screen Rate shall be less than the Floor, the NZD Screen Rate shall be deemed to be the Floor for purposes of this Agreement.
“Obligated Party” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.02.
“Obligations” means all unpaid principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans, all LC Exposure, all accrued and unpaid fees and all expenses, reimbursements, indemnities and other obligations and indebtedness (including interest and fees accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), obligations and liabilities of any of the Loan Parties to any of the Lenders, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Indemnitee, individually or collectively, existing on the Effective Date or arising thereafter, direct or indirect, joint or several, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise, arising or incurred under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents or in respect of any of the Loans made or reimbursement or other obligations incurred or any of the Letters of Credit or other instruments at any time evidencing any thereof.
“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury.
“Off-Balance Sheet Liability” of a Person means (a) any repurchase obligation or liability of such Person with respect to accounts or notes receivable sold by such Person (other than customary repurchase obligations and liabilities in Permitted Factoring Transactions), (b) any indebtedness, liability or obligation under any so-called “synthetic lease” transaction entered into by such Person, or (c) any indebtedness, liability or obligation arising with respect to any other transaction which is the functional equivalent of or takes the place of borrowing but which does not constitute a liability on the balance sheet of such Person (other than operating leases).
“Original Indebtedness” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.01(f).
“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Taxes (other than a connection arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to, or enforced, any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan, Letter of Credit, or any Loan Document).
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 2.19).
“Overall LC Sublimit” means $35,000,000.
“Overnight Bank Funding Rate” means, for any day, the rate comprised of both overnight federal funds and overnight eurodollar transactions denominated in Dollars by U.S.-managed banking offices of depository institutions (as such composite rate shall be determined by the NYFRB as set forth on the NYFRB’s Website from time to time) and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as an overnight bank funding rate.
“Overnight Rate” means, for any day, (a) with respect to any amount denominated in Dollars, the NYFRB Rate and (b) with respect to any amount denominated in a Foreign Currency, an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
“Paid in Full” or “Payment in Full” means, (a) the payment in full in cash of all outstanding Loans and LC Disbursements, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, (b) the termination,
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expiration, or cancellation and return of all outstanding Letters of Credit (or alternatively, with respect to each such Letter of Credit, the furnishing to the Administrative Agent of a cash deposit in Dollars, or, at the discretion of the Administrative Agent, such other Agreed Currency, or a backup standby letter of credit satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank, in an amount equal to 103% of the Dollar Amount of the LC Exposure as of the date of such payment), (c) the payment in full in cash of the accrued and unpaid fees, (d) the payment in full in cash of all reimbursable expenses and other Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations for which no claim has been made and other obligations expressly stated to survive such payment and termination of this Agreement), together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, (e) the termination of all Revolving Commitments, and (f) the termination of the Swap Agreement Obligations and the Banking Services Obligations or entering into other arrangements satisfactory to the Secured Parties counterparties thereto.
“Parent” means, with respect to any Lender, any Person as to which such Lender is, directly or indirectly, a subsidiary.
“Participant” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
“Participant Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
“Payment” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.06(c).
“Payment Notice” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.06(c).
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
“Permitted Acquisition” means any Acquisition by any Loan Party in a transaction that satisfies each of the following requirements:
(a) such Acquisition is not a Hostile Acquisition;
(b) the business acquired in connection with such Acquisition is (i) located in the U.S. or Canada, (ii) organized under applicable U.S. state law or Canadian federal or provincial law, and (iii) not engaged, directly or indirectly, in any line of business other than the businesses in which the Loan Parties prohibited from engaging under Section 6.03(b);
(c) both before and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) to such Acquisition and any Indebtedness incurred or assumed in connection therewith, (i) each of the representations and warranties in the Loan Documents is true and correct in all material respects (except any such representation or warranty which relates to a specified prior date, and any such representation or warranty which is subject to any materiality qualifier, which shall be required to be true and correct in all respects) and (ii) no Default or Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom;
(d) as soon as available, but not less than thirty (30) days prior to such Acquisition, the Borrower has provided the Administrative Agent (i) notice of such Acquisition and (ii) a copy of all business and financial information reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent including pro forma financial statements and statements of cash flow;
(e) [Reserved];
(f) both before and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) to such Acquisition and the Loans (if any) requested to be made in connection therewith, the Borrower shall be in compliance (on a pro forma basis) with the covenants contained in Section 6.12 (determined by counting the good faith determination of the maximum possible amount of any earnout or deferred purchase price (excluding customary working capital or similar purchase price adjustments) as Indebtedness in such computation);
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(g) if such Acquisition is an acquisition of the Equity Interests of a Person, such Acquisition is structured so that the acquired Person shall become a wholly-owned Subsidiary of a Loan Party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement;
(h) if such Acquisition is an acquisition of assets, such Acquisition is structured so that a Loan Party shall acquire such assets;
(i) if such Acquisition is an acquisition of Equity Interests, such Acquisition will not result in any violation of Regulation U;
(j) if such Acquisition involves a merger or a consolidation involving any Loan Party, such Loan Party shall be the surviving entity (provided that any such merger or consolidation involving the Borrower shall result in the Borrower as the surviving entity);
(k) no Loan Party shall, as a result of or in connection with any such Acquisition, assume or incur any direct or contingent liabilities (whether relating to environmental, tax, litigation, or other matters) that could have a Material Adverse Effect;
(l) in connection with an Acquisition of the Equity Interests of any Person, all Liens on any property of such Person shall be terminated unless the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in their sole discretion consent otherwise, and in connection with an Acquisition of the assets of any Person, all Liens on such assets shall be terminated (except for, in each case, Liens permitted under Section 6.02);
(m) all actions required to be taken with respect to any newly acquired or formed Subsidiary of a Loan Party required under Section 5.13 shall have been taken; and
(n) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent (i) the substantially final form material documentation relating to such Acquisition within 5 days prior to the consummation thereof, and (ii) the final executed material documentation relating to such Acquisition within 3 Business Days following the consummation thereof.
“Permitted Encumbrances” means:
(a) Liens imposed by law for Taxes that are not yet due or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(b) carriers’, landlords’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue by more than sixty (60) days or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(c) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations;
(d) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(e) judgment Liens in respect of judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default under clause (k) of Article VII;
(f) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods in the ordinary course of business so long as such Liens only cover the related goods;
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(g) easements, zoning restrictions, rights-of-way and similar encumbrances on real property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any monetary obligations and do not materially detract from the value of the affected property or interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the Borrower or any Subsidiary;
(h) UCC financing statements filed (or similar financing statements under applicable law) solely as a precautionary measure in connection with operating leases; and
(i) Liens representing any interest of title of a licensor, lessor or sublessor, or a licensee, lessee or sublicensee or sublessee, in the property subject to any lease, license or sublicense or concession agreement, in each case to the extent any such lease, license or sublicense or concession agreement (i) is permitted under the Loan Documents, (ii) is incurred in the ordinary course of business and (iii) does not materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the Borrower or any Subsidiary.
provided that the term “Permitted Encumbrances” shall not include any Lien securing Indebtedness, except with respect to clause (e) above.
“Permitted Factoring Transaction” means any sale or other Disposition of Factoring Assets on a non-recourse basis consistent with a true sale, provided that the aggregate fair market value of all Factoring Assets Disposed of in Permitted Factoring Transactions in any fiscal year shall not exceed $5,000,000.
“Permitted Holders” means (a) Perot Holdings, LLC and Petrus P.C. LLC, and any of their respective Affiliates (subject to satisfactory “know your customer” diligence, as applicable), and (b) Ashish Arora and any trust controlled by Ashish Arora.
“Permitted Investments” means:
(a) direct obligations of, or obligations the principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the U.S. (or by any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.), in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof;
(b) investments in commercial paper maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date of acquisition, the highest credit rating obtainable from S&P or from Moody’s;
(c) investments in certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits maturing within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the U.S. or any State thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000;
(d) fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than 30 days for securities described in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c) above;
(e) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000; and
(f) investments made by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries substantially consistent with the Borrower’s investment guidelines and policies as in effect as of the Effective Date.
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“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“Plan Asset Regulations” means 29 CFR § 2510.3-101 et seq., as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.
“Pounds Sterling” means the lawful currency of the United Kingdom.
“Prime Rate” means the rate of interest last quoted by The Wall Street Journal as the “Prime Rate” in the U.S. or, if The Wall Street Journal ceases to quote such rate, the highest per annum interest rate published by the Federal Reserve Board in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519) (Selected Interest Rates) as the “bank prime loan” rate or, if such rate is no longer quoted therein, any similar rate quoted therein (as determined by the Administrative Agent) or any similar release by the Federal Reserve Board (as determined by the Administrative Agent). Each change in the Prime Rate shall be effective from and including the date such change is publicly announced or quoted as being effective.
“Proceeding” means any claim, litigation, investigation, action, suit, arbitration or administrative, judicial or regulatory action or proceeding in any jurisdiction.
“Projections” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.01(e).
“PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.
“QFC” has the meaning assigned to the term “qualified financial contract” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(8)(D).
“QFC Credit Support” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“Qualified ECP Guarantor” means, in respect of any Swap Obligation, each Loan Party that has total assets exceeding $10,000,000 at the time the relevant Loan Guaranty or grant of the relevant security interest becomes or would become effective with respect to such Swap Obligation or such other person as constitutes an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and can cause another person to qualify as an “eligible contract participant” at such time by entering into a keepwell under Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
“Recipient” means, as applicable, (a) the Administrative Agent, (b) any Lender and (c) any Issuing Bank, or any combination thereof (as the context requires).
“Reference Time” with respect to any setting of the then-current Benchmark means (1) if such Benchmark is the Term SOFR Rate, 5:00 a.m. (Chicago time) on the day that is two Business Days preceding the date of such setting, (2) if, following a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate, such Benchmark is Daily Simple SOFR, then four Business Days prior to such setting, (3) if such Benchmark is the AUD Rate, 11:00 a.m., Sydney, Australia time, on the date of such setting, (4) if such Benchmark is the NZD Rate, 11:00 a.m., Wellington, New Zealand time, on the date of such setting, (5) if such Benchmark is Daily Simple SONIA, then four Business Days prior to such setting, (6) if such Benchmark is CDOR Rate, 10:15 a.m., Toronto, Ontario time, on the date of such setting and (7) if the Benchmark is none of the foregoing, the time determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion.
“Refinance Indebtedness” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.01(f).
“Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
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“Regulation D” means Regulation D of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation T” means Regulation T of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation U” means Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation X” means Regulation X of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, partners, members, trustees, employees, agents, administrators, managers, representatives and advisors of such Person and such Person’s Affiliates.
“Release” means any releasing, spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, migrating, disposing, or dumping of any substance into the environment.
“Relevant Governmental Body” means (i) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in Dollars, the Federal Reserve Board and/or the NYFRB, as applicable, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Federal Reserve Board and/or the NYFRB or, in each case, any successor thereto, (ii) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in Pounds Sterling, the Bank of England, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Bank of England or, in each case, any successor thereto and (iii) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in any other Agreed Currency, (a) the central bank for the currency in which such Benchmark Replacement is denominated or any central bank or other supervisor which is responsible for supervising either (1) such Benchmark Replacement or (2) the administrator of such Benchmark Replacement or (b) any working group or committee officially endorsed or convened by (1) the central bank for the currency in which such Benchmark Replacement is denominated, (2) any central bank or other supervisor that is responsible for supervising either (A) such Benchmark Replacement or (B) the administrator of such Benchmark Replacement, (3) a group of those central banks or other supervisors or (4) the Financial Stability Board or any part thereof.
“Relevant Rate” means (i) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars, the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, (ii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars, the AUD Rate, (iii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars, the NZD Rate, (iv) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Canadian Dollars, the CDOR Rate and (v) with respect to any RFR Borrowing denominated in Pounds Sterling or Dollars, the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR, as applicable.
“Relevant Screen Rate” means (i) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars, the Term SOFR Reference Rate, (ii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars, the AUD Screen Rate, (iii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in New Zealand Dollars, the NZD Screen Rate and (iv) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Canadian Dollars, the CDOR Screen Rate, as applicable.
“Required Lenders” means, subject to Section 2.20: (a) at any time prior to the earlier of the Loans becoming due and payable pursuant to Article VII or the Revolving Commitments terminating or expiring, Lenders having Revolving Exposures and Unfunded Revolving Commitments representing more than 50% of the sum of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure and aggregate Unfunded Revolving Commitments at such time, provided that, solely for purposes of declaring the Loans to be due and payable pursuant to Article VII, the Unfunded Revolving Commitment of each Lender shall be deemed to be zero in determining the Required Lenders; and (b) for all purposes after the Loans become due and payable pursuant to Article VII or the Revolving Commitments expire or terminate, Lenders having Revolving Exposures representing more than 50% of the sum of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure at such time; provided that, in the case of clauses (a) and (b) above, the Revolving Exposure of any Lender
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that is a Swingline Lender shall be deemed to exclude any amount of its Swingline Exposure in excess of its Applicable Percentage of all outstanding Swingline Loans, adjusted to give effect to any reallocation under Section 2.20 of the Swingline Exposures of Defaulting Lenders in effect at such time, and the Unfunded Revolving Commitment of such Lender shall be determined on the basis of its Revolving Exposure excluding such excess amount.
“Requirement of Law” means, with respect to any Person, (a) the charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation and bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents of such Person and (b) any statute, law (including common law), treaty, rule, regulation, code, ordinance, order, decree, writ, judgment, injunction or determination of any arbitrator or court or other Governmental Authority (including Environmental Laws), in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
“Resolution Authority” means an EEA Resolution Authority or, with respect to any UK Financial Institution, a UK Resolution Authority.
“Responsible Officer” means the president, Financial Officer or other executive officer of the Borrower.
“Restricted Payment” means, as the case may be, any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity Interests in the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Equity Interests in the Borrower or any Subsidiary or any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such Equity Interests in the Borrower or any Subsidiary.
“Reuters” means, as applicable, Thomson Reuters Corp, Refinitiv, or any successor thereto.
“Revaluation Date” shall mean (a) with respect to any Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency, each of the following: (i) the date of the Borrowing of such Loan and (ii) (A) with respect to any Term Benchmark Loan, each date of a conversion into or continuation of such Loan pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and (B) with respect to any RFR Loan, each date that is on the numerically corresponding day in each calendar month that is one month after the Borrowing of such Loan (or, if there is no such numerically corresponding day in such month, then the last day of such month); (b) with respect to any Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign Currency, each of the following: (i) the date on which such Letter of Credit is issued, (ii) the first Business Day of each calendar month and (iii) the date of any amendment of such Letter of Credit that has the effect of increasing the face amount thereof; and (c) any additional date as the Administrative Agent may determine at any time when an Event of Default exists.
“Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, its Global Revolving Commitment or its Non-Global Revolving Commitment, as applicable.
“Revolving Credit Maturity Date” means August 4, 2027 (if the same is a Business Day, or if not then the immediately next succeeding Business Day), or any earlier date on which the Revolving Commitments are reduced to zero or otherwise terminated pursuant to the terms hereof.
“Revolving Exposure” means, with respect to any Lender, at any time, the sum of the aggregate outstanding principal Dollar Amount of such Lender’s Revolving Loans and its LC Exposure and its Swingline Exposure at such time.
“Revolving Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01.
“RFR” means, for any RFR Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, SONIA and (b) Dollars (solely following a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate), Daily Simple SOFR.
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“RFR Administrator” means the SONIA Administrator or the SOFR Administrator.
“RFR Borrowing” means, as to any Borrowing, the RFR Loans comprising such Borrowing.
“RFR Business Day” means, for any Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, any day except for (i) a Saturday, (ii) a Sunday or (iii) a day on which banks are closed for general business in London and (b) Dollars, a U.S. Government Securities Business Day.
“RFR Interest Day” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Daily Simple RFR”.
“RFR Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR.
“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, a Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC business.
“Sale and Leaseback Transaction” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.06.
“Sanctioned Country” means, at any time, a country, region or territory which is itself the subject or target of any Sanctions (at the time of this Agreement, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
“Sanctioned Person” means, at any time, (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority or other relevant sanctions authority, (b) any Person operating, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country, (c) any Person owned or controlled by any such Person or Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) or (b), or (d) any Person otherwise the subject of any Sanctions.
“Sanctions” means all economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by OFAC or the U.S. Department of State, or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority or other relevant sanctions authority.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the U.S.
“Secured Obligations” means all Obligations, together with all Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations owing to one or more Lenders or their respective Affiliates; provided that the definition of “Secured Obligations” shall not create any guarantee by any Loan Guarantor of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Guarantor to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Guarantor for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Guarantor.
“Secured Parties” means (a) the Lenders, (b) the Administrative Agent, (c) each Issuing Bank, (d) each provider of Banking Services, to the extent the Banking Services Obligations in respect thereof constitute Secured Obligations, (e) each counterparty to any Swap Agreement, to the extent the obligations thereunder constitute Secured Obligations, (f) the beneficiaries of each indemnification obligation undertaken by any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (g) the successors and assigns of each of the foregoing.
“Security Agreement” means that certain Pledge and Security Agreement (including any and all supplements thereto), dated as of the date hereof, among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties, and any other pledge or security agreement entered into, after the date of this Agreement by any other Loan Party (as required by this Agreement or any other Loan Document) or any other Person for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
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“SOFR” means a rate per annum equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the SOFR Administrator.
“SOFR Administrator” means the NYFRB (or a successor administrator of the secured overnight financing rate).
“SOFR Administrator’s Website” means the NYFRB’s Website, currently at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source for the secured overnight financing rate identified as such by the SOFR Administrator from time to time.
“SOFR Determination Date” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Daily Simple SOFR”.
“SOFR Rate Day” has the meaning assigned to it under the definition of Daily Simple SOFR.
“SONIA” means, with respect to any Business Day, a rate per annum equal to the Sterling Overnight Index Average for such Business Day published by the SONIA Administrator on the SONIA Administrator’s Website on the immediately succeeding Business Day.
“SONIA Administrator” means the Bank of England (or any successor administrator of the Sterling Overnight Index Average).
“SONIA Administrator’s Website” means the Bank of England’s website, currently at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk, or any successor source for the Sterling Overnight Index Average identified as such by the SONIA Administrator from time to time.
“Specified Ancillary Obligations” means all obligations and liabilities (including interest and fees accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) of any of the Subsidiaries, existing on the Effective Date or arising thereafter, direct or indirect, joint or several, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise, to the Lenders or any of their Affiliates in respect of any Swap Agreement Obligations or any Banking Services Obligations.
“Statement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.18(f).
“Statutory Reserve Rate” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentage (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Federal Reserve Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject with respect to the Adjusted AUD Rate, Adjusted CDOR Rate or Adjusted NZD Rate, as applicable, for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities” in Regulation D) or any other reserve ratio or analogous requirement of any central banking or financial regulatory authority imposed in respect of the maintenance of the Commitments or the funding of the Loans. Such reserve percentage shall include those imposed pursuant to Regulation D. Term Benchmark Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.
“Subordinated Indebtedness” of a Person means any Indebtedness of such Person, the payment of which is subordinated to payment of the Secured Obligations to the written satisfaction of the Administrative Agent.
“subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person (the “parent”) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with those of the parent in the parent’s consolidated financial statements if such financial
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statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, Controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled, by the parent and/or one or more subsidiaries of the parent.
“Subsidiary” means any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Borrower or of any other Loan Party, as applicable.
“Subsidiary Guarantor” means the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries party hereto as Subsidiary Guarantors as of the Effective Date and any other Material Subsidiary that becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to a Joinder Agreement.
“Supported QFC” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“Swap Agreement” means any agreement with respect to any swap, forward, spot, future, credit default or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of the Borrower or the Subsidiaries shall be a Swap Agreement.
“Swap Agreement Obligations” means any and all obligations of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor), under (a) any Swap Agreement permitted hereunder with a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, and (b) any cancellations, buy backs, reversals, terminations or assignments of any Swap Agreement transaction permitted hereunder with a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender.
“Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Guarantor, any obligation to pay or perform under any agreement, contract or transaction that constitutes a “swap” within the meaning of section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Swingline Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding at such time. The Swingline Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be the sum of (a) its Applicable Percentage of the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding at such time (excluding, in the case of any Lender that is a Swingline Lender, Swingline Loans made by such Lender in its capacity as a Swingline Lender that are outstanding at such time to the extent that the other Lenders shall not have funded their participations in such Swingline Loans), adjusted to give effect to any reallocation under Section 2.20 of the Swingline Exposure of Defaulting Lenders in effect at such time, and (b) in the case of any Lender that is a Swingline Lender, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans made by such Lender as a Swingline Lender outstanding at such time, less the amount of participations funded by the other Lenders in such Swingline Loans.
“Swingline Lender” means Chase (or any of its designated branch offices or affiliates), in its capacity as lender of Swingline Loans hereunder. Any consent required of the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank shall be deemed to be required of the Swingline Lender and any consent given by Chase in its capacity as Administrative Agent or Issuing Bank shall be deemed given by Chase in its capacity as Swingline Lender as well.
“Swingline Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.05. All Swingline Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.
“Syndication Agent” means Citibank, N.A., in its capacity as syndication agent for the credit facility evidenced by this Agreement.
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“Taxes” means any and all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), value added taxes, or any other goods and services, use or sales taxes, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Term Benchmark”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, bear interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted AUD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate or the Adjusted NZD Rate.
“Term SOFR Determination Day” has the meaning assigned to it under the definition of Term SOFR Reference Rate.
“Term SOFR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars and for any tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, the Term SOFR Reference Rate at approximately 5:00 a.m., Chicago time, two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the commencement of such tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, as such rate is published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator.
“Term SOFR Reference Rate” means, for any day and time (such day, the “Term SOFR Determination Day”), with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars and for any tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, the rate per annum published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator and identified by the Administrative Agent as the forward-looking term rate based on SOFR. If by 5:00 pm (New York City time) on such Term SOFR Determination Day, the “Term SOFR Reference Rate” for the applicable tenor has not been published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate has not occurred, then, so long as such day is otherwise a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the Term SOFR Reference Rate for such Term SOFR Determination Day will be the Term SOFR Reference Rate as published in respect of the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which such Term SOFR Reference Rate was published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator, so long as such first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day is not more than five (5) Business Days prior to such Term SOFR Determination Day.
“Transactions” means the execution, delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans and other credit extensions, the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder.
“Type”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted AUD Rate, the Adjusted NZD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate, the Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate, Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR, the Alternate Base Rate or the Central Bank Rate.
“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of New York or in any other state, the laws of which are required to be applied in connection with the issue of perfection of security interests.
“UK Financial Institutions” means any BRRD Undertaking (as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Prudential Regulation Authority) or any person falling within IFPRU 11.6 of the FCA Handbook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which includes certain credit institutions and investment firms, and certain affiliates of such credit institutions or investment firms.
“UK Resolution Authority” means the Bank of England or any other public administrative authority having responsibility for the resolution of any UK Financial Institution.
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“Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement excluding the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
“Unfunded Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender at any time, the Revolving Commitment of such Lender at such time, less its Revolving Exposure at such time.
“Unliquidated Obligations” means, at any time, any Secured Obligations (or portion thereof) that are contingent in nature or unliquidated at such time, including any Secured Obligation that is: (a) an obligation to reimburse a bank for drawings not yet made under a letter of credit issued by it; (b) any other obligation (including any guarantee) that is contingent in nature at such time; or (c) an obligation to provide collateral to secure any of the foregoing types of obligations.
“U.S.” means the United States of America.
“U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any day except for (a) a Saturday, (b) a Sunday or (iii) a day on which the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the fixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of trading in United States government securities.
“U.S. Person” means a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(B)(3).
“USA PATRIOT Act” means the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.
“Withdrawal Liability” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means (a) with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, any powers of the applicable Resolution Authority under the Bail-In Legislation to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of any UK Financial Institution or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability or any of the powers under that Bail-In Legislation that are related to or ancillary to any of those powers.
SECTION 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Revolving Loan”) or by Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Loan”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Revolving Loan”). Borrowings also may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Revolving Borrowing”) or by Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Borrowing”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing”).
SECTION 1.03. Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”. The word “law” shall be construed as referring to all statutes, rules, regulations, codes and other laws (including official rulings and interpretations thereunder having the force of law or with which affected Persons customarily
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comply) and all judgments, orders and decrees of all Governmental Authorities. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, restatements, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any definition of or reference to any statute, rule or regulation shall be construed as referring thereto as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (including by succession of comparable successor laws), (c) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns (subject to any restrictions on assignments set forth herein) and, in the case of any Governmental Authority, any other Governmental Authority that shall have succeeded to any or all functions thereof, (d) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (e) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement, (f) any reference in any definition to the phrase “at any time” or “for any period” shall refer to the same time or period for all calculations or determinations within such definition, and (g) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
SECTION 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP.
(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided that, if after the date hereof there occurs any change in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of any provision hereof and the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of such change in GAAP or in the application thereof (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith. Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made (i) without giving effect to any election under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 825 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of the Borrower or any Subsidiary at “fair value”, as defined therein and (ii) without giving effect to any treatment of Indebtedness under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 470-20 or 2015-03 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any such Indebtedness in a reduced or bifurcated manner as described therein, and such Indebtedness shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 1.04(a) or in the definition of “Capital Lease Obligations,” any change in accounting for leases pursuant to GAAP resulting from the adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“FAS 842”), to the extent such adoption would require treating any lease (or similar arrangement conveying the right to use) as a capital lease where such lease (or similar arrangement) would not have been required to be so treated under GAAP as in effect on December 31, 2015, such lease shall not be considered a capital lease, and all calculations and deliverables under this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be made or delivered, as applicable, in accordance therewith.
SECTION 1.05. Exchange Rates; Currency Equivalents.
(a) The Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as applicable, shall determine the Dollar Amounts of Term Benchmark Borrowings or RFR Borrowing or Letter of Credit extensions denominated in Foreign Currencies. Such Dollar Amount shall become effective as of such Revaluation Date and shall be the Dollar Amount of such amounts until the next Revaluation Date to occur. Except for purposes of
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financial statements delivered by the Borrower hereunder or calculating financial covenants hereunder or except as otherwise provided herein, the applicable amount of any Agreed Currency (other than Dollars) for purposes of the Loan Documents shall be such Dollar Amount as so determined by the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as applicable.
(b) Wherever in this Agreement in connection with a Borrowing, conversion, continuation or prepayment of a Term Benchmark Loan or an RFR Loan or the issuance, amendment or extension of a Letter of Credit, an amount, such as a required minimum or multiple amount, is expressed in Dollars, but such Borrowing, Loan or Letter of Credit is denominated in a Foreign Currency, such amount shall be the Dollar Amount of such amount (rounded to the nearest unit of such Foreign Currency, with 0.5 of a unit being rounded upward), as determined by the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be.
SECTION 1.06. Pro Forma Adjustments. To the extent the Borrower or any Subsidiary (a) makes any Permitted Acquisition or Disposition of assets outside the ordinary course of business permitted by Section 6.05 during the period of four fiscal quarters of the Borrower most recently ended or (b) consummates any transaction that requires any pro forma calculation as a condition thereto or in connection therewith under the terms of this Agreement, then, in each case, (i) the Leverage Ratio and Interest Coverage Ratio shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto (including pro forma adjustments arising out of events which are directly attributable to the Acquisition or the Disposition of assets, are factually supportable and are expected to have a continuing impact, in each case as determined on a basis consistent with Article 11 of Regulation S-X of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as interpreted by the SEC, and as certified by a Financial Officer), as if such Acquisition, such Disposition or such other transaction (and any related incurrence, repayment or assumption of Indebtedness) had occurred in the first day of such four-quarter period, (ii) unless otherwise expressly required hereunder, such pro forma calculation shall be determined by reference to the financial statements for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ended on or most recently prior to such calculation for which financial statements have been delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) (or, if prior to the date of the delivery of the first financial statements to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the most recent financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)) and (iii) any such calculation made by reference to, or requiring pro forma compliance with, any of the financial covenants shall be made by reference to the applicable financial covenant levels required under Section 6.12 for the quarter during which such Acquisition, Disposition or other transaction was consummated (or, if there is no financial covenant required to be tested during such fiscal quarter, the financial covenant level for the first testing period scheduled to occur after the date of such calculation).
SECTION 1.07. Status of Obligations. In the event that the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall at any time issue or have outstanding any Subordinated Indebtedness, the Borrower shall take or cause such other Loan Party to take all such actions as shall be necessary to cause the Secured Obligations to constitute senior indebtedness (however denominated) in respect of such Subordinated Indebtedness and to enable the Administrative Agent and the Lenders to have and exercise any payment blockage or other remedies available or potentially available to holders of senior indebtedness under the terms of such Subordinated Indebtedness. Without limiting the foregoing, the Secured Obligations are hereby designated as “senior indebtedness” and as “designated senior indebtedness” and words of similar import under and in respect of any indenture or other agreement or instrument under which such Subordinated Indebtedness is outstanding and are further given all such other designations as shall be required under the terms of any such Subordinated Indebtedness in order that the Lenders may have and exercise any payment blockage or other remedies available or potentially available to holders of senior indebtedness under the terms of such Subordinated Indebtedness.
SECTION 1.08. Interest Rates; Benchmark Notification. The interest rate on a Loan may be derived from an interest rate benchmark that may be discontinued or is, or may in the future become, the subject of regulatory reform. Upon the occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, Section 2.14(b) provides a mechanism for determining an alternative rate of interest. The Administrative Agent does not warrant or accept any responsibility for, and shall not have any liability with respect to, the administration, submission, performance or any other matter related to any interest rate used in this Agreement, or with respect to any alternative or successor rate thereto, or replacement rate thereof, including without limitation, whether the composition or characteristics of any such alternative, successor
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or replacement reference rate will be similar to, or produce the same value or economic equivalence of, the existing interest rate being replaced or have the same volume or liquidity as did any existing interest rate prior to its discontinuance or unavailability. The Administrative Agent and its affiliates and/or other related entities may engage in transactions that affect the calculation of any interest rate used in this Agreement or any alternative, successor or alternative rate (including any Benchmark Replacement) and/or any relevant adjustments thereto, in each case, in a manner adverse to the Borrower. The Administrative Agent may select information sources or services in its reasonable discretion to ascertain any interest rate used in this Agreement, any component thereof, or rates referenced in the definition thereof, in each case pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and shall have no liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other Person or entity for damages of any kind, including direct or indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, costs, losses or expenses (whether in tort, contract or otherwise and whether at law or in equity), for any error or calculation of any such rate (or component thereof) provided by any such information source or service.
SECTION 1.09. Letter of Credit Amounts. Unless otherwise specified herein, the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the Dollar Amount of the stated amount of such Letter of Credit available to be drawn at such time; provided that with respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms or the terms of any Letter of Credit Agreement related thereto, provides for one or more automatic increases in the available amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be the Dollar Amount maximum amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all such increases, whether or not such maximum amount is available to be drawn at such time. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Article 29(a) of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 600 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time) or Rule 3.13 or Rule 3.14 of the International Standby Practices, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 590 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time) or similar terms of the Letter of Credit itself, or if compliant documents have been presented but not yet honored, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” and “undrawn” in the amount so remaining available to be paid, and the obligations of the Borrower and each Lender shall remain in full force and effect until the Issuing Bank and the Lenders shall have no further obligations to make any payments or disbursements under any circumstances with respect to any Letter of Credit.
SECTION 1.10. Divisions. For all purposes under the Loan Documents, in connection with any division or plan of division under Delaware law (or any comparable event under a different jurisdiction’s laws): (a) if any asset, right, obligation or liability of any Person becomes the asset, right, obligation or liability of a different Person, then it shall be deemed to have been transferred from the original Person to the subsequent Person, and (b) if any new Person comes into existence, such new Person shall be deemed to have been organized and acquired on the first date of its existence by the holders of its Equity Interests at such time.
SECTION 1.11. Conversion of Non-Global Revolving Commitments.
(a) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, (i) any Non-Global Lender holding a Non-Global Revolving Commitment may elect, which election shall be irrevocable, to convert all (but not a portion) of such Non-Global Lender’s Non-Global Revolving Commitment to a Global Revolving Commitment by providing written notice of such irrevocable election to the Company and the Administrative Agent, which written notice shall confirm that such Lender is able to fund Revolving Loans and participations in Letters of Credit in all of the Agreed Currencies then in effect in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and (ii) any permitted assignee of a Non-Global Lender may elect, which election shall be irrevocable, to assume all (but not a portion) of the Non-Global Revolving Commitment of such assigning Lender as a Global Revolving Commitment as elected by such assignee in written in the applicable Assignment Agreement or any other form acceptable to the Administrative Agent (any such election notice described in any of the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii) with respect to any Non-Global Lender, a “Global Conversion Notice”).
(b) Subject to the last sentence of this Section 1.11(b), but notwithstanding any other provisions in this Agreement to the contrary, each of the parties hereto acknowledges and agrees that,
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upon receipt by the Company and the Administrative Agent of the Global Conversion Notice of any Lender, (i) such Lender’s Non-Global Revolving Commitment shall irrevocably constitute a Global Revolving Commitment hereunder, (ii) such Lender shall constitute a Global Revolving Lender for all purposes hereunder, (iii) such Lender shall make available to the Administrative Agent such amounts in such Foreign Currencies in immediately available funds as the Administrative Agent shall determine, for the benefit of the other Lenders, as being required in order to cause, after giving effect to the conversion of such Revolving Commitment to a Global Revolving Commitment and the use of such amounts to make payments to such other Global Lenders, each Global Lender’s portion of the outstanding Revolving Loans denominated in Foreign Currencies and funded participations in Letters of Credit denominated in Foreign Currencies to equal its Applicable Percentage of such outstanding Revolving Loans and funded participations after giving effect to the conversion of such Non-Global Revolving Commitment to a Global Revolving Commitment, (iv) the Administrative Agent shall make such other adjustments among the Revolving Lenders with respect to the Revolving Loans then outstanding and amounts of principal, interest, commitment fees and other amounts paid or payable with respect thereto as shall be necessary, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, in order to effect such reallocation and (v) the Borrower shall be deemed to have repaid and reborrowed all outstanding Revolving Loans denominated in Foreign Currencies as of the date of any such conversion (with such reborrowing to consist of the Types of Revolving Loans, with related Interest Periods if applicable, specified by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent). The deemed payments made pursuant to clause (v) of the immediately preceding sentence shall be accompanied by payment of all accrued interest on the amount prepaid and, in respect of each Term Benchmark Loan, shall be subject to indemnification by the Borrower pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.16 if the deemed payment occurs other than on the last day of the related Interest Periods. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, no Global Conversion Notice shall be effective unless either (x) the Borrower shall have given its prior written consent with respect thereto or (y) the Borrower will not be obligated to make any indemnification payments pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.16 in respect of the outstanding Term Benchmark Loans as described in the prior sentence.
ARTICLE II
The Credits
The Credits
SECTION 2.01. Revolving Commitments. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (x) each Lender severally (and not jointly) agrees to make Revolving Loans to the Borrower denominated in Dollars and (y) each Global Lender severally (and not jointly) agrees to make Revolving Loans to the Borrower denominated in Foreign Currencies, in each case, from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not result (after giving effect to any application of proceeds of such Borrowing pursuant to Section 2.10(a)) in (i) the Dollar Amount of such Lender’s Revolving Exposure exceeding such Lender’s Revolving Commitment, (ii) subject to Sections 2.04 and 2.11(b), the Dollar Amount of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure exceeding the Aggregate Revolving Commitments or (iii) subject to Sections 2.04 and 2.11(b), the Dollar Amount of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure denominated in Foreign Currencies exceeding the Foreign Currency Sublimit. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Revolving Loans.
SECTION 2.02. Loans and Borrowings.
(a) Each Loan (other than a Swingline Loan) shall be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans of the same Type and Agreed Currency made by the Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Revolving Commitments. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the Revolving Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as required. Any Swingline Loan shall be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.05.
(b) Subject to Section 2.14, each Revolving Borrowing shall be comprised (A) in the case of Borrowings in Dollars, entirely of ABR Loans or Term Benchmark Loans or RFR Loans denominated in
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Dollars and (B) in the case of Borrowings in any other Agreed Currency, entirely of Term Benchmark Loans or RFR Loans of the same Agreed Currency, in each case, as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith, provided that all Revolving Borrowings made on the Effective Date must be made as ABR Borrowings but may be converted into Term Benchmark Borrowings in accordance with Section 2.08. Each Swingline Loan shall be an ABR Loan and shall only be made in Dollars. Each Lender at its option may make any Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan (and in the case of an Affiliate, the provisions of Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 shall apply to such Affiliate to the same extent as to such Lender); provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(c) At the commencement of each Interest Period for any Term Benchmark Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $5,000,000 (or, if such Borrowing is denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Equivalent Amount of such units of such currency). At the time that each ABR Borrowing or RFR Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $5,000,000 (or, if such Borrowing is denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Equivalent Amount of such units of such currency); provided that an ABR Revolving Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire unused balance of the total Revolving Commitments or that is required to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e). Each Swingline Loan shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $250,000 and not less than $500,000. Borrowings of more than one Type may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than a total of ten (10) Term Benchmark Borrowings and RFR Borrowings outstanding.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after the Revolving Credit Maturity Date.
SECTION 2.03. Requests for Borrowings. To request a Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by submitting a Borrowing Request signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, (a)(i)(x) in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, three U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing or (y) in the case of an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars, not later than 2:00 p.m. New York City time, five U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing, (ii) in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars or New Zealand Dollars, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, five Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing, and (iii) in the case of an RFR Borrowing denominated in Sterling, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, five RFR Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing, or (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing; provided that any such notice of an ABR Revolving Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e) may be given not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing. Each such Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable. Each such Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.01:
(i) the Agreed Currency and aggregate amount of the requested Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing, a RFR Borrowing or a Term Benchmark Borrowing;
(iv) in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”; and
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(v) the location and number of the Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.07.
If no election as to the currency of a Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be made in Dollars. If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested Term Benchmark Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the amount of such Lender’s Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Borrower be permitted to request pursuant to this Section 2.03, a CBR Loan, or, prior to a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate, an RFR Loan in Dollars (it being understood and agreed that a Central Bank Rate and Daily Simple SOFR shall only apply to the extent provided in Sections 2.08(e) (solely with respect to the Central Bank Rate), 2.14(a) and 2.14(f)).
SECTION 2.04. Determination of Dollar Amounts. The Dollar Amount of all Loans, Borrowings, Letters of Credit and LC Exposure, as applicable, denominated in Foreign Currencies hereunder shall be determined on each Revaluation Date as described in Section 1.05.
SECTION 2.05. Swingline Loans.
(a) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, from time to time during the Availability Period, the Swingline Lender may agree, but shall have no obligation, to make Swingline Loans in Dollars to the Borrower, in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding that will not result in (i) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Swingline Loans exceeding $30,000,000, (ii) the Swingline Lender’s Revolving Exposure exceeding its Revolving Commitment, or (iii) the Aggregate Revolving Exposure exceeding the aggregate Revolving Commitments; provided that the Swingline Lender shall not be required to make a Swingline Loan to refinance an outstanding Swingline Loan. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Swingline Loans. To request a Swingline Loan, the Borrower shall submit a written notice to the Administrative Agent of such request by fax or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, not later than 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the day of a proposed Swingline Loan. Each such notice shall be in a form approved by the Administrative Agent, shall be irrevocable and shall specify the requested date (which shall be a Business Day) and amount of the requested Swingline Loan. The Administrative Agent will promptly advise the Swingline Lender of any such notice received from the Borrower. The Swingline Lender shall make each Swingline Loan available to the Borrower, to the extent the Swingline Lender elects to make such Swingline Loan, by means of a credit to the Funding Account(s) (or, in the case of a Swingline Loan made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e), by remittance to the Issuing Bank, and in the case of repayment of another Loan or fees or expenses as provided by Section 2.18(c), by remittance to the Administrative Agent to be distributed to the Lenders) by 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the requested date of such Swingline Loan.
(b) The Swingline Lender may by written notice given to the Administrative Agent require the Lenders to acquire participations on such Business Day in all or a portion of the Swingline Loans outstanding. Such notice shall specify the aggregate amount of Swingline Loans in which the Lenders will participate. Promptly upon receipt of such notice, the Administrative Agent will give notice thereof to each Lender, specifying in such notice such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees, promptly upon receipt of such notice from the Administrative Agent (and in any event, if such notice is received by 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on a Business Day no later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time on such Business Day and if received after 2:00 p.m., New York City time, “on a Business Day” shall mean no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time on the immediately succeeding Business Day), to pay to the Administrative Agent in dollars, for the account of the Swingline Lender, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations in Swingline Loans pursuant to this paragraph is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any
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circumstance whatsoever, including the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Revolving Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Lender shall comply with its obligation under this paragraph by wire transfer in dollars of immediately available funds, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Revolving Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Swingline Lender the amounts so received by it from the Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of any participations in any Swingline Loan acquired pursuant to this paragraph, and thereafter payments in respect of such Swingline Loan shall be made to the Administrative Agent and not to the Swingline Lender. Any amounts received by the Swingline Lender from the Borrower (or other party on behalf of the Borrower) in respect of a Swingline Loan after receipt by the Swingline Lender of the proceeds of a sale of participations therein shall be promptly remitted to the Administrative Agent; any such amounts received by the Administrative Agent shall be promptly remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Lenders that shall have made their payments pursuant to this paragraph and to the Swingline Lender, as their interests may appear; provided that any such payment so remitted shall be repaid to the Swingline Lender or to the Administrative Agent, as applicable, if and to the extent such payment is required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason. The purchase of participations in a Swingline Loan pursuant to this paragraph shall not relieve the Borrower of any default in the payment thereof.
(c) The Swingline Lender may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Swingline Lender and the successor Swingline Lender. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such replacement of the Swingline Lender. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid interest accrued for the account of the replaced Swingline Lender pursuant to Section 2.13(a). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (x) the successor Swingline Lender shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans made thereafter and (y) references herein to the term “Swingline Lender” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Swingline Lender, or to such successor and all previous Swingline Lenders, as the context shall require. After the replacement of the Swingline Lender hereunder, the replaced Swingline Lender shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of a Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans made by it prior to its replacement, but shall not be required to make additional Swingline Loans.
(d) Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Swingline Lender, the Swingline Lender may resign as Swingline Lender at any time upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders, in which case, the Swingline Lender shall be replaced in accordance with Section 2.05(c) above.
SECTION 2.06. Letters of Credit.
(a) General. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may request the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit denominated in Agreed Currencies as the applicant thereof for the support of its or its Subsidiaries’ obligations, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during the Availability Period.
(b) Notice of Issuance, Amendment, Extension; Certain Conditions. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment or extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the Borrower shall hand deliver or fax (or transmit through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Issuing Bank) to the Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (reasonably in advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment or extension, but in any event no less than three Business Days) a notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended or extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with paragraph (c) of this Section), the amount and Agreed Currency of such Letter of Credit, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof, and such other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend or extend such Letter of Credit. In addition, as a condition to any such Letter of Credit issuance, the Borrower shall have entered into a continuing agreement (or other letter of credit agreement) for the issuance of letters of
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credit and/or shall submit a letter of credit application, in each case, as required by the Issuing Bank and using such Issuing Bank’s standard form (each, a “Letter of Credit Agreement”). In the event of any inconsistency between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any Letter of Credit Agreement, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall control. A Letter of Credit shall be issued, amended or extended only if (and upon issuance, amendment or extension of each Letter of Credit the Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), after giving effect to such issuance, amendment or extension (i) the Dollar Amount of the aggregate LC Exposure shall not exceed the Overall LC Sublimit, (ii) subject to Sections 2.04 and 2.11(b), the Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure shall not exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments, (iii) no Lender’s Dollar Amount of Revolving Exposure shall exceed its Revolving Commitment, (iv) subject to Sections 2.04 and 2.11(b), the Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure denominated in Foreign Currencies shall not exceed the Foreign Currency Sublimit. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary contained herein, no Issuing Bank shall be obligated to issue or modify any Letter of Credit if, immediately after giving effect thereto, the outstanding LC Exposure in respect of all Letters of Credit issued by such Person and its Affiliates would exceed such Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit. Without limiting the foregoing and without affecting the limitations contained herein, it is understood and agreed that the Borrower may from time to time request that an Issuing Bank issue Letters of Credit in excess of its individual Issuing Bank Sublimit in effect at the time of such request, and each Issuing Bank agrees to consider any such request in good faith. Any Letter of Credit so issued by an Issuing Bank in excess of its individual Issuing Bank Sublimit then in effect shall nonetheless constitute a Letter of Credit for all purposes of this Agreement, and shall not affect the Issuing Bank Sublimit of any other Issuing Bank, subject to the limitations set forth in clauses (i) through (iii) of this Section 2.06(b).
The Issuing Bank shall not be under any obligation to issue any Letter of Credit if:
(i) any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain the Issuing Bank from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Requirement of Law relating to the Issuing Bank or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over the Issuing Bank shall prohibit, request or require that the Issuing Bank refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon the Issuing Bank, then with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which the Issuing Bank is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Effective Date, or shall impose upon the Issuing Bank any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense that was not applicable on the Effective Date and that the Issuing Bank in good faith deems material to it; or
(ii) the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of the Issuing Bank applicable to letters of credit generally.
(c) Expiration Date. Each Letter of Credit shall expire (or be subject to termination or non-extension by notice from the Issuing Bank to the beneficiary thereof) at or prior to the close of business on the earlier of (i) the date one year after the date of the issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any extension of the expiration thereof, including, without limitation, any automatic extension provision, one year after such extension) and (ii) the date that is five Business Days prior to the Revolving Credit Maturity Date; provided that any Letter of Credit with a one-year tenor may provide for the extension thereof for additional one-year periods (which shall in no event extend beyond the date referred to in clause (ii) above).
(d) Participations. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount thereof) and without any further action on the part of the Issuing Bank or the Lenders, the Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Revolving Lender holding a Revolving Commitment (in the case of any Letter of Credit denominated in Dollars) or a Global Revolving Commitment (in the case of any Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign Currency), and each such Revolving Lender hereby acquires from the Issuing Bank, a participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the aggregate Dollar Amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Issuing Bank, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of each LC Disbursement made by the Issuing Bank and not reimbursed by the Borrower on
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the date due as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section, or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason, including after the Revolving Credit Maturity Date. Each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment or extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Revolving Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. For the avoidance of doubt and notwithstanding the foregoing, no Non-Global Lender shall be required to acquire a participation in or to reimburse any LC Disbursement in respect of any Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign Currency.
(e) Reimbursement. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an amount in the currency of such LC Disbursement or in Dollars in the Dollar Amount of such LC Disbursement calculated using the Exchange Rate on the date such LC Disbursement was made equal to such LC Disbursement not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on (i) the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice of such LC Disbursement, if such notice is received prior to 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the day of receipt, or (ii) the Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is received after 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the day of receipt; provided that, (x) if such LC Disbursement is denominated in Dollars, the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03 or 2.05 that such payment be financed with an ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan in an equivalent amount, or (y) if such LC Disbursement is denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to borrowings set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03 that such payment be converted into an Equivalent Amount of an ABR Revolving Borrowing denominated in Dollars in an amount equal to the Dollar Amount of such Foreign Currency and, in each case, to the extent so financed, the Borrower’s obligation to make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan. If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement and the Agreed Currency thereof, the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof and such Lender’s Applicable Percentage thereof. Promptly following receipt of such notice, each Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent its Applicable Percentage of the payment then due from the Borrower, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Loans made by such Lender in such Agreed Currency (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Issuing Bank the amounts so received by it from the applicable Lenders; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of any LC Disbursement denominated in a currency that was not approved by each Global Lender as a “Foreign Currency” pursuant to the definition thereof and in any other case at the sole discretion of the Issuing Bank, the Global Lenders may, in each such case, make any such payment in Dollars in the Dollar Amount of its Applicable Percentage of the applicable LC Disbursement calculated using the Exchange Rate on the date such LC Disbursement was made. Promptly following receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the Borrower pursuant to this paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to the Issuing Bank or, to the extent that the Lenders have made payments pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank, then to the applicable Lenders and the Issuing Bank as their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Lender pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement (other than the funding of ABR Revolving Loans or a Swingline Loan as contemplated above) shall not constitute a Loan and shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such LC Disbursement. If the Borrower’s reimbursement of, or obligation to reimburse, any amounts in any Foreign Currency would subject the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender to any stamp duty, ad valorem charge or similar tax that would not be payable if such reimbursement were made or required to be made in Dollars, the Borrower shall, at its option, either (x) pay the amount of any such tax requested by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or the relevant Lender or (y) reimburse each LC Disbursement made in such Foreign Currency in Dollars, in an amount equal to the Dollar Amount thereof, calculated using the applicable Exchange Rates, on the date such LC Disbursement is made.
(f) Obligations Absolute. The Borrower’s obligation to reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be
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performed strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all circumstances whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit, any Letter of Credit Agreement or this Agreement, or any term or provision therein or herein, (ii) any draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect, (iii) any payment by the Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or other document that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit, (iv) any other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or provide a right of setoff against, the Borrower’s obligations hereunder or (v) any adverse change in the relevant exchange rates or in the availability of the relevant Foreign Currency to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or in the relevant currency markets generally. None of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders or the Issuing Bank, or any of their respective Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility by reason of or in connection with the issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit, or any payment or failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error, omission, interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, notice or other communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including any document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of technical terms, any error in translation or any consequence arising from causes beyond the control of the Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse the Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by the Issuing Bank’s failure to exercise care when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly agree that, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Issuing Bank (as finally determined by a nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction), the Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have exercised care in each such determination. In furtherance of the foregoing and without limiting the generality thereof, the parties agree that, with respect to documents presented which appear on their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, the Issuing Bank may, in its sole discretion, either accept and make payment upon such documents without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such documents if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit.
(g) Disbursement Procedures. The Issuing Bank for any Letter of Credit shall, within the time allowed by applicable law or the specific terms of such Letter of Credit following its receipt thereof, examine all documents purporting to represent a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit. The Issuing Bank shall promptly after such examination notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed by fax or through Electronic Systems) of such demand for payment and whether the Issuing Bank has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder; provided that any failure to give or delay in giving such notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse the Issuing Bank and the Lenders with respect to any such LC Disbursement.
(h) Interim Interest. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement in full in the applicable currency (or, at the sole discretion of the Issuing Bank, in Dollars in the Dollar Amount of such LC Disbursement calculated using the Exchange Rate on the date such LC Disbursement was made) on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such LC Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then applicable to ABR Revolving Loans and such interest shall be due and payable on the date when such reimbursement is due; provided that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement when due pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section, then Section 2.13(d) shall apply. Interest accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for the account of the Issuing Bank, except that interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Lender pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section to reimburse the Issuing Bank shall be for the account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.
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(i) Replacement and Resignation of the Issuing Bank.
(i) The Issuing Bank may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such replacement of the Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees accrued for the account of the replaced Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.12(b). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (x) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit to be issued thereafter and (y) references herein to the term “Issuing Bank” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks, as the context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit then outstanding and issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be required to issue additional Letters of Credit or extend or otherwise amend any existing Letter of Credit.
(ii) Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Issuing Bank, the Issuing Bank may resign as an Issuing Bank at any time upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders, in which case, such resigning Issuing Bank shall be replaced in accordance with Section 2.06(i)(i) above.
(j) Cash Collateralization. If any Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, on the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice from the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated, Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the aggregate LC Exposure) demanding the deposit of cash collateral pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall deposit in an account with the Administrative Agent, in the name of the Administrative Agent and for the benefit of the Lenders (the “LC Collateral Account”), an amount in cash in Dollars equal to 103% of the Dollar Amount of the LC Exposure as of such date (or, at the sole discretion of the Issuing Bank, in the Equivalent Amount in such other Agreed Currencies calculated using the Exchange Rate on the date such deposit is made) plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that the obligation to deposit such cash collateral shall become effective immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately due and payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of Article VII. The Borrower also shall deposit cash collateral in accordance with this paragraph as and to the extent required by Section 2.11(b) or 2.20. Each such deposit shall be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral for the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations. In addition, and without limiting the foregoing or paragraph (c) of this Section, if any LC Exposure remains outstanding after the expiration date specified in said paragraph (c), the Borrower shall immediately deposit into the LC Collateral Account an amount in cash in Dollars equal to 103% of the Dollar Amount of such LC Exposure as of such date (or, at the sole discretion of the Issuing Bank, in the Equivalent Amount in such other Agreed Currencies calculated using the Exchange Rate on the date such deposit is made) plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon. The Administrative Agent shall have exclusive dominion and control, including the exclusive right of withdrawal, over the LC Collateral Account and the Borrower hereby grants the Administrative Agent a security interest in the LC Collateral Account and all money or other assets on deposit therein or credited thereto. Other than any interest earned on the investment of such deposits, which investments shall be made at the option and sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and at the Borrower’s risk and expense, such deposits shall not bear interest. Interest or profits, if any, on such investments shall accumulate in the LC Collateral Account. Moneys in the LC Collateral Account shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to reimburse the Issuing Bank for LC Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed and, to the extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the reimbursement obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at such time or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated (but subject to the consent of Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the aggregate LC Exposure), be applied to satisfy other Secured Obligations. If the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash collateral hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of Default, such amount (to the extent not applied as aforesaid) shall be returned to the Borrower within three (3) Business Days after all such Events of Default have been cured or waived as confirmed in writing by the Administrative Agent.
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(k) Issuing Bank Reports to the Administrative Agent. In the event Chase is not the only Issuing Bank, and unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank other than Chase shall, in addition to its notification obligations set forth elsewhere in this Section, report in writing to the Administrative Agent (i) periodic activity (for such period or recurrent periods as shall be requested by the Administrative Agent) in respect of Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank, including all issuances, extensions and amendments, all expirations and cancelations and all disbursements and reimbursements, (ii) reasonably prior to the time that such Issuing Bank issues, amends or extends any Letter of Credit, the date of such issuance, amendment or extension, and the stated amount of the Letters of Credit issued, amended or extended by it and outstanding after giving effect to such issuance, amendment or extension (and whether the amounts thereof shall have changed), (iii) on each Business Day on which such Issuing Bank makes any LC Disbursement, the date and amount of such LC Disbursement, (iv) on any Business Day on which the Borrower fails to reimburse an LC Disbursement required to be reimbursed to such Issuing Bank on such day, the date of such failure and the amount of such LC Disbursement, and (v) on any other Business Day, such other information as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request as to the Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank.
(l) Letters of Credit Issued for Account of Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder supports any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, or states that a Subsidiary is the “account party,” “applicant,” “customer,” “instructing party,” or the like of or for such Letter of Credit, and without derogating from any rights of the applicable Issuing Bank (whether arising by contract, at law, in equity or otherwise) against such Subsidiary in respect of such Letter of Credit, the Borrower (i) shall reimburse, indemnify and compensate the applicable Issuing Bank hereunder for such Letter of Credit (including to reimburse any and all drawings thereunder) as if such Letter of Credit had been issued solely for the account of the Borrower and (ii) irrevocably waives any and all defenses that might otherwise be available to it as a guarantor or surety of any or all of the obligations of such Subsidiary in respect of such Letter of Credit. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of such Letters of Credit for its Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the Borrower, and that the Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
SECTION 2.07. Funding of Borrowings.
(a) Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by such Lender hereunder on the proposed date thereof solely by wire transfer of immediately available funds (i) in the case of Loans denominated in Dollars, by 1:00 p.m., New York City time, to the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders in an amount equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage and (ii) in the case of each Loan denominated in a Foreign Currency, by 1:00 p.m., New York City time, in the city of the Administrative Agent’s Eurocurrency Payment Office for such currency and at such Eurocurrency Payment Office for such currency in an amount denominated in such currency equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage; provided that Swingline Loans shall be made as provided in Section 2.05. The Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the funds so received in the aforesaid account of the Administrative Agent to the Funding Account(s); provided that ABR Revolving Loans made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e) shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Issuing Bank.
(b) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section 2.07 and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the applicable Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the applicable Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the greater of the applicable Overnight Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to ABR Loans, or in the case of Foreign Currencies, in accordance with such market practice, in each case,
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as applicable. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing; provided, that any interest received from the Borrower by the Administrative Agent during the period beginning when the Administrative Agent funded the Borrowing until such Lender pays such amount shall be solely for the account of the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 2.08. Interest Elections.
(a) The Borrowing initially shall be of the Type and Agreed Currency specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as provided in this Section. The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing. This Section shall not apply to Swingline Borrowings, which may not be converted or continued.
(b) To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election either in writing (delivered by hand or fax) by delivering an Interest Election Request signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each such Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable. Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein, this Section shall not be construed to permit the Borrower to (i) change the currency of any Borrowing or (ii) elect an Interest Period for Term Benchmark Loans that does not comply with Section 2.02(d).
(c) Each Interest Election Request (including requests submitted through any Electronic System) shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i) the Agreed Currency and the Borrowing to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii) the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing (in the case of a Borrowing denominated in Dollars), an RFR Borrowing or a Term Benchmark Borrowing; and
(iv) if the resulting Borrowing is a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the Interest Period and Agreed Currency to be applicable thereto after giving effect to such election, which Interest Period shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a Term Benchmark Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Borrower be permitted to request pursuant to this Section 2.08(c) a CBR Loan or, prior to a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate, an RFR Loan in Dollars (it being understood and agreed that a Central Bank Rate and Daily Simple SOFR shall only apply to the extent provided in Sections 2.08(e) (solely with respect to the Central Bank Rate), 2.14(a) and 2.14(f).
(d) Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each resulting Borrowing.
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(e) If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing in Dollars prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected that such Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing shall automatically be continued as a Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing with an Interest Period of one month at the end of such Interest Period. If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely and complete Interest Election Request with respect to a Term Benchmark Borrowing in a Foreign Currency prior to the end of the Interest Period therefor, then, unless such Term Benchmark Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected that such Term Benchmark Borrowing shall automatically be continued as a Term Benchmark Borrowing in its original Agreed Currency with an Interest Period of one month at the end of such Interest Period. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent, at the request of the Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Revolving Borrowing may be converted to or continued as a Term Benchmark Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid, (x) each Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing and each RFR Borrowing, in each case denominated in Dollars, shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto and (y) each Term Benchmark Borrowing and each RFR Borrowing, in each case denominated in a Foreign Currency shall bear interest at the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected Term Benchmark Loans denominated in any Agreed Currency other than Dollars shall, at the Borrower’s election, either be (1) converted to an ABR Borrowing denominated in Dollars (in an amount equal to the Equivalent Amount of such Foreign Currency) at the end of the Interest Period, as applicable, therefor or (2) prepaid at the end of the applicable Interest Period, as applicable, in full; provided that if no election is made by the Borrower by the earlier of (A) the date that is three Business Days after receipt by the Borrower of such notice and (B) the last day of the current Interest Period for the applicable Term Benchmark Loan, the Borrower shall be deemed to have elected clause (1) above.
SECTION 2.09. Termination and Reduction of Revolving Commitments; Increase in Revolving Commitments; Incremental Term Loans.
(a) Unless previously terminated, all the Revolving Commitments shall terminate on the Revolving Credit Maturity Date.
(b) The Borrower may at any time terminate the Revolving Commitments upon the Payment in Full of the Secured Obligations.
(c) The Borrower may at any time and from time to time reduce the Revolving Commitments; provided that (i) each reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $5,000,000 and not less than $10,000,000 and (ii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Revolving Commitments if, after giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the Revolving Loans in accordance with Section 2.11, (x) the Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure would exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments, (y) the Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure denominated in Foreign Currencies would exceed the Foreign Currency Sublimit or (z) the Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure of any Lender would exceed the Revolving Commitment of such Lender.
(d) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the Revolving Commitments under paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section at least three (3) Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or reduction, specifying such election and the effective date thereof. Promptly following receipt of any notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the Revolving Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or other transactions specified therein, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any termination or reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be permanent. Each reduction of the
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Revolving Commitments shall be made ratably among the Lenders in accordance with their respective Revolving Commitments.
(e) The Borrower shall have the right to increase the Revolving Commitments or enter into one or more tranches of term loans (each an “Incremental Term Loan”), in each case by obtaining additional Revolving Commitments or participations in such Incremental Term Loans, either from one or more of the Lenders or another lending institution (other than any Ineligible Institution), provided that (i) any such request for an increase or tranche of Incremental Term Loans shall be in a minimum amount of $25,000,000, (ii) the Borrower may make a maximum of three (3) such requests during the term of this Agreement, (iii) after giving effect thereto, the sum of the total of the additional Revolving Commitments and Incremental Term Loans does not exceed $150,000,000, (iv) the Administrative Agent and, only in the case of any increase in the Revolving Commitments, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank have approved the identity of any such new Lender, such approvals not to be unreasonably withheld, (v) any such new Lender assumes all of the rights and obligations of a “Lender” hereunder, and (vi) the procedures described in Section 2.09(f) have been satisfied. Nothing contained in this Section 2.09 shall constitute, or otherwise be deemed to be, a commitment on the part of any Lender to increase its Revolving Commitment or participate in any tranche of Incremental Term Loans hereunder at any time.
(f) As a condition precedent to such an increase of the Revolving Commitments or tranche of Incremental Term Loans, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent (i) a certificate of each Loan Party signed by an authorized officer of such Loan Party (A) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such increase or tranche, and (B) in the case of the Borrower, certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase or tranche, (1) the representations and warranties contained in Article III and the other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects (or, with respect to any representation or warranty qualified by materiality, in all respects), except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct in all material respects (or, with respect to any representation or warranty qualified by materiality, in all respects) as of such earlier date, (2) no Default or Event of Default exists and (3) the Borrower is in compliance (on a pro forma basis, giving effect to any borrowing of Revolving Loans or Incremental Term Loans to occur in connection therewith (which calculation, in the case of any delayed-draw term loans, shall assume that the full tranche of Incremental Term Loans is fully funded on the date of determination) with the covenants contained in Section 6.12 and (ii) legal opinions and documents consistent with those delivered on the Effective Date, to the extent requested by the Administrative Agent.
(g) On the effective date of any such increase or tranche of Incremental Term Loans, (i) any Lender increasing (or, in the case of any newly added Lender, extending) its Revolving Commitment shall make available to the Administrative Agent such amounts in immediately available funds as the Administrative Agent shall determine, for the benefit of the other Lenders, as being required in order to cause, after giving effect to such increase or addition and the use of such amounts to make payments to such other Lenders, each Lender’s portion of the outstanding Revolving Loans of all the Lenders to equal its revised Applicable Percentage of such outstanding Revolving Loans, and the Administrative Agent shall make such other adjustments among the Lenders with respect to the Revolving Loans then outstanding and amounts of principal, interest, commitment fees and other amounts paid or payable with respect thereto as shall be necessary, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, in order to effect such reallocation and (ii) except in the case of any Incremental Term Loans, the Borrower shall be deemed to have repaid and reborrowed all outstanding Revolving Loans as of the date of any increase (or addition) in the Revolving Commitments (with such reborrowing to consist of the Types of Revolving Loans, with related Interest Periods if applicable, specified by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent). The deemed payments made pursuant to clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall be accompanied by payment of all accrued interest on the amount prepaid and, to the extent applicable, shall be subject to indemnification by the Borrower pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.16. The Incremental Term Loans (x) shall rank pari passu in right of payment with the Revolving Loans, (y) shall not mature earlier than the Revolving Credit Maturity Date in effect at such time (but may have amortization prior to such date so long as the weighted average life to maturity of any Incremental Term Loans shall be no shorter than the remaining weighted average life to maturity of any other Incremental Term Loans (if any) outstanding at such time) and (z) shall be treated substantially the same as (and in any event no more favorably than) the Revolving Loans; provided that (A) the terms and conditions
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applicable to any tranche of Incremental Term Loans maturing after the Revolving Credit Maturity Date in effect at such time may provide for material additional or different financial or other covenants or prepayment requirements applicable only during periods after the Revolving Credit Maturity Date and (B) the Incremental Term Loans may be priced differently than the Revolving Loans.
(h) Subject to the foregoing conditions, any Incremental Term Loans or increase in the Revolving Commitments may be made hereunder pursuant to an amendment or restatement (an “Incremental Facility Amendment”) of this Agreement and, as appropriate, the other Loan Documents, executed by the Borrower, each Lender participating in such tranche and the Administrative Agent. The Incremental Facility Amendment may, without the consent of any other Lenders, effect such amendments to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent, to effect the provisions of this Section 2.09 and reflect the applicable Incremental Term Loans and increase in the Revolving Commitments. Within a reasonable time after the effective date of any increase or addition, the Administrative Agent shall, and is hereby authorized and directed to, revise the Commitment Schedule to reflect such increase or addition and shall distribute such revised Commitment Schedule to each of the Lenders and the Borrower, whereupon such revised Commitment Schedule shall replace the old Commitment Schedule and become part of this Agreement.
(i) In connection with any increase of the Revolving Commitments or Incremental Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.09, any new lending institution becoming a party hereto shall (i) execute such documents and agreements as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request and (ii) provide to the Administrative Agent, its name, address, tax identification number and/or such other information as shall be necessary for the Administrative Agent to comply with “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including without limitation, the USA PATRIOT Act.
SECTION 2.10. Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt.
(a) The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay in dollars (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Revolving Loan on the Revolving Credit Maturity Date, and (ii) to the Swingline Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Swingline Loan on the earlier of the Revolving Credit Maturity Date and the fifth Business Day after such Swingline Loan is made; provided that on each date that a Revolving Loan is made, the Borrower shall repay all Swingline Loans then outstanding and the proceeds of any such Revolving Loan shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to repay any Swingline Loans outstanding.
(b) Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the Indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Agreed Currency and Type thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, if any, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.
(d) The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the Obligations.
(e) Any Lender may request that Loans made by it be evidenced by a promissory note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note payable to such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more promissory notes in such form.
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SECTION 2.11. Prepayment of Loans.
(a) The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part without premium or penalty, subject to prior notice in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section and, if applicable, payment of any break funding expenses under Section 2.16.
(b) In the event and on such occasion that, (i) other than as a result of fluctuations in currency exchange rates, (A) the sum of the aggregate principal Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure (calculated, with respect to those Credit Events denominated in Foreign Currencies, as of the most recent Revaluation Date with respect to each such Credit Event) exceeds the aggregate Revolving Commitments or (B) the sum of the aggregate principal Dollar Amount of all of the aggregate outstanding Revolving Exposures denominated in Foreign Currencies (the “Foreign Currency Exposure”) (so calculated), as of the most recent Revaluation Date with respect to each such Credit Event, exceeds the Foreign Currency Sublimit or (ii) solely as a result of fluctuations in currency exchange rates, (A) the Foreign Currency Exposure (so calculated) exceeds 103% of the aggregate Global Revolving Commitments or (B) the Foreign Currency Exposure, as of the most recent Revaluation Date with respect to each such Credit Event, exceeds 103% of the Foreign Currency Sublimit, then the Borrower shall, in each case, within five (5) Business Days following receipt of notice from the Administrative Agent, repay any Revolving Borrowings or cash collateralize any LC Exposure in an account with the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.06(j), as applicable, in an aggregate principal amount sufficient to cause (x) the aggregate Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Exposure (so calculated) to be less than or equal to the aggregate Revolving Commitments, (y) the Foreign Currency Exposure (so calculated) to be less than or equal to the Global Revolving Commitments and (z) the Foreign Currency Exposure (so calculated) to be less than or equal to the Foreign Currency Sublimit, as applicable.
(c) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent (and, in the case of prepayment of Swingline Loans, the Swingline Lenders) by telephone (confirmed by telecopy or electronic mail) of any prepayment hereunder (i) (w) in the case of prepayment of (1) a Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing denominated in Dollars, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, three Business Days before the date of prepayment or (2) an RFR Revolving Borrowing denominated in Dollars, not later than 2:00 p.m. New York City time, five Business Days before the date of prepayment, (x) in the case of prepayment of a Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing denominated in Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars or New Zealand Dollars, not later than 3:00 p.m., New York City time, five Business Days before the date of prepayment and (y) in the case of prepayment of an RFR Revolving Borrowing denominated in Pounds Sterling, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, five RFR Business Days before the date of prepayment, (ii) in the case of prepayment of an ABR Revolving Borrowing, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, one Business Day before the date of prepayment, or (iii) in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, not later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of prepayment. Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid; provided that, if a notice of prepayment is given in connection with a conditional notice of termination of the Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.09, then such notice of prepayment may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked in accordance with Section 2.09. Promptly following receipt of any such notice relating to a Revolving Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Revolving Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Revolving Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02. Each prepayment of a Revolving Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Revolving Loans included in the prepaid Revolving Borrowing. Prepayments shall be accompanied by accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.13 and any break funding payments required by Section 2.16.
SECTION 2.12. Fees.
(a) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent a commitment fee for the account of each Lender, which shall accrue at the Applicable Rate on the daily amount of the undrawn portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Lender during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the date on which the Lenders’ Revolving Commitments terminate; it being understood that the LC Exposure of a Lender shall be included and the Swingline Exposure of a Lender
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shall be excluded in the drawn portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Lender for purposes of calculating the commitment fee; provided that, if such Lender continues to have any Revolving Exposure after its Revolving Commitment terminates, then such commitment fee shall continue to accrue on the daily amount of such Lender’s Revolving Exposure from and including the date on which its Revolving Commitment terminates to but excluding the date on which such Lender ceases to have any Revolving Exposure. Commitment fees accrued through and including the last day of March, June, September and December of each year shall be payable in arrears on the fifteenth (15th) day following such last day and on the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate, commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof; provided that any commitment fees accruing after the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. All commitment fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day and last day of each period but excluding the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate).
(b) The Borrower agrees to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a participation fee with respect to its participations in each outstanding Letter of Credit, which shall accrue on the daily maximum stated Dollar Amount then available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit at the same Applicable Rate used to determine the interest rate applicable to Term Benchmark Revolving Loans, during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date on which such Lender’s Revolving Commitment terminates and the date on which such Lender ceases to have any LC Exposure, and (ii) to the Issuing Bank for its own account a fronting fee, which shall accrue at the rate or rates per annum separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Issuing Bank on the daily maximum stated Dollar Amount then available to be drawn under each outstanding Letter of Credit, during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date of termination of the Revolving Commitments and the date on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure, as well as the Issuing Bank’s standard fees and commissions with respect to the issuance, amendment, cancellation, negotiation, transfer, presentment or extension of any Letter of Credit and other processing fees, and other standard costs and charges, of the Issuing Bank relating to Letters of Credit as from time to time in effect. Participation fees and fronting fees accrued through and including the last day of each March, June, September and December of each year shall be payable on the fifteenth (15th) day following such last day, commencing on the first such date to occur after the Effective Date; provided that all such fees shall be payable on the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate and any such fees accruing after the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. Any other fees payable to the Issuing Bank pursuant to this paragraph shall be payable within ten (10) days after demand. All participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).
(c) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
(d) All fees payable hereunder shall be paid in dollars on the dates due, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent (or to the Issuing Bank, in the case of fees payable to it) for distribution, in the case of commitment fees and participation fees, to the Lenders entitled thereto. Fees paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
SECTION 2.13. Interest.
(a) The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing (including each Swingline Loan) shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate. The Loans comprising each CBR Loan shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Central Bank Rate plus the CBR Spread.
(b) The Loans comprising each Term Benchmark Borrowing shall bear interest at the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted AUD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate or the Adjusted NZD Rate, as applicable, for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus the Applicable Rate.
(c) Each RFR Loan shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR plus the Applicable Rate.
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(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, during the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may, at their option, by notice to the Borrower (which notice may be revoked at the option of the Required Lenders notwithstanding any provision of Section 9.02 requiring the consent of “each Lender directly affected thereby” for reductions in interest rates), declare that (i) all Loans shall bear interest at 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loans as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount outstanding hereunder, such amount shall accrue at 2% plus the rate applicable to such fee or other obligation as provided hereunder.
(e) Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in arrears in the same Agreed Currency as the applicable Loan on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan and, in the case of Revolving Loans, upon termination of the Revolving Commitments; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (d) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other than a prepayment of an ABR Revolving Loan prior to the end of the Availability Period), accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any Term Benchmark Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.
(f) All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, except that interest (i) computed by reference to the CDOR Rate, the Canadian Prime Rate or the Alternate Base Rate at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate, in each case, shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), (ii) for Borrowings denominated in Australian Dollars shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days, (iii) for Borrowings denominated in New Zealand Dollars shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days and (iv) for Borrowings denominated in Pounds Sterling shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days, and in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day). All interest hereunder on any Loan shall be computed on a daily basis based upon the outstanding principal amount of such Loan as of the applicable date of determination. The applicable Alternate Base Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, Term SOFR Rate, Adjusted AUD Rate, AUD Rate, Adjusted NZD Rate, NZD Rate, Adjusted CDOR Rate, CDOR Rate, Adjusted Daily Simple SONIA Rate, SONIA Rate, Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR, Daily Simple SOFR or Central Bank Rate shall be reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
SECTION 2.14. Alternate Rate of Interest(a) .
(a) Subject to clauses (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of this Section 2.14, if:
(i) the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) (A) prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Term Benchmark Borrowing that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining (including, without limitation, by means of an Interpolated Rate or because the Relevant Screen Rate is not available or published on a current basis) the Alternate Base Rate, the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted AUD Rate, the AUD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate, the CDOR Rate, the Adjusted NZD Rate or the NZD Rate, as applicable, for such Interest Period and currency or (B) at any time, that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR or RFR for the applicable Agreed Currency; or
(ii) the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that (A) prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Term Benchmark Borrowing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted AUD Rate, the AUD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate, the CDOR Rate, the Adjusted NZD Rate or the NZD Rate, as applicable, for the applicable Interest Period and currency will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their Loans (or Loan) included in such Borrowing for such Interest Period, or (B) at any time, the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR or RFR for the applicable Agreed Currency will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of making or maintaining their Loans included in such Borrowing for the applicable Agreed Currency;
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then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders by telephone, telecopy or electronic mail as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.08 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, (A) for Loans denominated in Dollars, (1) any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Revolving Borrowing to, or continuation of any Revolving Borrowing as, a Term Benchmark Borrowing and any Borrowing Request that requests a Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing shall instead be deemed to be an Interest Election Request or a Borrowing Request, as applicable, for (x) an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars so long as the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is not also the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above or (y) an ABR Borrowing if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings also is the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above and (2) if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings also is the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above, any Borrowing Request that requests an RFR Borrowing for Dollars shall instead be deemed to be a Borrowing Request for an ABR Borrowing and (B) for Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency, any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Revolving Borrowing to, or continuation of any Revolving Borrowing as, a Term Benchmark Borrowing and any Borrowing Request that requests a Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing or an RFR Borrowing, in each case, for the relevant Benchmark shall be ineffective; provided that if the circumstances giving rise to such notice affect only one or more Types of Borrowings, then all other Types of Borrowings shall be permitted. Furthermore, if any Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan in any Agreed Currency is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s receipt of the notice from the Administrative Agent referred to in this Section 2.14(a) with respect to a Relevant Rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan, then until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist, with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.08 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, (A) for Loans denominated in Dollars, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, (x) an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars so long as the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is not also the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above or (y) an ABR Loan if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings also is the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above, on such day, and (2) if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings also is the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above, any RFR Loan shall on and from such day be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute an ABR Loan and (B) for Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall, on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan bear interest at the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided, that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected Term Benchmark Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency shall, at the Borrower’s election prior to such day: (A) be prepaid by the Borrower on such day or (B) solely for the purpose of calculating the interest rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan, such Term Benchmark Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency shall be deemed to be a Term Benchmark Loan denominated in Dollars and shall accrue interest at the same interest rate applicable to Term Benchmark Loans denominated in Dollars at such time, and (2) any RFR Loan shall bear interest at the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected RFR Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency, at the Borrower’s election, shall either (A) be converted into ABR Loans denominated in Dollars (in an amount equal to the Equivalent Amount of such Foreign Currency) immediately or (B) be prepaid in full immediately.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document (and any Swap Agreement shall be deemed not to be a “Loan Document” for purposes of this Section 2.14), if a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred prior to the Reference Time in respect of any setting of the then-current Benchmark, then (x) if a Benchmark Replacement is determined in accordance with clause (1) of the definition of “Benchmark Replacement” with respect to Dollars for such Benchmark Replacement Date, such Benchmark Replacement will replace such Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in respect of such
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Benchmark setting and subsequent Benchmark settings without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document and (y) if a Benchmark Replacement is determined in accordance with clause (2) of the definition of “Benchmark Replacement” with respect to any Agreed Currency for such Benchmark Replacement Date, such Benchmark Replacement will replace such Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in respect of any Benchmark setting at or after 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the fifth (5th) Business Day after the date notice of such Benchmark Replacement is provided to the Lenders without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document so long as the Administrative Agent has not received, by such time, written notice of objection to such Benchmark Replacement from Lenders comprising the Required Lenders.
(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, the Administrative Agent will have the right to make Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
(d) The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of (i) any occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, (ii) the implementation of any Benchmark Replacement, (iii) the effectiveness of any Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes, (iv) the removal or reinstatement of any tenor of a Benchmark pursuant to Section 2.14(e) and (v) the commencement or conclusion of any Benchmark Unavailability Period. Any determination, decision or election that may be made by the Administrative Agent or, if applicable, any Lender (or group of Lenders) pursuant to this Section 2.14, including any determination with respect to a tenor, rate or adjustment or of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event, circumstance or date and any decision to take or refrain from taking any action or any selection, will be conclusive and binding absent manifest error and may be made in its or their sole discretion and without consent from any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except, in each case, as expressly required pursuant to this Section 2.14.
(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, at any time (including in connection with the implementation of a Benchmark Replacement), (i) if the then-current Benchmark is a term rate (including the Term SOFR Rate, AUD Rate, CDOR Rate or NZD Rate) and either (A) any tenor for such Benchmark is not displayed on a screen or other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion or (B) the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark has provided a public statement or publication of information announcing that any tenor for such Benchmark is or will be no longer representative, then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” for any Benchmark settings at or after such time to remove such unavailable or non-representative tenor and (ii) if a tenor that was removed pursuant to clause (i) above either (A) is subsequently displayed on a screen or information service for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement) or (B) is not, or is no longer, subject to an announcement that it is or will no longer be representative for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement), then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” for all Benchmark settings at or after such time to reinstate such previously removed tenor.
(f) Upon the Borrower’s receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period, the Borrower may revoke any request for a Term Benchmark Borrowing or RFR Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term Benchmark Loans or RFR Loans to be made, converted or continued during any Benchmark Unavailability Period and, failing that, either (x) the Borrower will be deemed to have converted any such request for (1) a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars into a request for a Borrowing of or conversion to (A) an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars so long as the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is not the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (B) an ABR Borrowing if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (y) any request relating to a Term Benchmark Borrowing or RFR Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency shall be ineffective. During any Benchmark Unavailability Period or at any time that a tenor for the then-current Benchmark is not an Available Tenor, the component of ABR based upon the then-current Benchmark or such tenor for such Benchmark, as applicable, will not be used in any determination of ABR. Furthermore, if any Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan in any Agreed Currency is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s
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receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period with respect to a Relevant Rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan, then until such time as a Benchmark Replacement for such Agreed Currency is implemented pursuant to this Section 2.14, (A) for Loans denominated in Dollars, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, (x) an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars so long as the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is not the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (y) an ABR Loan if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event, on such day and (2) if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event, any RFR Loan shall on and from such day, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute an ABR Loan and (B) for Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall, on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan bear interest at the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected Term Benchmark Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency shall, at the Borrower’s election prior to such day: (A) be prepaid by the Borrower on such day or (B) solely for the purpose of calculating the interest rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan, such Term Benchmark Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency shall be deemed to be a Term Benchmark Loan denominated in Dollars and shall accrue interest at the same interest rate applicable to Term Benchmark Loans denominated in Dollars at such time and (2) any RFR Loan shall bear interest at the Central Bank Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank Rate (for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected RFR Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency, at the Borrower’s election, shall either (A) be converted into ABR Loans denominated in Dollars (in an amount equal to the Equivalent Amount of such Foreign Currency) immediately or (B) be prepaid in full immediately.
SECTION 2.15. Increased Costs.
(a) If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, liquidity or similar requirement (including any compulsory loan requirement, insurance charge or other assessment) against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted AUD Rate, the Adjusted CDOR Rate or Adjusted NZD Rate, as applicable) or the Issuing Bank; or
(ii) impose on any Lender or the Issuing Bank or the applicable interbank market for the applicable Agreed Currency any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein; or
(iii) subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender or such other Recipient of making, continuing, converting into or maintaining any Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan) (including, without limitation, pursuant to any conversion of any Borrowing denominated in an Agreed Currency into a Borrowing denominated in any other Agreed Currency) or to increase the cost to such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other Recipient of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit (including, without limitation, pursuant to any conversion of any Borrowing denominated in an Agreed Currency into a Borrowing denominated in any other Agreed Currency) or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other Recipient hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise) (including, without limitation, pursuant to any conversion of any Borrowing denominated in an Agreed Currency into a Borrowing denominated in any other Agreed Currency), then the Borrower will pay to such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other
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Recipient, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such other Recipient, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) If any Lender or the Issuing Bank determines that any Change in Law regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Revolving Commitments of or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by the Issuing Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy and liquidity), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) A certificate of a Lender or the Issuing Bank setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.
(d) Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender or the Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 270 days prior to the date that such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s intention to claim compensation therefor; provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 270-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
SECTION 2.16. Break Funding Payments.
(a) With respect to Loans that are not RFR Loans, in the event of (i) the payment of any principal of any Term Benchmark Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or as a result of any optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans), (ii) the conversion of any Term Benchmark Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (iii) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Term Benchmark Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.09(d) and is revoked in accordance therewith), (iv) the failure by any Borrower to make any payment of any Loan or drawing under any Letter of Credit (or interest due thereof) denominated in a Foreign Currency on its scheduled due date or any payment thereof in a different currency or (v) the assignment of any Term Benchmark Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19 or 9.02(d) or the CAM Exchange, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event.
(b) With respect to RFR Loans, in the event of (i) the payment of any principal of any RFR Loan other than on the Interest Payment Date applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or an optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans), (ii) the failure to borrow or prepay any RFR Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.09(d) and is revoked in accordance therewith), (iii) the assignment of any RFR Loan other than on the Interest Payment Date applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19 or 9.02(d) or the CAM Exchange, or (iv) the failure by the Borrower to make any payment of any Loan or drawing under any Letter of Credit (or interest due thereof) denominated in a Foreign Currency on its scheduled due date or any payment thereof in a different
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currency, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event.
(c) A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section 2.16 shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.
SECTION 2.17. Taxes.
(a) Withholding of Taxes; Gross-Up; Payments Free of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document (including, without limitation, the Secured Obligations and Guaranteed Obligations of each Loan Party) shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable law. If any applicable law (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable withholding agent) requires the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by a withholding agent, then the applicable withholding agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after such deduction or withholding has been made (including such deductions and withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 2.17), the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deduction or withholding been made.
(b) Payment of Other Taxes by Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for, Other Taxes.
(c) Evidence of Payment. As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority pursuant to this Section 2.17, such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment, or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(d) Indemnification by the Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Loan Party by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(e) Indemnification by the Lenders. Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for (i) any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so), (ii) any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 9.04(c) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (iii) any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under any Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to such Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this paragraph (e).
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(f) Status of Lenders.
(i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person,
(A) any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), an executed copy of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(B) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(1) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the U.S. is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(2) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming that its extension of credit will generate U.S. effectively connected income, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(3) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable; or
(4) to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D-2 or Exhibit D-3, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification
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documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;
(C) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed copies of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D) if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(g) Treatment of Certain Refunds. If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.17 (including by the payment of additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.17), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section 2.17 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid over pursuant to this paragraph (g) (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event that such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this paragraph (g), in no event will the indemnified party be required to pay any amount to an indemnifying party pursuant to this paragraph (g) the payment of which would place the indemnified party in a less favorable net after-Tax position than the indemnified party would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts giving rise to such refund had never been paid. This paragraph (g) shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.
(h) Survival. Each party’s obligations under this Section 2.17 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Revolving Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all obligations under any Loan Document (including the Payment in Full of the Secured Obligations).
(i) Defined Terms. For purposes of this Section 2.17, the term “applicable law” includes FATCA.
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SECTION 2.18. Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs.
(a) Each Loan Party shall make each payment or prepayment required to be made by it hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC Disbursements, or of amounts payable under Sections 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17, or otherwise) prior to (i) in the case of payments denominated in Dollars, 1:00 p.m., New York City time, and (ii) in the case of payments denominated in a Foreign Currency, 1:00 p.m., New York City time, in the city of the Administrative Agent’s Eurocurrency Payment Office for such currency, in each case on the date when due, in immediately available funds, without set-off or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made (i) in the same currency in which the applicable Loan or Letter of Credit was made (unless otherwise expressly provided under Section 2.06) and (ii) to the Administrative Agent at its offices at 10 South Dearborn Street, Floor L2, Chicago, Illinois, or, in the case of a Loan or a Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Administrative Agent’s Eurocurrency Payment Office for such currency, except payments to be made directly to the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender as expressly provided herein and except that payments pursuant to Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 shall be made directly to the Persons entitled thereto. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent may require that any payments due under this Agreement be made in the United States. The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments denominated in the same currency received by it for the account of any other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof. Unless otherwise provided for herein, if any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, if, after the making of any Loan or Letter of Credit in any Foreign Currency, currency control or exchange regulations are imposed in the country which issues such currency with the result that the type of currency in which the Loan or Letter of Credit was made (the “Original Currency”) no longer exists or the Borrower is not able to make payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders in such Original Currency, then all payments to be made by the Borrower hereunder in such currency shall instead be made when due in Dollars in an amount equal to the Dollar Amount (as of the date of repayment) of such payment due, it being the intention of the parties hereto that the Borrower take all risks of the imposition of any such currency control or exchange regulations. If, for any reason, the Borrower is prohibited by any law from making any required payment hereunder in a Foreign Currency, the Borrower shall make such payment in Dollars in the Dollar Amount of the Foreign Currency payment amount.
(b) All payments and any proceeds of Collateral received by the Administrative Agent (i) not constituting either (A) a specific payment of principal, interest, fees or other sum payable under the Loan Documents (which shall be applied as specified by the Borrower) or (B) a mandatory prepayment (which shall be applied in accordance with Section 2.11) or (ii) after an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent so elects or the Required Lenders so direct, in each case, shall be applied first, to pay any fees, indemnities, or expense reimbursements including amounts then due to the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank from the Borrower (other than in connection with Banking Services Obligations or Swap Agreement Obligations), second, to pay any fees, indemnities or expense reimbursements then due to the Lenders from the Loan Parties (other than in connection with Banking Services Obligations or Swap Agreement Obligations), third, to pay interest then due and payable on the Loans ratably, fourth, to prepay principal on the Loans and unreimbursed LC Disbursements, to pay an amount to the Administrative Agent equal to one hundred three percent (103%) of the aggregate LC Exposure, to be held as cash collateral for such Obligations, and to pay any amounts owing in respect of Swap Agreement Obligations and Banking Services Obligations up to and including the amount most recently provided to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.22, ratably, and fifth, to the payment of any other Secured Obligation due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender from the Borrower or any other Loan Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) amounts received from any Loan Party shall not be applied to any Excluded Swap Obligation of such Loan Party and (B) no Non-Global Lender shall receive any amount with respect to any Obligation denominated in any Foreign Currency or in respect of any Revolving Exposure denominated in a Foreign Currency (it being understood that such amounts shall be apportioned ratably only to the Global Lenders). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, unless so directed by the Borrower, or unless a
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Default is in existence, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall apply any payment which it receives to any Term Benchmark Loan, except (i) on the expiration date of the Interest Period applicable thereto, or (ii) in the event, and only to the extent, that there are no outstanding ABR Loans and, in any such event, the Borrower shall pay the break funding payment required in accordance with Section 2.16. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall have the continuing and exclusive right to apply and reverse and reapply any and all such proceeds and payments to any portion of the Secured Obligations.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Secured Obligations arising under Banking Services Obligations or Swap Agreement Obligations shall be excluded from the application described above and paid in clause fifth if the Administrative Agent has not received written notice thereof to the extent required by Section 2.22, together with such supporting documentation as the Administrative Agent may have reasonably requested from the applicable provider of such Banking Services or Swap Agreements.
(c) At the election of the Administrative Agent, all payments of principal, interest, LC Disbursements, fees, premiums, reimbursable expenses (including, without limitation, all reimbursement for fees, costs and expenses pursuant to Section 9.03), and other sums payable under the Loan Documents, may be paid from the proceeds of Borrowings made hereunder, whether made following a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.03 or 2.05 or a deemed request as provided in this Section or may be deducted from any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent. The Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes (i) the Administrative Agent to make a Borrowing for the purpose of paying each payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents and agrees that all such amounts charged shall constitute Loans (including Swingline Loans), and that all such Borrowings shall be deemed to have been requested pursuant to Sections 2.03 or 2.05, as applicable, and (ii) the Administrative Agent to charge any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent for each payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents.
(d) If, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements or Swingline Loans resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans and accrued interest thereon than the proportion received by any other similarly situated Lender, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by all such Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements or Swingline Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply). Without limiting the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that Loans and LC Exposure denominated in Foreign Currencies shall be repaid to the Global Lenders (and not Non-Global Lenders) in accordance with the terms hereof. The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
(e) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received, prior to any date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the relevant Lenders or the Issuing Bank pursuant to the terms hereof or any other Loan Document (including any date that is fixed for prepayment by notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.11(f)), notice from the Borrower that the Borrower will not make such payment or prepayment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in
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reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or Issuing Bank with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the applicable Overnight Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
(f) The Administrative Agent may from time to time provide the Borrower with account statements or invoices with respect to any of the Secured Obligations (the “Statements”). The Administrative Agent is under no duty or obligation to provide Statements, which, if provided, will be solely for the Borrower’s convenience. Statements may contain estimates of the amounts owed during the relevant billing period, whether of principal, interest, fees or other Secured Obligations. If the Borrower pays the full amount indicated on a Statement on or before the due date indicated on such Statement, the Borrower shall not be in default of payment with respect to the billing period indicated on such Statement; provided, that acceptance by the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Lenders, of any payment that is less than the total amount actually due at that time (including but not limited to any past due amounts) shall not constitute a waiver of the Administrative Agent’s or the Lenders’ right to receive payment in full at another time.
SECTION 2.19. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a) If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or Affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b) If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, or if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 9.04), all its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17) and obligations under this Agreement and other Loan Documents to an assignee (other than any Ineligible Institution) that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent (and in circumstances where its consent would be required under Section 9.04, the Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender), which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.17, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments. A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply. Each party hereto agrees that (x) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (y) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for
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such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to and be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
SECTION 2.20. Defaulting Lenders. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:
(a) fees shall cease to accrue on the unfunded portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(a);
(b) any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Section 2.18(b) or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 9.08 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender hereunder; third, to cash collateralize the LC Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with this Section; fourth, as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and (y) cash collateralize the future LC Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement, in accordance with this Section; sixth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document; seventh, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender's breach of its obligations under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document; and eighth, to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or LC Disbursements in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and LC Disbursements owed to, all non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or LC Disbursements owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the Revolving Commitments without giving effect to clause (d) below. Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post cash collateral pursuant to this Section shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto;
(c) such Defaulting Lender shall not have the right to vote on any issue on which voting is required (other than to the extent expressly provided in Section 9.02(b)) and the Revolving Commitment and Revolving Exposure of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether the Required Lenders have taken or may take any action hereunder or under any other Loan Document; provided that, except as otherwise provided in Section 9.02, this clause (c) shall not apply to the vote of a Defaulting Lender in the case of an amendment, waiver or other modification requiring the consent of such Lender or each Lender directly affected thereby;
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(d) if any Swingline Exposure or LC Exposure exists at the time such Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender then:
(i) all or any part of the Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure of such Defaulting Lender (other than, in the case of a Defaulting Lender that is a Swingline Lender, the portion of such Swingline Exposure referred to in clause (b) of the definition of such term) shall be reallocated among the non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages but only to the extent that such reallocation does not, as to any non-Defaulting Lender, cause such non-Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Exposure to exceed its Revolving Commitment;
(ii) if the reallocation described in clause (i) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall within one (1) Business Day following notice by the Administrative Agent (x) first, prepay such Swingline Exposure and (y) second, cash collateralize, for the benefit of the Issuing Bank, the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure (after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause (i) above) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.06(j) for so long as such LC Exposure is outstanding;
(iii) if the Borrower cash collateralizes any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure pursuant to clause (ii) above, the Borrower shall not be required to pay any fees to such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure during the period such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure is cash collateralized;
(iv) if the LC Exposure of the non-Defaulting Lenders is reallocated pursuant to clause (i) above, then the fees payable to the Lenders pursuant to Sections 2.12(a) and 2.12(b) shall be adjusted in accordance with such non-Defaulting Lenders’ Applicable Percentages; and
(v) if all or any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure is neither reallocated nor cash collateralized pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) above, then, without prejudice to any rights or remedies of the Issuing Bank or any other Lender hereunder, all letter of credit fees payable under Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure shall be payable to the Issuing Bank until and to the extent that such LC Exposure is reallocated and/or cash collateralized; and
(e) so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender, the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and the Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, amend, renew, extend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless it is satisfied that the related exposure and such Defaulting Lender’s then outstanding LC Exposure will be 100% covered by the Revolving Commitments of the non-Defaulting Lenders and/or cash collateral will be provided by the Borrower in accordance with Section 2.20(d), and Swingline Exposure related to any such newly made Swingline Loan or LC Exposure related to any newly issued or increased Letter of Credit shall be allocated among non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.20(d)(i) (and such Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein).
If (i) a Bankruptcy Event or a Bail-In Action with respect to the Parent of any Lender shall occur following the date hereof and for so long as such event shall continue or (ii) the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Bank has a good faith belief that any Lender has defaulted in fulfilling its obligations under one or more other agreements in which such Lender commits to extend credit, the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and the Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, shall have entered into arrangements with the Borrower or such Lender, satisfactory to the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, to defease any risk to it in respect of such Lender hereunder.
In the event that each of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank agrees that a Defaulting Lender has adequately remedied all matters that caused such Lender to be a Defaulting Lender, then the Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure of the Lenders shall be readjusted to reflect the inclusion of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment and on the date of such readjustment such Lender shall purchase at par such of the Loans of the other Lenders (other than
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Swingline Loans) as the Administrative Agent shall determine may be necessary in order for such Lender to hold such Loans in accordance with its Applicable Percentage.
SECTION 2.21. Returned Payments. If, after receipt of any payment which is applied to the payment of all or any part of the Obligations (including a payment effected through exercise of a right of setoff), the Administrative Agent or any Lender is for any reason compelled to surrender such payment or proceeds to any Person because such payment or application of proceeds is invalidated, declared fraudulent, set aside, determined to be void or voidable as a preference, impermissible setoff, or a diversion of trust funds, or for any other reason (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent or such Lender in its discretion), then the Obligations or part thereof intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued and this Agreement shall continue in full force as if such payment or proceeds had not been received by the Administrative Agent or such Lender. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall be and remain effective notwithstanding any contrary action which may have been taken by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in reliance upon such payment or application of proceeds. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 2.22. Banking Services and Swap Agreements. Each Lender or Affiliate thereof providing Banking Services for, or having Swap Agreements with, any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall deliver to the Administrative Agent, promptly after entering into such Banking Services or Swap Agreements, written notice setting forth the aggregate amount of all Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations of such Loan Party or Subsidiary to such Lender or Affiliate (whether matured or unmatured, absolute or contingent). In furtherance of that requirement, each such Lender or Affiliate thereof shall furnish the Administrative Agent, from time to time after a significant change therein or upon a request therefor, a summary of the amounts due or to become due in respect of such Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations. The most recent information provided to the Administrative Agent shall be used in determining which tier of the waterfall, contained in Section 2.18(b), such Banking Services Obligations and/or Swap Agreement Obligations will be placed. For the avoidance of doubt, so long as Chase or its Affiliate is the Administrative Agent, neither Chase nor any of its Affiliates providing Banking Services for, or having Swap Agreements with, any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party shall be required to provide any notice described in this Section 2.22 in respect of such Banking Services or Swap Agreements.
ARTICLE III
Representations and Warranties
Representations and Warranties
Each Loan Party represents and warrants to the Lenders that:
SECTION 3.01. Organization; Powers. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary is duly organized or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required.
SECTION 3.02. Authorization; Enforceability. The Transactions are within each Loan Party’s corporate or other organizational powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational actions and, if required, actions by equity holders. Each Loan Document to which each Loan Party is a party has been duly executed and delivered by such Loan Party and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
SECTION 3.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The Transactions (a) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except such as have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect and except for filings necessary
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to perfect Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents, (b) will not violate any Requirement of Law applicable to any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, (c) will not violate or result in a default under any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or the assets of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, and (d) will not result in the creation or imposition of, or other requirement to create, any Lien on any asset of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, except Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents.
SECTION 3.04. Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change.
(a) The Borrower has heretofore furnished to the Lenders its consolidated balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows (i) as of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, reported on by BDO USA, LLP, independent public accountants, and (ii) as of and for the fiscal quarter and the portion of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, certified by its Financial Officer. Such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position and results of operations and cash flows of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods in accordance with GAAP, subject to normal year end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes in the case of the statements referred to in clause (ii) above.
(b) No event, change or condition has occurred that has had, or could reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, since December 31, 2021.
SECTION 3.05. Properties.
(a) As of the date of this Agreement, Schedule 3.05 sets forth the address of each parcel of real property that is owned or leased by any Loan Party. Each of such leases and subleases is valid and enforceable in accordance with its terms and is in full force and effect, and no default by any Loan Party or Subsidiary party thereto or, to the extent such default could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, any other party to any such lease or sublease exists. Each of the Loan Parties and each Subsidiary has good title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all of its real and personal property, free of all Liens other than those permitted by Section 6.02.
(b) Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary owns, or is licensed to use, all trademarks, tradenames, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property material and necessary to its business as currently conducted, a correct and complete list of which, as of the date of this Agreement and to the extent the same is registered or subject to application for registration, is set forth on Schedule 3.05, and the use thereof by each Loan Party and each Subsidiary does not infringe upon the rights of any other Person except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and each Loan Party’s and each Subsidiary’s rights thereto are not subject to any licensing agreement or similar arrangement.
SECTION 3.06. Litigation and Environmental Matters.
(a) There are no actions, suits or proceedings by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority pending against or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, threatened against or affecting any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (i) as to which there is a reasonable possibility of an adverse determination and that, if adversely determined, could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) that involve any Loan Document or the Transactions.
(b) (i) No Loan Party or any Subsidiary has received notice of any claim with respect to any Environmental Liability or knows of any basis for any Environmental Liability, in each case, that could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and (ii) except with respect to any other matters that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, no Loan Party or any Subsidiary (A) has failed to comply with any Environmental Law or to obtain, maintain or comply with any permit, license or other approval required under any Environmental Law (B) has become subject to any Environmental Liability, (C) has received notice of any claim with respect to any Environmental Liability or (D) knows of any basis for any Environmental Liability.
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SECTION 3.07. Compliance with Laws and Agreements; No Default. Except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, each Loan Party and each Subsidiary is in compliance with (a) all Requirements of Law applicable to it or its property and (b) all indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property. No Default has occurred and is continuing.
SECTION 3.08. Investment Company Status. No Loan Party or any Subsidiary is an “investment company” as defined in, or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company Act of 1940.
SECTION 3.09. Taxes. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary has timely filed or caused to be filed all Tax returns and reports required to have been filed and has paid or caused to be paid all Taxes required to have been paid by it, except Taxes that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, as applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves. No tax liens (other than Permitted Encumbrances) have been filed and no claims are being asserted with respect to any such taxes.
SECTION 3.10. ERISA. No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA Events for which liability is reasonably expected to occur, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The present value of all accumulated benefit obligations under each Plan (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 87) did not, as of the date of the most recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, exceed the fair market value of the assets of such Plan.
SECTION 3.11. Disclosure.
(a) The Loan Parties have disclosed to the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which any Loan Party or any Subsidiary is subject, and all other matters known to it, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Information Memorandum nor any of the other reports, financial statements, certificates or other information furnished by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Loan Parties represent only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time delivered and, if such projected financial information was delivered prior to the Effective Date, as of the Effective Date.
(b) As of the Effective Date, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, the information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification provided on or prior to the Effective Date to any Lender in connection with this Agreement is true and correct in all respects.
SECTION 3.12. Material Agreements. All agreements and contracts to which any Loan Party or any Subsidiary is a party or is bound as of the date of this Agreement that, if defaulted on by the applicable Loan Party or Subsidiary or terminated, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, are listed on Schedule 3.12. No Loan Party or any Subsidiary is in default in the performance, observance or fulfillment of any of the obligations, covenants or conditions contained in (a) any material agreement to which it is a party or (b) any agreement or instrument evidencing or governing Indebtedness, except in each case as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.13. Solvency.
(a) Immediately after the consummation of the Transactions to occur on the Effective Date, and immediately after the making of each Loan and each issuance of a Letter of Credit hereunder, (i) the fair value of the assets of each Loan Party, at a fair valuation, will exceed its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise; (ii) the present fair saleable value of the property of each Loan Party will be greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of its debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute
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and matured; (iii) each Loan Party will be able to pay its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and liabilities become absolute and matured; and (iv) no Loan Party will have unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in which it is engaged as such business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted after the Effective Date.
(b) No Loan Party intends to, nor will permit any Subsidiary to, and no Loan Party believes that it or any Subsidiary will, incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature, taking into account the timing of and amounts of cash to be received by it or any such Subsidiary and the timing of the amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its Indebtedness or the Indebtedness of any such Subsidiary.
SECTION 3.14. Insurance. Schedule 3.14 sets forth a description of all insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries as of the Effective Date. As of the Effective Date, all premiums in respect of such insurance have been paid. The Loan Parties believe that the insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries is adequate and is customary for companies engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations.
SECTION 3.15. Capitalization and Subsidiaries. As of the Effective Date, Schedule 3.15 sets forth (a) a correct and complete list of the name and relationship to the Borrower of each Subsidiary, (b) the type of entity of the Borrower and each Subsidiary, and (c) whether such Subsidiary is a Loan Party, Material Subsidiary. All of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests owned by any Loan Party have been (to the extent such concepts are relevant with respect to such ownership interests) duly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable.
SECTION 3.16. Security Interest in Collateral. The provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents create legal and valid Liens on all the Collateral in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, and such Liens constitute perfected and continuing Liens on the Collateral, securing the Secured Obligations, enforceable against the applicable Loan Party and all third parties, and having priority over all other Liens on the Collateral except in the case of (a) Liens permitted by Section 6.02, to the extent any such Liens would have priority over the Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to any applicable law or agreement expressly permitted hereunder and (b) Liens perfected only by possession (including possession of any certificate of title), to the extent the Administrative Agent has not obtained or does not maintain possession of such Collateral.
SECTION 3.17. Employment Matters. As of the Effective Date, there are no strikes, lockouts or slowdowns against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary pending or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, threatened. The hours worked by and payments made to employees of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries have not been in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act or any other applicable federal, state, local or foreign law dealing with such matters. All payments due from any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or for which any claim may be made against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, on account of wages and employee health and welfare insurance and other benefits, have been paid or accrued as a liability on the books of such Loan Party or such Subsidiary.
SECTION 3.18. Margin Regulations. No Loan Party is engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, and no part of the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit hereunder will be used to buy or carry any Margin Stock. Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing or drawing under each Letter of Credit, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of any Loan Party only or of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) will be Margin Stock.
SECTION 3.19. Use of Proceeds. The proceeds of the Loans have been used and will be used, whether directly or indirectly as set forth in Section 5.08.
SECTION 3.20. No Burdensome Restrictions. No Loan Party is subject to any Burdensome Restrictions except Burdensome Restrictions permitted under Section 6.10.
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SECTION 3.21. Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions. Each Loan Party has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by such Loan Party, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions, and such Loan Party, its Subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors, and, to the knowledge of such Loan Party, its employees and agents, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects and are not knowingly engaged in any activity that could reasonably be expected to result in any Loan Party being designated as a Sanctioned Person. None of (a) any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any of their respective directors, officers or, to the knowledge of any such Loan Party or Subsidiary, employees, or (b) to the knowledge of any such Loan Party or Subsidiary, any agent of such Loan Party or any Subsidiary that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person. No Borrowing or Letter of Credit, use of proceeds, Transaction or other transaction contemplated by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents will violate Anti-Corruption Laws or applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 3.22. Affected Financial Institutions. No Loan Party is an Affected Financial Institution.
SECTION 3.23. Common Enterprise. The successful operation and condition of each of the Loan Parties is dependent on the continued successful performance of the functions of the group of the Loan Parties as a whole and the successful operation of each of the Loan Parties is dependent on the successful performance and operation of each other Loan Party. Each Loan Party expects to derive benefit (and its board of directors or other governing body has determined that it may reasonably be expected to derive benefit), directly and indirectly, from (a) successful operations of each of the other Loan Parties and (b) the credit extended by the Lenders to the Borrower hereunder, both in their separate capacities and as members of the group of companies. Each Loan Party has determined that execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and any other Loan Documents to be executed by such Loan Party is within its purpose, in furtherance of its direct and/or indirect business interests, will be of direct and/or indirect benefit to such Loan Party, and is in its best interest.
SECTION 3.24. Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions. Subject to the accuracy of the Lenders’ representations in Section 8.09(a), no Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is an entity deemed to hold “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations), and neither the execution, delivery nor performance of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, including the making of any Loan and the issuance of any Letter of Credit hereunder, will give rise to a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
ARTICLE IV
Conditions
Conditions
SECTION 4.01. Effective Date. The obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall not become effective until the date on which each of the following conditions is satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02):
(a) Credit Agreement and Loan Documents. The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received (i) from each party hereto, a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party (which, subject to Section 9.06(b), may include any Electronic Signatures transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page) and (ii) duly executed copies of the Loan Documents and such other legal opinions, certificates, documents, instruments and agreements as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request in connection with the Transactions and the other Loan Documents, including any promissory notes requested by a Lender pursuant to Section 2.10 payable to the order of each such requesting Lender and a written opinion of the Loan Parties’ counsel, addressed to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(b) Financial Statements and Projections. The Lenders shall have received (i) audited consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years,
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(ii) unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for each fiscal quarter ended after the date of the latest applicable financial statements delivered pursuant to clause (i) of this paragraph as to which such financial statements are available, and such financial statements shall not, in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent, reflect any material adverse change in the consolidated financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, as reflected in the audited, consolidated financial statements described in clause (i) of this paragraph and (iii) satisfactory Projections through 2026.
(c) Closing Certificates; Certified Certificate of Incorporation; Good Standing Certificates. The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) a certificate of each Loan Party, dated the Effective Date and executed by its Secretary or Assistant Secretary, which shall (A) certify the resolutions of its Board of Directors, members or other governing body authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (B) identify by name and title and bear the signatures of the officers of such Loan Party authorized to sign the Loan Documents to which it is a party and, in the case of the Borrower, its Financial Officers, and (C) contain appropriate attachments, including the charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation of each Loan Party certified by the relevant authority of the jurisdiction of organization of such Loan Party and a true and correct copy of its bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents, and (ii) a long form good standing certificate for each Loan Party from its jurisdiction of organization.
(d) No Default Certificate. The Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate, signed by a Financial Officer of the Borrower, dated as of the Effective Date (i) stating that no Default has occurred and is continuing as of such date, (ii) stating that the representations and warranties contained in the Loan Documents are true and correct as of such date, and (iii) certifying as to any other factual matters as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.
(e) Fees. The Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall have received all fees required to be paid, and all expenses required to be reimbursed for which invoices have been presented (including the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of legal counsel), at least one Business Day before the Effective Date. All such amounts will be paid with proceeds of Loans made on the Effective Date and will be reflected in the funding instructions given by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent on or before the Effective Date.
(f) Lien and IP Searches. The Administrative Agent shall have received the results of a recent lien search in the jurisdiction of organization of each Loan Party and each jurisdiction where assets of the Loan Parties are located, and the results of search reports in respect of the intellectual property of the Loan Parties, and such searches shall reveal no Liens on any of the assets of the Loan Parties except for liens permitted by Section 6.02 or discharged on or prior to the Effective Date pursuant to a pay-off letter or other documentation satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(g) Pay-Off and Release Letter. The Administrative Agent shall have received satisfactory pay-off and release letters for all existing Indebtedness required to be repaid (including, without limitation, the credit facility evidenced by that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of September 4, 2020, among the Borrower, the other loan parties party thereto, the lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent thereunder (as amended prior to the Effective Date) and which confirms that all Liens securing such Indebtedness and all Guarantees in respect thereof will be terminated and released concurrently with such payment and all letters of credit issued or guaranteed as part of such Indebtedness shall have been cash collateralized or supported by a Letter of Credit.
(h) Funding Account. The Administrative Agent shall have received a notice (which notice shall be in the form of a Borrowing Request or such other form or method as approved by the Administrative Agent) setting forth the deposit account of the Borrower (as may be updated from time to time by written notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, the “Funding Account”) to which the Administrative Agent is authorized by the Borrower to transfer the proceeds of any Borrowings requested or authorized pursuant to this Agreement and which, in the case of a Borrowing Request, shall be delivered in accordance with Section 2.03, together with a customary funding indemnification letter to the extent any such Loan will be a Term Benchmark Loan.
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(i) [Reserved].
(j) Solvency. The Administrative Agent shall have received a solvency certificate signed by a Financial Officer dated the Effective Date in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(k) Pledged Equity Interests; Stock Powers; Pledged Notes. The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) the certificates representing the Equity Interests pledged pursuant to the Security Agreement, together with an undated stock power for each such certificate executed in blank by a duly authorized officer of the pledgor thereof and (ii) each promissory note and other instrument or possessory collateral (if any) pledged to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Security Agreement, endorsed (without recourse) in blank (or accompanied by an executed transfer form in blank) by the pledgor thereof or accompanied by allonges or other acknowledgements signed in blank, as applicable.
(l) Filings, Registrations and Recordings. Each document (including any Uniform Commercial Code financing statements and federal intellectual property filings) required by the Collateral Documents or under law or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to be filed, registered or recorded in order to create in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a perfected Lien on the Collateral described therein, prior and superior in right to any other Person (other than with respect to Liens expressly permitted by Section 6.02 to the extent any such Permitted Encumbrances would have priority over the Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to any applicable law), shall be in proper form for filing, registration or recordation.
(m) [Reserved].
(n) [Reserved]
(o) Insurance. The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence of insurance coverage in form, scope, and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and otherwise in compliance with the terms of Section 5.10 of this Agreement and the Security Agreement.
(p) Due Diligence. The Administrative Agent and its counsel shall have completed all legal due diligence, the results of which shall be satisfactory to Administrative Agent in its sole discretion.
(q) USA PATRIOT Act, Etc. At least five (5) days prior to the Effective Date, (i) the Administrative Agent and Lenders shall have received (x) all documentation and other information regarding the Loan Parties requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act, to the extent requested in writing of the Borrower at least ten (10) days prior to the Effective Date and (y) a properly completed and signed IRS Form W-8 or W-9, as applicable, for each Loan Party and (ii) to the extent the Borrower qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, any Lender that has requested, in a written notice to the Borrower at least ten (10) days prior to the Effective Date, a Beneficial Ownership Certification in relation to the Borrower shall have received such Beneficial Ownership Certification (provided that, upon the execution and delivery by such Lender of its signature page to this Agreement, the condition set forth in this clause (ii) shall be deemed to be satisfied).
(r) Other Documents. The Administrative Agent shall have received such other documents as the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, any Lender or their respective counsel may have reasonably requested (including, without limitation, a properly completed letter of credit application (whether standalone or pursuant to a master agreement, as applicable) if the issuance of a Letter of Credit will be required on the Effective Date, together with an executed copy of the Issuing Bank’s master agreement for the issuance of commercial Letters of Credit).
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Loan Parties, the Lenders and the Issuing Bank of the Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding.
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SECTION 4.02. Each Credit Event. The obligation of each Lender to make a Loan on the occasion of any Borrowing, and of the Issuing Bank to issue, amend or extend any Letter of Credit, is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) The representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in the Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects (or in all respects in the case of any representation and warranty qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect) with the same effect as though made on and as of the date of such Borrowing or the date of issuance, amendment or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable (it being understood and agreed that any representation or warranty which by its terms is made as of a specified date shall be required to be true and correct in all material respects (or in all respects in the case of any representation and warranty qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect) only as of such specified date).
(b) At the time of and immediately after giving effect to such Borrowing or the issuance, amendment or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Each Borrowing and each issuance, amendment or extension of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section.
Notwithstanding the failure to satisfy the conditions precedent set forth in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Section, unless otherwise directed by the Required Lenders, the Administrative Agent may, but shall have no obligation to, continue to make Loans and an Issuing Bank may, but shall have no obligation to, issue, amend or extend, or cause to be issued, amended or extended, any Letter of Credit for the ratable account and risk of Lenders from time to time if the Administrative Agent believes that making such Loans or issuing, amending or extending, or causing the issuance, amendment or extension of, any such Letter of Credit is in the best interests of the Lenders.
ARTICLE V
Affirmative Covenants
Affirmative Covenants
Until all of the Secured Obligations shall have been Paid in Full, each Loan Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees, jointly and severally with all of the other Loan Parties, with the Lenders that:
SECTION 5.01. Financial Statements and Other Information. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a) within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Borrower (or, if earlier, by the date that the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Borrower for such fiscal year would be required to be filed under the rules and regulations of the SEC, giving effect to any automatic extension available thereunder for the filing of such form) (commencing with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022), its audited consolidated balance sheet and related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all reported on by independent public accountants of recognized national standing (without a “going concern” or like qualification, commentary or exception, and without any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit) to the effect that such consolidated financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied;
(b) within forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Borrower (or, if earlier, by the date that the Quarterly Report on Form 10 Q of the Borrower for such fiscal quarter would be required to be filed under the rules and regulations of the SEC, giving effect to any automatic extension available thereunder for the filing of such form) (commencing with the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2022), its consolidated balance sheet and related statements
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of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such fiscal quarter and the then elapsed portion of such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding period or periods of (or, in the case of the balance sheet, as of the end of) the previous fiscal year, all certified by a Financial Officer as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
(c) concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (a) or (b) above (commencing with the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2022) (collectively or individually, as the context requires, the “Financial Statements”), a Compliance Certificate (i) certifying, in the case of the Financial Statements delivered under clause (a) or (b) above, as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes, (ii) certifying as to whether a Default has occurred and, if a Default has occurred, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto, (iii) setting forth reasonably detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Section 6.12 and (iv) stating whether any change in GAAP or in the application thereof has occurred since the date of the audited financial statements referred to in Section 3.04 and, if any such change has occurred, specifying the effect of such change on the Financial Statements accompanying such certificate;
(d) [reserved];
(e) as soon as available, but in any event no later than 60 days after the end of, and no earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the end of, each fiscal year of the Borrower, a copy of the plan and forecast (including a projected consolidated balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement) of the Borrower for each quarter of the upcoming fiscal year (the “Projections”) in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(f) promptly following any request therefor, (x) such other information regarding the operations, changes in ownership of Equity Interests, business affairs and financial condition of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) may reasonably request and (y) information and documentation reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender for purposes of compliance with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation;
(g) promptly after any request therefor by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (through the Administrative Agent), copies of (i) any documents described in Section 101(k)(1) of ERISA that the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate may request with respect to any Multiemployer Plan and (ii) any notices described in Section 101(l)(1) of ERISA that the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate may request with respect to any Multiemployer Plan; provided that if the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate has not requested such documents or notices from the administrator or sponsor of the applicable Multiemployer Plan, the Borrower or the applicable ERISA Affiliate shall promptly make a request for such documents and notices from such administrator or sponsor and shall provide copies of such documents and notices promptly after receipt thereof; and
(h) promptly after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary with the SEC, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the functions of the SEC, or with any national securities exchange, or distributed by the Borrower to its shareholders generally, as the case may be.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to clauses (a), (b) or (h) of this Section 5.01 (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which such materials are publicly available as posted on the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Borrower’s behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a
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commercial, third-party website or whether made available by the Administrative Agent); provided that (A) upon written request by the Administrative Agent (or any Lender through the Administrative Agent) to the Borrower, the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or such Lender until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and (B) the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by facsimile or through Electronic System) of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent through Electronic System electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request by a Lender for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for timely accessing posted documents or requesting delivery of paper copies of such document to it and maintaining its copies of such documents.
SECTION 5.02. Notices of Material Events. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender prompt (but in any event within any time period that may be specified below) written notice of the following:
(a) the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default;
(b) receipt of any notice of any investigation by a Governmental Authority or any Proceeding commenced or threatened against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary that (i) seeks damages in excess of $25,000,000, (ii) seeks injunctive relief that could reasonably be expected to be granted and, if granted, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (iii) is asserted or instituted against any Plan, its fiduciaries or its assets, (iv) alleges criminal misconduct by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, (v) alleges any material violation of, or seeks to impose remedies under, any Environmental Law or related Requirement of Law, or seeks to impose any material Environmental Liability, (vi) asserts liability on the part of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in excess of $10,000,000 in respect of any tax (other than taxes that are not past due and are payable in the ordinary course of business), fee, assessment, or other governmental charge, or (vii) involves any product recall;
(c) any material change in accounting or financial reporting practices by the Borrower or any Subsidiary;
(d) the occurrence of any ERISA Event that, alone or together with any other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount exceeding $10,000,000;
(e) [reserved];
(f) any other development that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect and
(g) any change in the information provided in the Beneficial Ownership Certification delivered to such Lender that would result in a change to the list of beneficial owners identified in such certification.
Each notice delivered under this Section (i) shall be in writing, (ii) shall contain a heading or a reference line that reads “Notice under Section 5.02 of “Cricut, Inc. Credit Agreement, dated as of August 4, 2022” and (iii) shall be accompanied by a statement of a Financial Officer or other executive officer of the Borrower setting forth the details of the event or development requiring such notice and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto.
SECTION 5.03. Existence; Conduct of Business. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, (a) do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect its legal existence and the rights, qualifications, licenses, permits, privileges, franchises, governmental authorizations, intellectual property rights, licenses and permits material to the conduct of its business, and maintain all requisite authority to conduct its business in each jurisdiction in which its
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business is conducted; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution permitted under Section 6.03 and (b) carry on and conduct its business in substantially the same manner and in substantially the same fields of enterprise as it is presently conducted.
SECTION 5.04. Payment of Obligations. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, pay or discharge all Material Indebtedness and all other material liabilities and obligations, including Taxes, before the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (a) the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (b) such Loan Party or Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP and (c) the failure to make payment pending such contest could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; provided, however, that each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, remit withholding taxes and other payroll taxes to appropriate Governmental Authorities as and when claimed to be due, notwithstanding the foregoing exceptions.
SECTION 5.05. Maintenance of Properties. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, keep and maintain all property material to the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted.
SECTION 5.06. Books and Records; Inspection Rights. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, (a) keep proper books of record and account in which full, true and correct entries are made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities and (b) permit any representatives designated by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including employees of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any consultants, accountants, lawyers, agents and appraisers retained by the Administrative Agent), upon reasonable prior notice during normal business hours (or at any time if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing), to visit and inspect its properties, conduct at the Loan Party’s premises field examinations of the Loan Party’s assets, liabilities, books and records, including examining and making extracts from its books and records, environmental assessment reports and Phase I or Phase II studies, and to discuss its affairs, finances and condition with its officers and independent accountants (and hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent and each Lender to contact its independent accountants directly) and to provide contact information for each bank where each Loan Party has a depository and/or securities account and each such Loan Party hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent and each Lender to contact the bank(s) in order to request bank statements and/or balances, all at such reasonable times and as often as reasonably requested. The Loan Parties acknowledge that the Administrative Agent, after exercising its rights of inspection, may prepare and distribute to the Lenders certain reports pertaining to the Loan Parties’ assets for internal use by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders. The Loan Parties shall be responsible for the costs and expenses of one (1) inspection during any 12-month period as well as the costs and expenses of all inspections conducted while an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
SECTION 5.07. Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, (a) comply with each Requirement of Law applicable to it or its property (including without limitation Environmental Laws), except, in each case, where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and (b) perform in all material respects its obligations under material agreements to which it is a party. Each Loan Party will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by such Loan Party, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 5.08. Use of Proceeds.
(a) The proceeds of the Loans and the Letters of Credit will be used only for repaying in full certain existing Indebtedness of the Borrower on the Effective Date, to finance the working capital needs and general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries permitted hereunder (including, without limitation, Permitted Acquisitions and share repurchases permitted under Section 6.08). No part of the proceeds of any Loan and no Letter of Credit will be used, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose that entails a violation of any of the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, including Regulations T, U and X.
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(b) The Borrower will not request any Borrowing or Letter of Credit, and the Borrower shall not use, and shall procure that its Subsidiaries and its or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents shall not use, the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit (i) 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 any Anti-Corruption Laws, (ii) for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating any activities, business or transaction of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, except to the extent permitted for a Person required to comply with Sanctions, or (iii) in any manner that would result in the violation of any Sanctions applicable to any party hereto.
SECTION 5.09. Accuracy of Information. The Loan Parties will ensure that any information, including financial statements or other documents, furnished to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder contains no material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and the furnishing of such information shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in this Section 5.09; provided that, with respect to the Projections, the Loan Parties will cause the Projections to be prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
SECTION 5.10. Insurance. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, maintain with financially sound and reputable carriers having a financial strength rating of at least A- by A.M. Best Company (a) insurance in such amounts (with no greater risk retention) and against such risks (including loss or damage by fire and loss in transit; theft, burglary, pilferage, larceny, embezzlement, and other criminal activities; business interruption; and general liability) and such other hazards, as is customarily maintained by companies of established repute engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations and (b) all insurance required pursuant to the Collateral Documents. The Borrower will furnish to the Lenders, upon request of the Administrative Agent, but no less frequently than annually, information in reasonable detail as to the insurance so maintained.
SECTION 5.11. Casualty and Condemnation. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders prompt written notice of any casualty or other insured damage to any material portion of the Collateral or the commencement of any action or proceeding for the taking of any material portion of the Collateral or interest therein under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding.
SECTION 5.12. Depository Banks. The Borrower and each Subsidiary will maintain the Administrative Agent as (a) its principal bank for the maintenance of operating, administrative, cash management and collection activity accounts for the conduct of its business and (b) one of its principal banks for its deposit accounts.
SECTION 5.13. Subsidiary Guarantors; Additional Collateral; Further Assurances.
(a) Within thirty (30) days (or such later date as may be agreed upon by the Administrative Agent) after any Person becomes a Subsidiary or any Subsidiary qualifies independently as, or is designated by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as, a Material Subsidiary pursuant to the definition of “Material Subsidiary”, the Borrower shall (i) provide the Administrative Agent with written notice thereof setting forth information in reasonable detail describing the material assets of such Person and (ii) cause each such Subsidiary which also qualifies as a Material Subsidiary to execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent a Joinder Agreement and a joinder to the Security Agreement (in the form contemplated thereby) pursuant to which such Subsidiary agrees to be bound by the terms and provisions thereof (or, in the case of a Material Subsidiary that is a Foreign Subsidiary, appropriate Collateral Documents governed by the local law of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Subsidiary is organized or formed), which shall be accompanied by appropriate organizational resolutions, other organizational documentation and legal opinions in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel. In connection therewith, the Administrative Agent shall have received all documentation and other information regarding such newly formed or acquired Subsidiaries as may be required to comply with the applicable “know your customer” rules and regulations, including the USA
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PATRIOT Act. Each such Person delivering a Joinder Agreement (x) shall automatically become a Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder and thereupon shall have all of the rights, benefits, duties, and obligations in such capacity under the Loan Documents and (y) will grant Liens to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties, in any property of such Loan Party which constitutes Collateral, including any parcel of real property located in the U.S. owned by any Loan Party that does not constitute Excluded Property.
(b) Each Loan Party will cause, and will cause each other Loan Party to cause, all of its owned property (whether real, personal, tangible, intangible, or mixed), other than Excluded Property, to be subject at all times to first priority, perfected Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties to secure the Secured Obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Collateral Documents, subject in any case to Liens permitted by Section 6.02 to the extent any such Liens would have priority over the Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to any applicable law. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Loan Party (i) will cause 100% of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of each of its Material Subsidiaries to be subject at all times to a first priority, perfected Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties to secure the Secured Obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Collateral Documents or other pledge or security documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request (which in the case of a pledge of Equity Interests of a Material Subsidiary that is a Foreign Subsidiary, shall be governed by the local law of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Subsidiary is organized or formed) and (ii) will deliver Mortgages and all related Mortgage Instruments and other deliveries requested by the Administrative Agent with respect to real property owned by such Loan Party (other than real property constituting Excluded Property) to the extent, and within such time period as is, reasonably required by the Administrative Agent.
(c) Without limiting the foregoing, each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the Administrative Agent such documents, agreements and instruments, and will take or cause to be taken such further actions (including the filing and recording of financing statements, fixture filings, Mortgages, Mortgage Instruments, deeds of trust and other documents and such other actions or deliveries of the type required by Section 4.01, as applicable), which may be required by any Requirement of Law or which the Administrative Agent may, from time to time, reasonably request to carry out the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and to ensure perfection and priority of the Liens created or intended to be created by the Collateral Documents, all in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and all at the expense of the Loan Parties.
(d) If any material assets (including any real property or improvements thereto or any interest therein), except Excluded Property, are acquired by any Loan Party after the Effective Date (other than assets constituting Collateral under the Security Agreement that become subject to the Lien under the Security Agreement upon acquisition thereof), the Borrower will (i) notify the Administrative Agent and the Lenders thereof, and, if requested by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, cause such assets to be subjected to a Lien securing the Secured Obligations and (ii) take, and cause each applicable Loan Party to take, such actions as shall be necessary or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to grant and perfect such Liens, including actions described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Section, all at the expense of the Loan Parties.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents to the contrary, the Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) determine in its sole and reasonable discretion that the cost (or other consequence) to the Loan Parties of (i) granting and perfecting any Lien or (ii) requiring specific Collateral Documents to be governed by the local law of the jurisdiction in which a Foreign Subsidiary is organized or formed is excessive or disproportionate to the benefit to be realized by the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the other Secured Parties thereby and, in such case, the Administrative Agent shall be permitted to, without the consent of the Lenders or Required Lenders, waive any requirement of granting or perfecting any such Lien or executing and delivering any such Collateral Documents governed by local law that is otherwise required under the Loan Documents.
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SECTION 5.14. Post-Closing Requirements. Not later than the dates set forth in Schedule 5.14 (or such later dates as the Administrative Agent shall agree in its sole discretion) or as otherwise required thereunder, the Loan Parties shall take the actions set forth on Schedule 5.14.
ARTICLE VI
Negative Covenants
Negative Covenants
Until all of the Secured Obligations shall have been Paid in Full, each Loan Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees, jointly and severally with all of the other Loan Parties, with the Lenders that:
SECTION 6.01. Indebtedness. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a) the Secured Obligations;
(b) Indebtedness existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule 6.01 and any Refinance Indebtedness in respect thereof;
(c) Indebtedness of the Borrower to any Subsidiary and of any Subsidiary to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party to the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall be subject to Section 6.04 and (ii) Indebtedness of any Loan Party to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subordinated to the Secured Obligations on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(d) Guarantees by the Borrower of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary and by any Subsidiary of Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is permitted by this Section 6.01, (ii) Guarantees by the Borrower or any other Loan Party of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subject to Section 6.04 and (iii) Guarantees permitted under this clause (d) shall be subordinated to the Secured Obligations on the same terms as the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is subordinated to the Secured Obligations;
(e) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Subsidiary incurred to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of any fixed or capital assets (whether or not constituting purchase money Indebtedness), including Capital Lease Obligations and any Indebtedness assumed in connection with the acquisition of any such assets or secured by a Lien on any such assets prior to the acquisition thereof, and extensions, renewals and replacements of any such Indebtedness in accordance with clause (f) below; provided that (i) such Indebtedness is incurred prior to or within 90 days after such acquisition or the completion of such construction or improvement and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness permitted by this clause (e), together with any Refinance Indebtedness in respect thereof permitted by clause (f) below, shall not exceed $25,000,000 at any time outstanding;
(f) Indebtedness which represents extensions, renewals, refinancing or replacements (such Indebtedness being so extended, renewed, refinanced or replaced being referred to herein as the “Refinance Indebtedness”) of any of the Indebtedness described in clauses (b), (e), (i) and (j) hereof (such Indebtedness being referred to herein as the “Original Indebtedness”); provided that (i) such Refinance Indebtedness does not increase the principal amount of the Original Indebtedness (plus unpaid accrued interest and premiums thereon and underwriting discounts, defeasance costs, fees, commissions and expenses), (ii) any Liens securing such Refinance Indebtedness are not extended to any additional property of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, (iii) no Loan Party or any Subsidiary that is not originally obligated with respect to repayment of such Original Indebtedness is required to become obligated with respect to such Refinance Indebtedness, (iv) such Refinance Indebtedness does not result in a shortening of the average weighted maturity of such Original Indebtedness, (v) the terms of such Refinance Indebtedness (other than pricing, premiums and optional prepayment or optional redemption provisions) are not materially less favorable to the obligor thereunder than the original terms of such Original
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Indebtedness, taken as a whole, and (vi) if such Original Indebtedness was subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations or any of the other Secured Obligations, then the terms and conditions of such Refinance Indebtedness must include subordination terms and conditions that are at least as favorable to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders as those that were applicable to such Original Indebtedness;
(g) Indebtedness owed to any Person providing workers’ compensation, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance, pursuant to reimbursement or indemnification obligations to such Person, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(h) Indebtedness of any Loan Party or Subsidiary in respect of performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, surety bonds and similar obligations, in each case provided in the ordinary course of business;
(i) Indebtedness in connection with any Swap Agreement not prohibited under Section 6.07;
(j) Indebtedness of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary after the date hereof; provided that (i) such Indebtedness exists at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary and is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such Person becoming a Subsidiary and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness permitted by this clause (j), together with any Refinance Indebtedness in respect thereof permitted by clause (f) above, shall not exceed $10,000,000 at any time outstanding;
(k) [reserved];
(l) Indebtedness incurred in the ordinary course of business in connection with (i) Banking Services and (ii) other cash pooling, netting and cash management arrangements consisting of overdrafts not outstanding more than 10 Business Days or similar agreements not in excess of $5,000,000 at any time outstanding;
(m) Indebtedness arising from agreements providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price, earnout, deferred purchase price or similar obligations in connection with acquisitions or dispositions not prohibited under the Loan Documents or from guaranties, surety bonds or performance bonds securing performance of such obligations, in connection with Permitted Acquisitions or dispositions not prohibited under the Loan Documents (including Equity Interests of a Subsidiary); provided, that in the case of any earnout or deferred purchase price, the Borrower shall have included the Borrower’s reasonable, good faith determination of the maximum possible amount thereof as Indebtedness in determining of whether the underlying Acquisition was a Permitted Acquisition;
(n) judgments entered against the Borrower or any Subsidiary to the extent not constituting an Event of Default;
(o) Indebtedness owed to sellers constituting consideration for Permitted Acquisitions;
(p) Indebtedness arising in connection with any Permitted Factoring Transaction; and
(q) other Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $25,000,000 at any time outstanding.
SECTION 6.02. Liens. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, or assign or sell any income or revenues (including accounts receivable) or rights in respect of any thereof, except:
(a) Liens created pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b) Permitted Encumbrances;
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(c) any Lien on any property or asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule 6.02; provided that (i) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary and (ii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date hereof and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof;
(d) Liens on fixed or capital assets acquired, constructed or improved by the Borrower or any Subsidiary; provided that (i) such Liens secure Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.01(e), (ii) such Liens and the Indebtedness secured thereby are incurred prior to or within 90 days after such acquisition or the completion of such construction or improvement, (iii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed 100% of the cost of acquiring, constructing or improving such fixed or capital assets and (iv) such Liens shall not apply to any other property or assets of the Borrower or any Subsidiary other than proceeds of the encumbered fixed or capital assets;
(e) any Lien existing on any property or asset prior to the acquisition thereof by the Borrower or any Subsidiary or existing on any property or asset of any Person that becomes a Loan Party after the date hereof prior to the time such Person becomes a Loan Party; provided that (i) such Lien is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition or such Person becoming a Loan Party, as the case may be, (ii) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or assets of any Loan Party or Subsidiary and (iii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date of such acquisition or the date such Person becomes a Loan Party, as the case may be, and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof in accordance with Section 6.01(f) in the case of obligations constituting Indebtedness;
(f) Liens of a collecting bank arising in the ordinary course of business under Section 4-210 of the UCC in effect in the relevant jurisdiction covering only the items being collected upon;
(g) Liens arising out of Sale and Leaseback Transactions permitted by Section 6.06;
(h) Liens granted by a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in favor of the Borrower or another Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owed by such Subsidiary;
(i) Liens on Factoring Assets Disposed of in a Permitted Factoring Transaction;
(j) assignments or sales of any income or revenues (including accounts receivable) constituting Dispositions permitted by Section 6.05(c);
(k) broker’s Liens, bankers’ Liens, rights of setoff and other similar Liens existing with respect to cash and Permitted Investments on deposit in one or more accounts maintained by the Borrower or any Subsidiary, in each case, granted in the ordinary course of business in favor of the broker or bank with which such accounts are maintained, including any such Liens or rights of setoff securing amounts owing in the ordinary course of business to such bank with respect to cash management and operating account arrangements, including those involving pooled accounts and netting arrangements;
(l) any put and call arrangements related to Equity Interests set forth in the organizational documents or related agreements with respect to any Subsidiary that is a joint venture;
(m) Liens on cash or Permitted Investments constituting earnest money deposits made by the Borrower or any Subsidiary in connection with any letter of intent or purchase agreement with respect to any Permitted Acquisition or other acquisition not prohibited under the Loan Documents; and
(n) other Liens on any property or asset securing obligations not in excess of $10,000,000 at any time outstanding.
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SECTION 6.03. Fundamental Changes.
(a) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, merge into or consolidate with any other Person, or permit any other Person to merge into or consolidate with it, or otherwise Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets, or all or substantially all of the stock of any of its Subsidiaries (in each case, whether now owned or hereafter acquired), or liquidate or dissolve, except that, if at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (i) any Subsidiary of the Borrower may merge into the Borrower in a transaction in which the Borrower is the surviving entity, (ii) any Loan Party (other than the Borrower) may merge into any other Loan Party in a transaction in which the surviving entity is a Loan Party, (iii) any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may liquidate or dissolve if the Borrower determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of the Borrower and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders (as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent), (iv) any Subsidiary may sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of its assets to the Borrower or to another Subsidiary, subject to Section 6.09 in the case of any sale, transfer, lease or other disposition involving a Subsidiary that is not Loan Party and (v) any Permitted Acquisition may be structured as a merger or consolidation otherwise in compliance with this Section 6.03; provided that any such merger or consolidation involving a Person that is not a wholly-owned Subsidiary immediately prior to such merger shall not be permitted unless also permitted by Section 6.04.
(b) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, engage to any material extent in any business other than businesses of the type conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof and businesses which are, in the good faith judgment of the Borrower, similar, complementary or substantially related thereto or are reasonable extensions thereof.
(c) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to change its fiscal year or any fiscal quarter from the basis in effect on the Effective Date.
SECTION 6.04. Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, form any subsidiary after the Effective Date, or purchase, hold or acquire (including pursuant to any merger or consolidation with any Person that was not a Loan Party and a wholly-owned Subsidiary prior to such merger or consolidation) any Equity Interests, evidences of indebtedness or other securities (including any option, warrant or other right to acquire any of the foregoing) of, make or permit to exist any loans or advances to, Guarantee any obligations of, or make or permit to exist any investment or any other interest in, any other Person, or purchase or otherwise acquire (in one transaction or a series of transactions) any Person or any assets of any other Person constituting a business unit (whether through purchase of assets, merger or otherwise) (each such action, an “investment”), except:
(a) investments in cash and Permitted Investments;
(b) investments in existence on the date hereof and described in Schedule 6.04;
(c) investments made by the Borrower and the Subsidiaries in Equity Interests in their respective Subsidiaries, provided that (i) any such Equity Interests held by a Loan Party shall be pledged pursuant to the Security Agreement and (ii) the aggregate outstanding amount of investments made by Loan Parties in Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties after the Effective Date (together with outstanding intercompany loans permitted under clause (ii) of the proviso to Section 6.04(d) and outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness subject to Guarantees permitted under the proviso to Section 6.04(e)) shall not exceed $30,000,000 at any time outstanding (with the amount of any such investments being the original cost of such investment, less all repayments, returns, dividends and distributions received in cash in respect of such investment but not to exceed the original amount invested, and in each case determined without regard to any write-downs or write-offs), it being understood that investments held by Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties as of the Effective Date shall not count against such $30,000,000 limitation;
(d) loans or advances made by any Loan Party to any Subsidiary and made by any Subsidiary to a Loan Party or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) any such loans and advances made by a Loan
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Party shall be evidenced by a promissory note pledged pursuant to the Security Agreement and (ii) the outstanding amount of such loans and advances made by Loan Parties to Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties (together with outstanding investments permitted under clause (ii) of the proviso to Section 6.04(c) and the outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness subject to Guarantees permitted under the proviso to Section 6.04(e)) shall not exceed $30,000,000 at any time outstanding (in each case determined without regard to any write-downs or write-offs);
(e) Guarantees constituting Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.01, provided that the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness of Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties that is Guaranteed by any Loan Party (together with outstanding investments permitted under clause (ii) of the proviso to Section 6.04(c) and outstanding intercompany loans permitted under clause (ii) of the proviso to Section 6.04(d)) shall not exceed $30,000,000 at any time outstanding (in each case determined without regard to any write-downs or write-offs);
(f) loans or advances made by a Loan Party or any Subsidiary to its employees on an arms-length basis in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices for travel and entertainment expenses, relocation costs and similar purposes up to a maximum of $3,000,000 in the aggregate at any one time outstanding;
(g) investments received in connection with the bankruptcy or reorganization of any Person or in settlement of obligations of, or in disputes with, any Person arising in the ordinary course of business;
(h) investments in the form of Swap Agreements permitted by Section 6.07;
(i) investments of any Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower or consolidates or merges with the Borrower or any Subsidiary (including in connection with a Permitted Acquisition), so long as such investments were not made in contemplation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary or of such merger;
(j) investments received in connection with the Disposition of assets permitted by Section 6.05;
(k) investments constituting deposits described in clauses (c) and (d) of the definition of the term “Permitted Encumbrances”;
(l) Permitted Acquisitions;
(m) extensions of trade credit in the ordinary course of business;
(n) Guarantees in the ordinary course of business of commercial obligations of Subsidiaries not constituting Indebtedness; provided that the aggregate amount of any such guaranteed obligations of Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties shall not exceed $20,000,000 at any time;
(o) in addition to investments otherwise permitted by this Section 6.04, other investments (excluding Acquisitions) in an aggregate amount (valued at cost) not to exceed $10,000,000 during the term of this Agreement.
SECTION 6.05. Asset Sales. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, Dispose of any asset, including any Equity Interest owned by it, nor will the Borrower permit any Subsidiary to issue any additional Equity Interest in such Subsidiary (other than to the Borrower or another Subsidiary in compliance with Section 6.04), except:
(a) Dispositions of (i) Inventory in the ordinary course of business and (ii) used, obsolete, worn out or surplus equipment or property in the ordinary course of business;
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(b) Dispositions of assets to the Borrower or any Subsidiary; provided that (i) any such Dispositions involving a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be made in compliance with Section 6.09 and (ii) the aggregate fair market value of all assets Disposed by Loan Parties to Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties during the term of this Agreement (other than investments permitted by Section 6.04) shall not exceed $10,000,000;
(c) Dispositions of Accounts in connection with the compromise, settlement or collection thereof;
(d) Dispositions of Permitted Investments and other investments permitted by Section 6.04;
(e) Sale and Leaseback Transactions permitted by Section 6.06;
(f) Dispositions resulting from any casualty or other insured damage to, or any taking under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding of, any property or asset of the Borrower or any Subsidiary;
(g) transactions permitted by Section 6.03(a);
(h) other Dispositions of assets (other than Equity Interests in a Subsidiary unless all Equity Interests in such Subsidiary are sold) that are not permitted by any other clause of this Section; provided that the aggregate fair market value of all assets Disposed of in reliance upon this paragraph (h) shall not exceed $10,000,000 during any fiscal year of the Borrower;
(i) Restricted Payments not prohibited under Section 6.08;
(j) the use of cash in a manner not otherwise prohibited by any Loan Document;
(k) Dispositions of equipment or real property if exchanged for credit against the proceeds of replacement property or the proceeds of the Disposition are so applied reasonably promptly;
(l) the Disposition of Factoring Assets in any Permitted Factoring Transaction; and
(m) leases, subleases, licenses or sublicenses of property in the ordinary course of business and not interfering with the business of any Loan Party.
provided that all Dispositions permitted under this Section 6.05 (other than those permitted by paragraphs (b), (d), (f), (i), (j) and (l) above) shall be made for fair value and for at least 75% cash consideration.
SECTION 6.06. Sale and Leaseback Transactions. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any arrangement, directly or indirectly, whereby it shall sell or transfer any property, real or personal, used or useful in its business, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, and thereafter rent or lease such property or other property that it intends to use for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the property sold or transferred (a “Sale and Leaseback Transaction”), except for any such sale of any fixed or capital assets by the Borrower or any Subsidiary that is made for cash consideration in an amount not less than the fair value of such fixed or capital asset and is consummated within 90 days after the Borrower or such Subsidiary acquires or completes the construction of such fixed or capital asset.
SECTION 6.07. Swap Agreements. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Swap Agreement, except (a) Swap Agreements entered into to hedge or mitigate risks to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary has actual or reasonably anticipated exposure (other than those in respect of Equity Interests of the Borrower or any Subsidiary), and (b) Swap Agreements entered into in order to effectively cap, collar or exchange interest rates (from floating to fixed rates, from one floating rate to another floating rate or otherwise) with respect to any interest-bearing liability or investment of the Borrower or any Subsidiary or to hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
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SECTION 6.08. Restricted Payments; Payments of Subordinated Indebtedness.
(a) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, declare or make, or agree to declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except:
(i) the Borrower may declare and pay dividends with respect to its common stock payable solely in additional shares of its common stock, and, with respect to its preferred stock, payable solely in additional shares of such preferred stock or in shares of its common stock;
(ii) Subsidiaries may declare and pay dividends ratably with respect to their Equity Interests;
(iii) the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries may (A) so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, repurchase Equity Interests from employees, officers or directors upon death, disability, retirement or termination of employment, where such repurchases are made pursuant to and in accordance with stock option plans or other benefit plans for management or employees of the Loan Parties, and (B) repurchase Equity Interests from employees, officers or directors (in circumstances other than contemplated in the immediately preceding subclause (A)), where such repurchases are made pursuant to and in accordance with stock option plans or other benefit plans for management or employees of the Loan Parties; provided that the net cash outlay of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries in connection with repurchase events under this subclause (B) shall not exceed (x) $5,000,000 for any such individual repurchase event, and (y) $10,000,000 during any fiscal year of the Company;
(iv) the Borrower may make other Restricted Payments so long as both before and immediately after giving effect thereto, (x) no Default or Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom and (y) the Leverage Ratio shall not exceed 2.50 to 1.00, determined on a pro forma basis as of the last day of the most recently completed fiscal quarter for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or 5.01(b) and giving effect to any Indebtedness incurred in connection therewith.
(b) No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, make or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) of or in respect of principal of or interest on any Subordinated Indebtedness, or any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any Subordinated Indebtedness, except payments not otherwise prohibited under the agreements governing such Subordinated Indebtedness (which have been approved by the Administrative Agent) and any intercreditor or subordination agreements in favor of the Administrative Agent with related thereto.
SECTION 6.09. Transactions with Affiliates. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, sell, lease or otherwise transfer any property or assets to, or purchase, lease or otherwise acquire any property or assets from, or otherwise engage in any other transactions with, any of its Affiliates, except (a) transactions that (i) are in the ordinary course of business and (ii) are at prices and on terms and conditions not less favorable to such Loan Party or such Subsidiary than could be obtained on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties, (b) transactions between or among the Borrower and any Subsidiaries not involving any other Affiliate, (c) any investment permitted by Section 6.04, (d) any Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.01(c), (e) any Restricted Payment permitted by Section 6.08, (f) loans or advances to employees permitted under Section 6.04(f), (g) the payment of reasonable fees to directors of the Borrower or any Subsidiary who are not employees of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, and compensation and employee benefit arrangements paid to, and indemnities provided for the benefit of, directors, officers or employees of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, (h) any issuances of securities or other payments, awards or grants in cash, securities or otherwise pursuant to, or the funding of, employment agreements, stock options and stock ownership plans approved by the Borrower’s board of directors and (i) director, officer and employee compensation (including bonus) and other benefits (including retirement, health, stock option and other benefit plans), severance and indemnification arrangements.
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SECTION 6.10. Restrictive Agreements. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly enter into, incur or permit to exist any agreement or other arrangement that prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition upon (a) the ability of such Loan Party or any Subsidiary to create, incur or permit to exist any Lien upon any of its property or assets that secures the Secured Obligations, or (b) the ability of any Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to any Equity Interests or to make or repay loans or advances to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary or to Guarantee Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Subsidiary; provided that (i) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions imposed by any applicable law or by any Loan Document, (ii) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing on the date hereof identified on Schedule 6.10 (but shall apply to any extension or renewal of, or any amendment or modification expanding the scope of, any such restriction or condition), (iii) the foregoing shall not apply to customary restrictions and conditions contained in agreements relating to the sale of assets or a Subsidiary pending such sale, provided such restrictions and conditions apply only to such assets or the Subsidiary that is to be sold and such sale is permitted hereunder, (iv) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions or conditions imposed by any agreement relating to secured Indebtedness permitted by this Agreement if such restrictions or conditions apply only to the property or assets securing such Indebtedness, (v) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions in leases and other contracts restricting the assignment thereof, (vi) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to customary restrictions in licenses, (vii) the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions in the organizational documents of a Person (including in any joint venture) or asset sale or stock sale agreements or similar agreements which restrict the transfer of ownership of a Person, (viii) the foregoing shall not apply to any agreement in effect at the time a Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower (including any amendments thereto that are not otherwise prohibited by the Loan Documents and that are no more materially restrictive with respect to such encumbrances and restrictions than those prior to such amendment or refinancing), so long as such agreement was not entered into in connection with or in contemplation of such person becoming a Subsidiary of Borrower and imposes restrictions only on such Person and its assets, (ix) the foregoing shall not apply to customary restrictions or conditions pursuant to any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 6.01(q) and (x) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply with respect to Factoring Assets subject to any Permitted Factoring Transaction.
SECTION 6.11. Amendment of Material Documents. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, amend, modify or waive any of its rights under (a) any agreement relating to any Subordinated Indebtedness, or (b) its charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation and bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents, in each case, to the extent any such amendment, modification or waiver would be materially adverse to the Lenders (as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent).
SECTION 6.12. Financial Covenants.
(a) Leverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the Leverage Ratio, on the last day of any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2022, to be greater than 3.00 to 1.00; provided that following a Permitted Acquisition for which the aggregate consideration in respect thereof equals or exceeds $100,000,000, the Borrower may elect to increase the maximum Leverage Ratio to 3.50 to 1.00 for a period of four consecutive fiscal quarters commencing with the fiscal quarter in which such Acquisition occurs (any such election in respect of the maximum Leverage Ratio being referred to as the “Acquisition Holiday”); provided, further that following the Borrower’s election to utilize an Acquisition Holiday, the Borrower shall not be permitted to request an additional Acquisition Holiday unless a period of at least two consecutive fiscal quarters shall have passed since the last day of the prior Acquisition Holiday.
(b) Interest Coverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the Interest Coverage Ratio, for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending on the last day of any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2022, to be less than 3.00 to 1.00.
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ARTICLE VII
Events of Default
Events of Default
If any of the following events (“Events of Default”) shall occur:
(a) the Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement and in the Agreed Currency required hereunder when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the due date thereof or at a date fixed for prepayment thereof or otherwise;
(b) the Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount (other than an amount referred to in clause (a) of this Article) payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, when and as the same shall become due and payable in the Agreed Currency required hereunder, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of five (5) Business Days;
(c) any representation or warranty made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, or in any report, certificate, financial statement or other document furnished pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, shall prove to have been materially incorrect when made or deemed made;
(d) any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in Section 5.02(a), 5.03 (with respect to a Loan Party’s existence), 5.08, 5.13 or 5.14, or in Article VI or Article X;
(e) any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in this Agreement (other than those specified in another Section of this Article), and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of thirty (30) days after the earlier of any Loan Party’s knowledge of such breach or notice thereof from the Administrative Agent (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender);
(f) any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall fail to make any payment (whether of principal or interest and regardless of amount) in respect of any Material Indebtedness, when and as the same shall become due and payable and not cured within any stated grace period therefor;
(g) any event or condition occurs (x) that results in any Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or (y) that enables or permits (with or without the giving of notice, the lapse of time or both, but giving effect to any stated grace periods set forth in such Material Indebtedness) the holder or holders of any Material Indebtedness or any trustee or agent on its or their behalf to cause any Material Indebtedness to become due, or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to its scheduled maturity; provided that (i) this clause (g) shall not apply to secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness to the extent such sale or transfer is permitted by the terms of Section 6.05 and (ii) clause (g)(y) shall not apply with respect to any Material Indebtedness consisting of Swap Agreements, termination events or equivalent events pursuant to the terms of such Swap Agreements arising solely as a result of a default, breach or other event relating to the counterparty to such Swap Agreement and not as a result of a default by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries;
(h) an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or other relief in respect of a Loan Party or Subsidiary or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed for sixty (60) days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered;
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(i) any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (h) of this Article, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for such Loan Party or Subsidiary of any Loan Party or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi) take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;
(j) any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall become unable, admit in writing its inability, or publicly declare its intention not to, or fail generally, to pay its debts as they become due;
(k) (i) one or more judgments for the payment of money in an aggregate amount in excess of $10,000,000 (to the extent not paid, fully bonded or covered by a solvent and unaffiliated insurer that has not denied coverage) shall be rendered against any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any combination thereof and the same shall remain undischarged for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days during which execution shall not be effectively stayed (by reason of pending appeal or otherwise), or any action shall be legally taken by a judgment creditor to attach, levy or place a Lien upon any assets of any Loan Party or Subsidiary to enforce any such judgment and such action shall not have been stayed; or (ii) any Loan Party or Subsidiary shall fail within thirty (30) days to discharge one or more non-monetary judgments or orders which, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, which judgments or orders, in any such case, are not stayed on appeal or otherwise being appropriately contested in good faith by proper proceedings diligently pursued;
(l) an ERISA Event shall have occurred that, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount exceeding $10,000,000;
(m) a Change in Control shall occur;
(n) the occurrence of any “default”, as defined in any Loan Document (other than this Agreement), or the breach by any Loan Party of any of the terms or provisions of any Loan Document (other than this Agreement), which default or breach continues beyond the later of (i) any period of grace therein provided or (ii) if there is no period of grace therein provided, twenty (20) days after the earlier of any Loan Party’s knowledge of such breach or notice thereof from the Administrative Agent;
(o) the Loan Guaranty shall fail to remain in full force or effect (other than pursuant to the terms hereof or thereof) or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of the Loan Guaranty or any Loan Guarantor shall fail to comply with any of the terms or provisions of the Loan Guaranty, or any Loan Guarantor shall deny that it has any further liability under the Loan Guaranty, or shall give notice to such effect;
(p) except as permitted by the terms of any Loan Document, (i) any Collateral Document shall for any reason fail to create a valid security interest in any Collateral purported to be covered thereby (other than with respect to Collateral having a book value not exceeding $2,000,000), or (ii) any Lien securing any Secured Obligation shall cease to be a perfected, first priority Lien (subject to Liens permitted under Section 6.02);
(q) any material provision of any Collateral Document shall fail to remain in full force or effect (other than pursuant to the terms hereof or thereof) or any action shall be taken by or on behalf of any Loan Party or its Subsidiaries to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of any Collateral Document; or
(r) any material provision of any Loan Document for any reason ceases to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms (or any Loan Party shall challenge the enforceability of any Loan Document or shall assert in writing, or engage in any action or inaction that evidences its assertion,
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that any provision of any of the Loan Documents has ceased to be or otherwise is not valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms);
then, and in every such event (other than an event with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article), and at any time thereafter during the continuance of such event, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrower, take any or all of the following actions, at the same or different times: (i) terminate the Revolving Commitments, whereupon the Revolving Commitments shall terminate immediately, (ii) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and payable in whole (or in part, but ratably as among the Loans at the time outstanding, in which case any principal not so declared to be due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), whereupon the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Secured Obligations (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any break funding payment) accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall become due and payable immediately, in each case without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Loan Parties, (iii) require cash collateral for the LC Exposure in accordance with Section 2.06(j) hereof and (iv) exercise all other rights and remedies of the Secured Parties under the Loan Documents and applicable law; and in the case of any event with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article, the Revolving Commitments shall automatically terminate and the principal of the Loans then outstanding and cash collateral for the LC Exposure, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Secured Obligations (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any break funding payment) accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrower to cash collateralize the LC Exposure as provided in clause (iii) above shall automatically become effective, in each case without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Loan Parties. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, increase the rate of interest applicable to the Loans and other Obligations as set forth in this Agreement and exercise any rights and remedies provided to the Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents or at law or equity, including all remedies provided under the UCC.
In addition to any other rights and remedies granted to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in the Loan Documents, after the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Secured Parties may exercise all rights and remedies of a secured party under the UCC or any other applicable law. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent, without demand of performance or other demand, presentment, protest, advertisement or notice of any kind (except any notice required by law referred to below) to or upon any Loan Party or any other Person (all and each of which demands, defenses, advertisements and notices are hereby waived by the Borrower on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries), may in such circumstances forthwith collect, receive, appropriate and realize upon the Collateral, or any part thereof, or consent to the use by any Loan Party of any cash collateral arising in respect of the Collateral on such terms as the Administrative Agent deems reasonable, and/or may forthwith sell, lease, assign give an option or options to purchase or otherwise dispose of and deliver, or acquire by credit bid on behalf of the Lenders, the Collateral or any part thereof (or contract to do any of the foregoing), in one or more parcels at public or private sale or sales, at any exchange, broker’s board or office of the Administrative Agent or any Lender or elsewhere, upon such terms and conditions as it may deem advisable and at such prices as it may deem best, for cash or on credit or for future delivery, all without assumption of any credit risk. The Administrative Agent or any Lender shall have the right upon any such public sale or sales, and, to the extent permitted by law, upon any such private sale or sales, to purchase the whole or any part of the Collateral so sold, free of any right or equity of redemption in any Loan Party, which right or equity is hereby waived and released by the Borrower on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries. The Borrower further agrees on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries, at the Administrative Agent’s request, to assemble the Collateral and make it available to the Administrative Agent at places which the Administrative Agent shall reasonably select, whether at the premises of the Borrower, another Loan Party or elsewhere. The Administrative Agent shall apply the net proceeds of any action taken by it pursuant to this Article VII, after deducting all reasonable costs and expenses of every kind incurred in connection therewith or incidental to the care or safekeeping of any of the Collateral or in any other way relating to the Collateral or the rights of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereunder, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements, to the payment in whole or in part of the obligations of the Loan Parties under the
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Loan Documents, in such order as the Administrative Agent may elect, and only after such application and after the payment by the Administrative Agent of any other amount required by any provision of law, including Section 9-615(a)(3) of the UCC, need the Administrative Agent account for the surplus, if any, to any Loan Party. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Borrower on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries waives all Liabilities it may acquire against the Administrative Agent or any Lender arising out of the exercise by them of any rights hereunder. If any notice of a proposed sale or other disposition of Collateral shall be required by law, such notice shall be deemed reasonable and proper if given at least 10 days before such sale or other disposition.
ARTICLE VIII
The Administrative Agent
The Administrative Agent
SECTION 8.01. Authorization and Action.
(a) Each Lender, on behalf of itself and any of its Affiliates that are Secured Parties and each Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the entity named as Administrative Agent in the heading of this Agreement and its successors and assigns to serve as the administrative agent and collateral agent under the Loan Documents and each Lender and each Issuing Bank authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to the Administrative Agent under such agreements and to exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. In addition, to the extent required under the laws of any jurisdiction other than within the United States, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby grants to the Administrative Agent any required powers of attorney to execute and enforce any Collateral Document governed by the laws of such jurisdiction on such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s behalf. Without limiting the foregoing, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to execute and deliver, and to perform its obligations under, each of the Loan Documents to which the Administrative Agent is a party, and to exercise all rights, powers and remedies that the Administrative Agent may have under such Loan Documents.
(b) As to any matters not expressly provided for herein and in the other Loan Documents (including enforcement or collection), the Administrative Agent shall not be required to exercise any discretion or take any action, but shall be required to act or to refrain from acting (and shall be fully protected in so acting or refraining from acting) upon the written instructions of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, pursuant to the terms in the Loan Documents), and, unless and until revoked in writing, such instructions shall be binding upon each Lender and each Issuing Bank; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that (i) the Administrative Agent in good faith believes exposes it to liability unless the Administrative Agent receives an indemnification and is exculpated in a manner satisfactory to it from the Lenders and the Issuing Banks with respect to such action or (ii) is contrary to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or applicable law, including any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent may seek clarification or direction from the Required Lenders prior to the exercise of any such instructed action and may refrain from acting until such clarification or direction has been provided. Except as expressly set forth in the Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower, any other Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the Administrative Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
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(c) In performing its functions and duties hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent is acting solely on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks (except in limited circumstances expressly provided for herein relating to the maintenance of the Register), and its duties are entirely mechanical and administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
(i) the Administrative Agent does not assume and shall not be deemed to have assumed any obligation or duty or any other relationship as the agent, fiduciary or trustee of or for any Lender, Issuing Bank, any other Secured Party or holder of any other Secured Obligation other than as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, regardless of whether a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing (and it is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” (or any similar term) herein or in any other Loan Document with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary duty or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law, and that such term is used as a matter of market custom and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties); additionally, each Lender agrees that it will not assert any claim against the Administrative Agent based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by the Administrative Agent in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby;
(ii) to the extent that English law is applicable to the duties of the Administrative Agent under any of the Loan Documents, Section 1 of the Trustee Act 2000 of the United Kingdom shall not apply to the duties of the Administrative Agent in relation to the trusts constituted by that Loan Document; where there are inconsistencies between the Trustee Act 1925 or the Trustee Act 2000 of the United Kingdom and the provisions of this Agreement or such Loan Document, the provisions of this Agreement shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, prevail and, in the case of any inconsistency with the Trustee Act 2000 of the United Kingdom, the provisions of this Agreement shall constitute a restriction or exclusion for the purposes of that Act; and
(iii) nothing in this Agreement or any Loan Document shall require the Administrative Agent to account to any Lender for any sum or the profit element of any sum received by the Administrative Agent for its own account.
(d) The Administrative Agent may perform any of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any of their respective duties and exercise their respective rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities pursuant to this Agreement. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agent except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and nonappealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agent.
(e) None of the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent or any Arranger shall have obligations or duties whatsoever in such capacity under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and shall incur no liability hereunder or thereunder in such capacity, but all such persons shall have the benefit of the indemnities provided for hereunder.
(f) In case of the pendency of any proceeding with respect to any Loan Party under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered (but not obligated) by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:
(i) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, LC Disbursements and all other Secured Obligations that are owing
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and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Administrative Agent (including any claim under Sections 2.12, 2.13, 2.15, 2.17 and 9.03) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(ii) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender, each Issuing Bank and each other Secured Party to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks or the other Secured Parties, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due to it, in its capacity as the Administrative Agent, under the Loan Documents (including under Section 9.03). Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or Issuing Bank any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Secured Obligations or the rights of any Lender or Issuing Bank or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or Issuing Bank in any such proceeding.
(g) The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, and, except solely to the extent of the Borrower’s rights to consent pursuant to and subject to the conditions set forth in this Article, none of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any of their respective Affiliates, shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary under any such provisions. Each Secured Party, whether or not a party hereto, will be deemed, by its acceptance of the benefits of the Collateral and of the Guarantees of the Secured Obligations provided under the Loan Documents, to have agreed to the provisions of this Article.
SECTION 8.02. Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Etc..
(a) Neither the Administrative Agent nor any of its Related Parties shall be (i) liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by such party, the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties under or in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (x) with the consent of or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith to be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in the Loan Documents) or (y) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct (such absence to be presumed unless otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment) or (ii) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by any Loan Party or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in connection with the Administrative Agent’s reliance on any Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page) or for any failure of any Loan Party to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not be liable for, or be responsible for any Liabilities, costs or expenses suffered by the Borrower, any Subsidiary, any Lender or the Issuing Bank as a result of, any determination of Revolving Exposure, any of the component amounts thereof or any portion thereof attributable to each Lender or the Issuing Bank, or any Exchange Rate or calculation of any Dollar Amount or Equivalent Amount.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any (x) notice of any of the events or circumstances set forth or described in Section 5.02 unless and until written notice thereof stating that it is a “notice under Section 5.02” in respect of this Agreement and identifying the specific clause under said Section is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, or (y) notice of any Default or Event of Default unless and until written notice thereof (stating that it is a “notice of Default” or a “notice of an Event of Default”) is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender or an Issuing Bank. Further, the Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection
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with any Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered thereunder or in connection therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth in any Loan Document or the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default, (iv) the sufficiency, validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere in any Loan Document, other than to confirm receipt of items (which on their face purport to be such items) expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or satisfaction of any condition that expressly refers to the matters described therein being acceptable or satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, or (vi) the creation, perfection or priority of Liens on the Collateral. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not be liable for, or be responsible for any Liability, cost or expense suffered by the Borrower, any other Loan Party, any Subsidiary, any Lender or the Issuing Bank as a result of, any determination of any Revolving Exposure, any of the component amounts thereof or any portion thereof attributable to each Lender or the Issuing Bank.
(c) Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrative Agent (i) may treat the payee of any promissory note as its holder until such promissory note has been assigned in accordance with Section 9.04, (ii) may rely on the Register to the extent set forth in Section 9.04(b), (iii) may consult with legal counsel (including counsel to the Borrower), independent public accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken in good faith by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel, accountants or experts, (iv) makes no warranty or representation to any Lender or Issuing Bank and shall not be responsible to any Lender or Issuing Bank for any statements, warranties or representations made by or on behalf of any Loan Party in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (v) in determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or an Issuing Bank, may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or Issuing Bank unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or Issuing Bank sufficiently in advance of the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit and (vi) shall be entitled to rely on, and shall incur no liability under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by acting upon, any notice, consent, certificate or other instrument or writing (which writing may be a fax, any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) or any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be genuine and signed or sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper party or parties (whether or not such Person in fact meets the requirements set forth in the Loan Documents for being the maker thereof).
SECTION 8.03. Posting of Communications.
(a) The Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Communications available to the Lenders and the Issuing Banks by posting the Communications on IntraLinks™, DebtDomain, SyndTrak, ClearPar or any other electronic system chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system (the “Approved Electronic Platform”).
(b) Although the Approved Electronic Platform and its primary web portal are secured with generally-applicable security procedures and policies implemented or modified by the Administrative Agent from time to time (including, as of the Effective Date, a user ID/password authorization system) and the Approved Electronic Platform is secured through a per-deal authorization method whereby each user may access the Approved Electronic Platform only on a deal-by-deal basis, each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure, that the Administrative Agent is not responsible for approving or vetting the representatives or contacts of any Lender that are added to the Approved Electronic Platform, and that there may be confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution. Each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower hereby approves distribution of the Communications through the Approved Electronic Platform and understands and assumes the risks of such distribution.
(c) THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THE APPLICABLE PARTIES (AS DEFINED
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BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY THE APPLICABLE PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, THE ARRANGERS, ANY CO-DOCUMENTATION AGENT, THE SYNDICATION AGENT OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES (COLLECTIVELY, “APPLICABLE PARTIES”) HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO ANY LOAN PARTY, ANY LENDER, ANY ISSUING BANK OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR EXPENSES (WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF ANY LOAN PARTY’S OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT’S TRANSMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM.
“Communications” means, collectively, any notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of any Loan Party pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank by means of electronic communications pursuant to this Section, including through an Approved Electronic Platform.
(d) Each Lender and each Issuing Bank agrees that notice to it (as provided in the next sentence) specifying that Communications have been posted to the Approved Electronic Platform shall constitute effective delivery of the Communications to such Lender for purposes of the Loan Documents. Each Lender and Issuing Bank agrees (i) to notify the Administrative Agent in writing (which could be in the form of electronic communication) from time to time of such Lender’s or Issuing Bank’s (as applicable) email address to which the foregoing notice may be sent by electronic transmission and (ii) that the foregoing notice may be sent to such email address.
(e) Each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but (except as may be required by applicable law) shall not be obligated to, store the Communications on the Approved Electronic Platform in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s generally applicable document retention procedures and policies.
(f) Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank to give any notice or other communication pursuant to any Loan Document in any other manner specified in such Loan Document.
SECTION 8.04. The Administrative Agent Individually. With respect to its Revolving Commitment, Loans (including Swingline Loans) and Letters of Credit, the Person serving as the Administrative Agent shall have and may exercise the same rights and powers hereunder and is subject to the same obligations and liabilities as and to the extent set forth herein for any other Lender or Issuing Bank, as the case may be. The terms “Issuing Banks”, “Lenders”, “Required Lenders” and any similar terms shall, unless the context clearly otherwise indicates, include the Administrative Agent in its individual capacity as a Lender, Issuing Bank or as one of the Required Lenders, as applicable. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with, any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing as if such Person was not acting as the Administrative Agent and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders or the Issuing Banks.
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SECTION 8.05. Successor Administrative Agent.
(a) The Administrative Agent may resign at any time by giving 30 days’ prior written notice thereof to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower, whether or not a successor Administrative Agent has been appointed. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Administrative Agent. If no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders, and shall have accepted such appointment, within thirty (30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent’s giving of notice of resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, appoint a successor Administrative Agent, which shall be a bank with an office in New York, New York or an Affiliate of any such bank. In either case, such appointment shall be subject to the prior written approval of the Borrower (which approval may not be unreasonably withheld and shall not be required while an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing). Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, such successor Administrative Agent shall succeed to, and become vested with, all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent. Upon the acceptance of appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Prior to any retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder as Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall take such action as may be reasonably necessary to assign to the successor Administrative Agent its rights as Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Section, in the event no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed and shall have accepted such appointment within thirty (30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its intent to resign, the retiring Administrative Agent may give notice of the effectiveness of its resignation to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower, whereupon, on the date of effectiveness of such resignation stated in such notice, (i) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents; provided that, solely for purposes of maintaining any security interest granted to the Administrative Agent under any Collateral Document for the benefit of the Secured Parties, the retiring Administrative Agent shall continue to be vested with such security interest as collateral agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties, and continue to be entitled to the rights set forth in such Collateral Document and Loan Document, and, in the case of any Collateral in the possession of the Administrative Agent, shall continue to hold such Collateral, in each case until such time as a successor Administrative Agent is appointed and accepts such appointment in accordance with this Section (it being understood and agreed that the retiring Administrative Agent shall have no duty or obligation to take any further action under any Collateral Document, including any action required to maintain the perfection of any such security interest), and (ii) the Required Lenders shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent; provided that (A) all payments required to be made hereunder or under any other Loan Document to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Person other than the Administrative Agent shall be made directly to such Person and (B) all notices and other communications required or contemplated to be given or made to the Administrative Agent shall directly be given or made to each Lender and each Issuing Bank. Following the effectiveness of the Administrative Agent’s resignation from its capacity as such, the provisions of this Article, Section 2.17(d) and Section 9.03, as well as any exculpatory, reimbursement and indemnification provisions set forth in any other Loan Document, shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent and in respect of the matters referred to in the proviso under clause (a) above.
SECTION 8.06. Acknowledgments of Lenders and Issuing Banks.
(a) Each Lender represents and warrants that (i) the Loan Documents set forth the terms of a commercial lending facility, (ii) it is engaged in making, acquiring or holding commercial loans and in providing other facilities set forth herein as may be applicable to such Lender or Issuing Bank, in each case, in the ordinary course of business, and not for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring or holding any other type of financial instrument (and each Lender agrees not to assert a claim in contravention of the foregoing), (iii) it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties
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of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement as a Lender, and to make, acquire or hold Loans hereunder and (iv) it is sophisticated with respect to decisions to make, acquire and/or hold commercial loans and to provide other facilities set forth herein, as may be applicable to such Lender, and either it, or the Person exercising discretion in making its decision to make, acquire and/or hold such commercial loans or to provide such other facilities, is experienced in making, acquiring or holding such commercial loans or providing such other facilities. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information (which may contain material, non-public information within the meaning of the United States securities laws concerning the Borrower and its Affiliates) as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
(b) Each Lender, by delivering its signature page to this Agreement on the Effective Date, or delivering its signature page to an Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall become a Lender hereunder, shall be deemed to have acknowledged receipt of, and consented to and approved, each Loan Document and each other document required to be delivered to, or be approved by or satisfactory to, the Administrative Agent or the Lenders on the Effective Date or the effective date of any such Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall have become a Lender hereunder.
(c) (i) Each Lender hereby agrees that (x) if the Administrative Agent notifies such Lender that the Administrative Agent has determined in its sole discretion that any funds received by such Lender from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates (whether as a payment, prepayment or repayment of principal, interest, fees or otherwise; individually and collectively, a “Payment”) were erroneously transmitted to such Lender (whether or not known to such Lender), and demands the return of such Payment (or a portion thereof), such Lender shall promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days thereafter, return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds, together with interest thereon in respect of each day from and including the date such Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the NYFRB Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect, and (y) to the extent permitted by applicable law, such Lender shall not assert, and hereby waives, as to the Administrative Agent, any claim, counterclaim, defense or right of set-off or recoupment with respect to any demand, claim or counterclaim by the Administrative Agent for the return of any Payments received, including without limitation any defense based on “discharge for value” or any similar doctrine. A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender under this Section 8.06(c) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.
(ii) Each Lender hereby further agrees that if it receives a Payment from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates (x) that is in a different amount than, or on a different date from, that specified in a notice of payment sent by the Administrative Agent (or any of its Affiliates) with respect to such Payment (a “Payment Notice”) or (y) that was not preceded or accompanied by a Payment Notice, it shall be on notice, in each such case, that an error has been made with respect to such Payment. Each Lender agrees that, in each such case, or if it otherwise becomes aware a Payment (or portion thereof) may have been sent in error, such Lender shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent of such occurrence and, upon demand from the Administrative Agent, it shall promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days thereafter, return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds, together with interest thereon in respect of each day from and including the date such Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the NYFRB Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect.
(iii) The Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby agrees that (x) in the event an erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) are not recovered from any Lender that has received such
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Payment (or portion thereof) for any reason, the Administrative Agent shall be subrogated to all the rights of such Lender with respect to such amount and (y) an erroneous Payment shall not pay, prepay, repay, discharge or otherwise satisfy any Obligations owed by the Borrower or any other Loan Party.
(iv) Each party’s obligations under this Section 8.06(c) shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any transfer of rights or obligations by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Revolving Commitments or the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all Obligations under any Loan Document.
(d) Each Lender hereby agrees that (i) it has requested a copy of each report prepared by or on behalf of the Administrative Agent; (ii) the Administrative Agent (A) makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the completeness or accuracy of any report or any of the information contained therein or any inaccuracy or omission contained in or relating to a report and (B) shall not be liable for any information contained in any report; (iii) the reports are not comprehensive audits or examinations, and that any Person performing any field examination will inspect only specific information regarding the Loan Parties and will rely significantly upon the Loan Parties’ books and records, as well as on representations of the Loan Parties’ personnel and that the Administrative Agent undertakes no obligation to update, correct or supplement the reports; (iv) it will keep all reports confidential and strictly for its internal use, not share the report with any Loan Party or any other Person except as otherwise permitted pursuant to this Agreement; and (v) without limiting the generality of any other indemnification provision contained in this Agreement, (A) it will hold the Administrative Agent and any such other Person preparing a report harmless from any action the indemnifying Lender may take or conclusion the indemnifying Lender may reach or draw from any report in connection with any extension of credit that the indemnifying Lender has made or may make to the Borrower, or the indemnifying Lender’s participation in, or the indemnifying Lender’s purchase of, a Loan or Loans; and (B) it will pay and protect, and indemnify, defend, and hold the Administrative Agent and any such other Person preparing a report harmless from and against, the claims, actions, proceedings, damages, costs, expenses, and other amounts (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Administrative Agent or any such other Person as the direct or indirect result of any third parties who might obtain all or part of any report through the indemnifying Lender.
SECTION 8.07. Collateral Matters.
(a) Except with respect to the exercise of setoff rights in accordance with Section 9.08 or with respect to a Secured Party’s right to file a proof of claim in an insolvency proceeding, no Secured Party shall have any right individually to realize upon any of the Collateral or to enforce any Guarantee of the Secured Obligations, it being understood and agreed that all powers, rights and remedies under the Loan Documents may be exercised solely by the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Secured Parties in accordance with the terms thereof. In its capacity, the Administrative Agent is a “representative” of the Secured Parties within the meaning of the term “secured party” as defined in the UCC. In the event that any Collateral is hereafter pledged by any Person as collateral security for the Secured Obligations, the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized, and hereby granted a power of attorney, to execute and deliver on behalf of the Secured Parties any Loan Documents necessary or appropriate to grant and perfect a Lien on such Collateral in favor of the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Secured Parties.
(b) In furtherance of the foregoing and not in limitation thereof, no arrangements in respect of Banking Services the obligations under which constitute Secured Obligations and no Swap Agreement the obligations under which constitute Secured Obligations, will create (or be deemed to create) in favor of any Secured Party that is a party thereto any rights in connection with the management or release of any Collateral or of the obligations of any Loan Party under any Loan Document. By accepting the benefits of the Collateral, each Secured Party that is a party to any such arrangement in respect of Banking Services or Swap Agreement, as applicable, shall be deemed to have appointed the Administrative Agent to serve as administrative agent and collateral agent under the Loan Documents and agreed to be bound by the Loan Documents as a Secured Party thereunder, subject to the limitations set forth in this paragraph.
(c) Each Lender, for and on behalf of itself and each of its Affiliates, agrees to hold all Control Collateral and Cash Collateral that is part of the Collateral in its possession, custody, or control
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(or in the possession, custody, or control of agents or bailees for either) as agent for each Secured Party solely for the purpose of perfecting the security interest granted to the Administrative Agent for itself and each Secured Party in such Control Collateral or Cash Collateral. The duties or responsibilities of any such Lender (or Affiliate thereof) under this Section 8.07(d) are and shall be limited solely to holding or maintaining control of the Control Collateral and the Cash Collateral in its possession as agent for the Secured Parties for purposes of perfecting the Lien held by such Lender (or Affiliate). No Lender (or Affiliate) is, or shall be deemed to be, a fiduciary of any kind for any other Secured Party or any other Person. Nothing in this Section 8.07(d) shall be construed to limit (a) the obligations of the Loan Parties to comply with the requirements of the Collateral Documents or any other Loan Document with respect to any Control Collateral or Cash Collateral or (b) any Lender’s obligation to share the benefits of any right of setoff or counterclaim with respect to any Control Collateral or Cash Collateral pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. As used in this Section 8.07(d), (i) “Cash Collateral” means cash, Permitted Investments, Security Entitlements or Financial Assets, and (ii) “Control Collateral” means any Collateral consisting of any certificated Security, Securities Account, Investment Property, Deposit Account, Instruments or any other Collateral as to which a Lien may be perfected through possession or control by the secured party, or any representative therefor (with capitalized terms not defined herein having the meanings set forth in the UCC).
SECTION 8.08. Credit Bidding. The Secured Parties hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at the direction of the Required Lenders, to credit bid all or any portion of the Secured Obligations (including by accepting some or all of the Collateral in satisfaction of some or all of the Secured Obligations pursuant to a deed in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise) and in such manner purchase (either directly or through one or more acquisition vehicles) all or any portion of the Collateral (a) at any sale thereof conducted under the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, including under Sections 363, 1123 or 1129 of the Bankruptcy Code, or any similar laws in any other jurisdictions to which a Loan Party is subject, or (b) at any other sale, foreclosure or acceptance of collateral in lieu of debt conducted by (or with the consent or at the direction of) the Administrative Agent (whether by judicial action or otherwise) in accordance with any applicable law. In connection with any such credit bid and purchase, the Secured Obligations owed to the Secured Parties shall be entitled to be, and shall be, credit bid by the Administrative Agent at the direction of the Required Lenders on a ratable basis (with Secured Obligations with respect to contingent or unliquidated claims receiving contingent interests in the acquired assets on a ratable basis that shall vest upon the liquidation of such claims in an amount proportional to the liquidated portion of the contingent claim amount used in allocating the contingent interests) for the asset or assets so purchased (or for the equity interests or debt instruments of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles that are issued in connection with such purchase). In connection with any such bid (i) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to form one or more acquisition vehicles and to assign any successful credit bid to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles (ii) each of the Secured Parties’ ratable interests in the Secured Obligations which were credit bid shall be deemed without any further action under this Agreement to be assigned to such vehicle or vehicles for the purpose of closing such sale, (iii) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to adopt documents providing for the governance of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles (provided that any actions by the Administrative Agent with respect to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, including any Disposition of the assets or equity interests thereof, shall be governed, directly or indirectly, by, and the governing documents shall provide for, control by the vote of the Required Lenders or their permitted assignees under the terms of this Agreement or the governing documents of the applicable acquisition vehicle or vehicles, as the case may be, irrespective of the termination of this Agreement and without giving effect to the limitations on actions by the Required Lenders contained in Section 9.02 of this Agreement), (iv) the Administrative Agent on behalf of such acquisition vehicle or vehicles shall be authorized to issue to each of the Secured Parties, ratably on account of the relevant Secured Obligations which were credit bid, interests, whether as equity, partnership interests, limited partnership interests or membership interests, in any such acquisition vehicle and/or debt instruments issued by such acquisition vehicle, all without the need for any Secured Party or acquisition vehicle to take any further action, and (v) to the extent that Secured Obligations that are assigned to an acquisition vehicle are not used to acquire Collateral for any reason (as a result of another bid being higher or better, because the amount of Secured Obligations assigned to the acquisition vehicle exceeds the amount of Secured Obligations credit bid by the acquisition vehicle or otherwise), such Secured Obligations shall automatically be reassigned to the Secured Parties pro rata with their original interest in such Secured Obligations and the equity interests and/or debt instruments issued by any acquisition vehicle on account of such Secured Obligations shall automatically be cancelled, without the
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need for any Secured Party or any acquisition vehicle to take any further action. Notwithstanding that the ratable portion of the Secured Obligations of each Secured Party are deemed assigned to the acquisition vehicle or vehicles as set forth in clause (ii) above, each Secured Party shall execute such documents and provide such information regarding the Secured Party (and/or any designee of the Secured Party which will receive interests in or debt instruments issued by such acquisition vehicle) as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request in connection with the formation of any acquisition vehicle, the formulation or submission of any credit bid or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by such credit bid.
SECTION 8.09. Certain ERISA Matters.
(a) Each Lender (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, that at least one of the following is and will be true:
(i) such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations) of one or more Benefit Plans in connection with the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments or this Agreement,
(ii) the transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments and this Agreement,
(iii) (A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Part VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) of Part I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Part I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments and this Agreement, or
(iv) such other representation, warranty and covenant as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender.
(b) In addition, unless either (1) sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or (2) a Lender has provided another representation, warranty and covenant as provided in sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, that none of the Administrative Agent or the Arrangers or any of their respective Affiliates is a fiduciary with respect to the assets of such Lender in connection with the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments or this Agreement (including in connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related to hereto or thereto).
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(c) The Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent and each Co-Documentation Agent hereby informs the Lenders that each such Person is not undertaking to provide investment advice or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity, in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, and that such Person has a financial interest in the transactions contemplated hereby in that such Person or an Affiliate thereof (i) may receive interest or other payments with respect to the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Revolving Commitments, this Agreement and any other Loan Documents, (ii) may recognize a gain if it extended the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Revolving Commitments for an amount less than the amount being paid for an interest in the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Revolving Commitments by such Lender or (iii) may receive fees or other payments in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, the Loan Documents or otherwise, including structuring fees, commitment fees, arrangement fees, facility fees, upfront fees, underwriting fees, ticking fees, agency fees, administrative agent or collateral agent fees, utilization fees, minimum usage fees, letter of credit fees, fronting fees, deal-away or alternate transaction fees, amendment fees, processing fees, term out premiums, banker’s acceptance fees, breakage or other early termination fees or fees similar to the foregoing.
SECTION 8.10. Flood Laws. Chase has adopted internal policies and procedures that address requirements placed on federally regulated lenders under the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 and related legislation (the “Flood Laws”). Chase, as administrative agent or collateral agent on a syndicated facility, will post on the applicable electronic platform (or otherwise distribute to each Lender in the syndicate) documents that it receives in connection with the Flood Laws. However, Chase reminds each Lender and Participant in the facility that, pursuant to the Flood Laws, each federally regulated Lender (whether acting as a Lender or Participant in the facility) is responsible for assuring its own compliance with the flood insurance requirements.
ARTICLE IX
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
SECTION 9.01. Notices.
(a) Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by fax or Electronic Systems (and subject in each case to paragraph (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by fax, as follows:
(i) if to any Loan Party, to it in care of the Borrower at:
Cricut, Inc.
10855 South River Front Parkway
10855 South River Front Parkway
Suite 300
South Jordan, UT 84095
Attention: Kimball Shill and Don Olsen
Facsimile No: [Omitted]
Facsimile No: [Omitted]
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Stoel Rives LLP
760 SW Ninth Avenue, Suite 3000
Portland, Oregon 97205
Attention: Brant J. Norquist
Facsimile No: [Omitted]
Portland, Oregon 97205
Attention: Brant J. Norquist
Facsimile No: [Omitted]
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(ii) if to the Administrative Agent or the Swingline Lender, to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. at:
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
10 South Dearborn, Floor L2
Suite IL1-0480
Chicago, IL, 60603-2300
Attention: John Marino
Phone: [Omitted]
Email: [Omitted]
With copy(s) to:
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Middle Market Servicing
10 South Dearborn, Floor L2
Suite IL1-0480
Chicago, IL, 60603-2300
Attention: Commercial Banking Group
Fax No: [Omitted]
Email: [Omitted]
(iii) if to Chase in its capacity as an Issuing Bank, to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. at:
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
10 South Dearborn, Floor L2
Suite IL1-0480
Chicago, IL, 60603-2300
Attention: LC Agency Team
Tel: [Omitted]
Fax: [Omitted]
Email: [Omitted]
With a copy to:
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
10 South Dearborn, Floor L2
Suite IL1-0480
Chicago, IL, 60603-2300
Attention: Loan & Agency Services Group
Attention: John Marino
Phone: [Omitted]
Email: [Omitted]
(iv) if to any other Lender or Issuing Bank, to it at its address or fax number set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.
All such notices and other communications (i) sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail shall be deemed to have been given when received, (ii) sent by fax shall be deemed to have been given when sent, provided that if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day of the recipient, or (iii) delivered through any Electronic Systems or Approved Electronic Platforms, as applicable, to the extent provided in paragraph (b) below shall be effective as provided in such paragraph (b).
(b) Notices and other communications to any Loan Party or any Lender hereunder may be delivered or furnished by using Electronic Systems or Approved Electronic Platforms, as applicable, or
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pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II or to compliance and no Default certificates delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(c) unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. Each of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower (on behalf of the Loan Parties) may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by using Electronic Systems or Approved Electronic Platforms, as applicable, pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications. Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise proscribes, all such notices and other communications (i) sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), provided that if not given during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient, and (ii) posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient, at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i), of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses (i) and (ii) above, if such notice, e-mail or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next Business Day of the recipient.
(c) Any party hereto may change its address, facsimile number or e-mail address for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto.
SECTION 9.02. Waivers; Amendments.
(a) No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders hereunder and under any other Loan Document are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of any Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.
(b) Except as provided in Section 2.09 with respect to any Incremental Facility Amendment or modification of the Commitment Schedule, and subject to Sections 2.14(b) and (c) and Sections 9.02(c) and (e), neither this Agreement nor any other Loan Document nor any provision hereof or thereof may be waived, amended or modified except (i) in the case of this Agreement, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or (ii) in the case of any other Loan Document, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Administrative Agent and the Loan Party or Loan Parties that are parties thereto; provided that no such agreement shall (A) increase the Revolving Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender), (B) reduce or forgive the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce or forgive any interest or fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby (except that any amendment or modification of the financial covenants in this Agreement (or defined terms used in the financial covenants in this Agreement) shall not constitute a reduction in the rate of interest or fees for purposes of this clause (B)), (C) postpone any scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement, or any date for the payment of any interest, fees or other Secured Obligations payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Revolving Commitment, without the written consent of each Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby, (D) change Section 2.09(d) or Section 2.18(b) or (d) or any other provision hereof in a manner that would have the effect of altering the ratable reduction of
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Revolving Commitments or the manner in which payments are shared, without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender), (E) change any of the provisions of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision of any Loan Document specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend or modify any rights thereunder or make any determination or grant any consent thereunder, without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender) (it being understood that, solely with the consent of the parties prescribed by Section 2.09 to be parties to an Incremental Facility Amendment, Incremental Term Loans and additional Revolving Commitments may be included in the determination of Required Lenders on substantially the same basis as the initial Revolving Commitments and Loans are included on the Effective Date), (F) release the Borrower or release any Loan Guarantor from its obligation under its Loan Guaranty (except as otherwise permitted herein or in the other Loan Documents), without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender), (G) except as provided in clause (c) of this Section or in any Collateral Document, release all or substantially all of the Collateral without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender), (H) change Section 1.11 or change the status of any Lender from a Non-Global Lender to a Global Lender, or from a Global Lender to a Non-Global Lender, in each case, without the consent of each Lender directly affected thereby (I) add a Foreign Currency or a borrower that is a Foreign Subsidiary or (J) without the prior written consent of each Lender directly and adversely affected thereby, (x) subordinate, or have the effect of subordinating, the Obligations hereunder to any other Indebtedness, or (y) subordinate, or have the effect of subordinating, the Liens securing the Obligations to Liens securing any other Indebtedness, in each case, without the consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided further that no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Bank hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be (it being understood that any amendment to Section 2.20 shall require the consent of the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank); provided further that no such agreement shall amend or modify the provisions of Section 2.06 or any Letter of Credit Agreement or any letter of credit application and any bilateral agreement between the Borrower and the Issuing Bank regarding the Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit or the respective rights and obligations between the Borrower and the Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance of Letters of Credit without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank, respectively. The Administrative Agent may also amend the Commitment Schedule to reflect assignments entered into pursuant to Section 9.04.
(c) The Secured Parties hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent (or its designee), at its option and in its sole discretion, to release any Liens granted to the Administrative Agent by the Loan Parties on any Collateral (i) upon the Payment in Full of all Secured Obligations, and the cash collateralization of all Unliquidated Obligations in a manner satisfactory to each affected Lender, (ii) constituting property being Disposed of if the Loan Party Disposing of such property certifies to the Administrative Agent that the Disposition is made in compliance with the terms of this Agreement (and the Administrative Agent may rely conclusively on any such certificate, without further inquiry), and to the extent that the property being Disposed of constitutes 100% of the Equity Interests of a Subsidiary, the Administrative Agent is authorized to release the Loan Guaranty provided by such Subsidiary, (iii) constituting property leased to a Loan Party under a lease which has expired or been terminated in a transaction permitted under this Agreement, or (iv) as required to effect any Disposition of such Collateral in connection with any exercise of remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Article VII. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, the Administrative Agent will not release any Liens on Collateral without the prior written authorization of the Required Lenders or, to the extent required by Section 9.02(b), all of the Lenders. Any such release shall not in any manner discharge, affect, or impair the Secured Obligations or any Liens (other than those expressly being released) upon (or obligations of the Loan Parties in respect of) all interests retained by the Loan Parties, including the proceeds of any sale, all of which shall continue to constitute part of the Collateral. Any execution and delivery by the Administrative Agent of documents in connection with any such release shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent. In addition, each of the Secured Parties, on behalf of itself and any of its Affiliates that are Secured Parties, irrevocably authorizes the Administrative Agent (or its designee), at its option and in its discretion, (x) to subordinate any Lien on any assets granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 6.02(b), 6.02(d) or 6.02(i), or (y) in the event that the Borrower shall have advised the Administrative Agent that, notwithstanding the use by the Borrower of commercially
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reasonable efforts to obtain the consent of such holder (but without the requirement to pay any sums to obtain such consent) to permit the Administrative Agent to retain its liens (on a subordinated basis as contemplated by clause (x) above), the holder of such other Indebtedness requires, as a condition to the extension of such credit, that the Liens on such assets granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document be released, to release the Administrative Agent’s Liens on such assets. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have a duty to ascertain or inquire into any representation or warranty regarding the existence, value or collectability of the Collateral, the existence, priority or perfection of the Administrative Agent’s Lien thereon or any certificate prepared by any Loan Party in connection therewith, nor shall the Administrative Agent be responsible or liable to the Lenders or any other Secured Party for any failure to monitor or maintain any portion of the Collateral.
(d) If, in connection with any proposed amendment, waiver or consent requiring the consent of “each Lender” or “each Lender directly affected thereby,” the consent of the Required Lenders is obtained, but the consent of other necessary Lenders is not obtained (any such Lender whose consent is necessary but has not been obtained being referred to herein as a “Non-Consenting Lender”), then the Borrower may elect to replace a Non-Consenting Lender as a Lender party to this Agreement, provided that, concurrently with such replacement, (i) another bank or other entity (other than any Ineligible Institution) which is reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank shall agree, as of such date, to purchase for cash the Loans and other Obligations due to the Non-Consenting Lender pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption and to become a Lender for all purposes under this Agreement and to assume all obligations of the Non-Consenting Lender to be terminated as of such date and to comply with the requirements of clause (b) of Section 9.04, and (ii) the Borrower shall pay to such Non-Consenting Lender in same day funds on the day of such replacement (1) all interest, fees and other amounts then accrued but unpaid to such Non-Consenting Lender by the Borrower hereunder to and including the date of termination, including without limitation payments due to such Non-Consenting Lender under Sections 2.15 and 2.17, and (2) an amount, if any, equal to the payment which would have been due to such Lender on the day of such replacement under Section 2.16 had the Loans of such Non-Consenting Lender been prepaid on such date rather than sold to the replacement Lender. Each party hereto agrees that (a) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (b) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to and be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein the Administrative Agent may, with the consent of the Borrower only, amend, modify or supplement this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents to cure any ambiguity, omission, mistake, defect or inconsistency.
SECTION 9.03. Expenses; Limitation of Liability; Indemnity; Etc.
(a) Expenses. The Loan Parties, jointly and severally, shall pay all (i) reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, including the reasonable and documented fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent, in connection with the syndication and distribution (including, without limitation, via the internet or through an Electronic System or Approved Electronic Platform) of the credit facility provided for herein, the preparation and administration of the Loan Documents and any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions of the Loan Documents (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender, in connection with the enforcement, collection or protection of its rights in connection with the Loan Documents, including its
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rights under this Section, or in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of Credit.
(b) Limitation of Liability. To the extent permitted by applicable law (i) neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall assert, and the Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby waives, any claim against the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent, the Issuing Bank and any Lender, and any Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called a “Lender-Related Person”) for any Liabilities arising from the use by others of information or other materials (including, without limitation, any personal data) obtained through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems (including the Internet), except to the extent they are found by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to result from the willful misconduct or gross negligence of such Lender-Related Person and (ii) no party hereto shall assert, and each such party hereby waives, any Liabilities against any other party hereto, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the Transactions, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof; provided that, nothing in this Section 9.03(b) shall relieve the Borrower or any other Loan Party of any obligation it may have to indemnify an Indemnitee, as provided in Section 9.03(c), against any special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages asserted against such Indemnitee by a third party.
(c) Indemnity. The Loan Parties, jointly and severally, shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent, each Co-Documentation Agent, the Issuing Bank and each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all Liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of the Loan Documents or any agreement or instrument contemplated thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations thereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by the Issuing Bank to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or Release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to a Loan Party or a Subsidiary, (iv) the failure of a Loan Party to deliver to the Administrative Agent the required receipts or other required documentary evidence with respect to a payment made by such Loan Party for Taxes pursuant to Section 2.17, or (v) any actual or prospective Proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether or not such Proceeding is brought by any Loan Party or their respective equity holders, Affiliates, creditors or any other third Person and whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such Liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and non-appealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee, (y) arise from the material breach by an Indemnitee of its obligations under the Loan Documents, or (z) arise from a dispute solely among the Indemnitees (other than any claims against an Indemnitee in its capacity as an Arranger, a Co-Syndication Agent, Documentation Agent, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender or Issuing Bank) that does not involve an act or omission by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries. This Section 9.03(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims or damages arising from any non-Tax claim.
(d) Lender Reimbursement. Each Lender severally agrees to pay any amount required to be paid by any Loan Party under paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 9.03 to the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each, an “Agent-Related Person”) (to the extent not reimbursed by the Loan Parties and without limiting the obligation of any Loan Party to do so), ratably according to their respective Applicable Percentage in effect on the date on which such payment is sought under this Section (or, if such payment is sought after the date upon which the Revolving Commitments shall have terminated and the Loans shall have been
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paid in full, ratably in accordance with such Applicable Percentage immediately prior to such date), and agrees to indemnify and hold each Agent-Related Person harmless from and against any and all Liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any kind whatsoever that may at any time (whether before or after the payment of the Loans) be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Agent-Related Person in any way relating to or arising out of the Revolving Commitments, this Agreement, any of the other Loan Documents or any documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or any action taken or omitted by such Agent-Related Person under or in connection with any of the foregoing; provided that the unreimbursed expense or Liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against such Agent-Related Person in its capacity as such; provided, further, that no Lender shall be liable for the payment of any portion of such Liabilities, costs, expenses or disbursements that are found by a final and non-appealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted primarily from such Agent-Related Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. The agreements in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement and Payment in Full of the Secured Obligations.
(e) Payments. All amounts due under this Section 9.03 shall be payable promptly after written demand therefor.
SECTION 9.04. Successors and Assigns.
(a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) no Loan Party may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by any Loan Party without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section. Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this Section) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) (i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (b)(ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more Persons (other than an Ineligible Institution) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Revolving Commitment, participations in Letters of Credit and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) of:
(A) the Borrower, provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to an assignment of all or a portion of the Revolving Loans and Revolving Commitments unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days after having received notice thereof, and provided further that no consent of the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee;
(B) the Administrative Agent; provided that no consent of the Administrative Agent shall be required for an assignment to an assignee that is a Lender (other than a Defaulting Lender) with a Revolving Commitment immediately prior to giving effect to such assignment;
(C) the Issuing Bank; and
(D) the Swingline Lender.
(ii) Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:
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(A) except in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Revolving Commitment or Loans, the amount of the Revolving Commitment or Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent, provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;
(B) each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement;
(C) the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent (x) an Assignment and Assumption or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500
(D) the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire in which the assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the Borrower, the other Loan Parties and their Related Parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including federal and state securities laws; and
(E) a Global Lender shall only assign its rights, duties and obligations to an assignee that agrees to become and shall be a Global Lender, and a Non-Global Lender may assign its rights, duties and obligations to an assignee that agrees to become and shall be a Non-Global Lender or that otherwise elects to become a Global Lender in accordance with Section 1.11.
For the purposes of this Section 9.04(b), the terms “Approved Fund” and “Ineligible Institution” have the following meanings:
“Approved Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
“Ineligible Institution” means a (a) natural person, (b) Defaulting Lender or its Parent, (c) company, investment vehicle or trust for, or owned and operated for the primary benefit of, a natural person or relative(s) thereof; provided that, with respect to clause (c), such company, investment vehicle or trust shall not constitute an Ineligible Institution if it (x) has not been established for the primary purpose of acquiring any Loans or Revolving Commitments, (y) is managed by a professional advisor, who is not such natural person or a relative thereof, having significant experience in the business of making or purchasing commercial loans, and (z) has assets greater than $25,000,000 and a significant part of its activities consist of making or purchasing commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business, or (d) a Loan Party or a Subsidiary or other Affiliate of a Loan Party.
(iii) Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released
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from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 9.04 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section.
(iv) The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Revolving Commitment of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans and LC Disbursements owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, the Issuing Bank and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(v) Upon its receipt of (x) a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register; provided that if either the assigning Lender or the assignee shall have failed to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Section 2.05, 2.06(d) or (e), 2.07(b), 2.18(d) or 9.03(d), the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information therein in the Register unless and until such payment shall have been made in full, together with all accrued interest thereon. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(c) Any Lender may, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Bank, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “Participant”) other than an Ineligible Institution in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Revolving Commitment and the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged; (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations; and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. The Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Sections 2.17(f) and (g) (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 2.17(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender)) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.18 and 2.19 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section; and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.15 or 2.17 with respect to any participation than its participating Lender would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation.
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Each Lender that sells a participation agrees, at the Borrower’s request and expense, to use reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Borrower to effectuate the provisions of Section 2.19(b) with respect to any Participant. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.18(d) as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement or any other Loan Document (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any Revolving Commitments, Loans, Letters of Credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such Revolving Commitment, Loan, Letter of Credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
(d) Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including without limitation any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
SECTION 9.05. Survival. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Loan Parties in the Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and the making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect until Payment in Full of the Secured Obligations. The provisions of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit and the Revolving Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any provision hereof or thereof.
SECTION 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.
(a) This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements with respect to (i) fees payable to the Administrative Agent and (ii) increases or reductions of the Issuing Bank Sublimit of the Issuing Bank constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.
(b) Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of (x) this Agreement, (y) any other Loan Document and/or (z) any document, amendment, approval, consent, information, notice (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any notice delivered pursuant to Section 9.01), certificate, request, statement, disclosure or authorization related to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or the
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transactions contemplated hereby and/or thereby (each an “Ancillary Document”) that is an Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement, such other Loan Document or such Ancillary Document, as applicable. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery,” and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall be deemed to include Electronic Signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in any electronic form (including deliveries by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page), each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be; provided that nothing herein shall require the Administrative Agent to accept Electronic Signatures in any form or format without its prior written consent and pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided, further, without limiting the foregoing, (i) to the extent the Administrative Agent has agreed to accept any Electronic Signature, the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders shall be entitled to rely on such Electronic Signature purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party without further verification thereof and without any obligation to review the appearance or form of any such Electronic Signature and (ii) upon the request of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, any Electronic Signature shall be promptly followed by a manually executed counterpart. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower and each Loan Party hereby (A) agrees that, for all purposes, including without limitation, in connection with any workout, restructuring, enforcement of remedies, bankruptcy proceedings or litigation among the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Borrower and the Loan Parties, Electronic Signatures transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page and/or any electronic images of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as any paper original, (B) the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders may, at its option, create one or more copies of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document in the form of an imaged electronic record in any format, which shall be deemed created in the ordinary course of such Person’s business, and destroy the original paper document (and all such electronic records shall be considered an original for all purposes and shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a paper record), (C) waives any argument, defense or right to contest the legal effect, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document based solely on the lack of paper original copies of this Agreement, such other Loan Document and/or such Ancillary Document, respectively, including with respect to any signature pages thereto and (D) waives any claim against any Lender-Related Person for any Liabilities arising solely from the Administrative Agent’s and/or any Lender’s reliance on or use of Electronic Signatures and/or transmissions by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page, including any Liabilities arising as a result of the failure of the Borrower and/or any Loan Party to use any available security measures in connection with the execution, delivery or transmission of any Electronic Signature.
SECTION 9.07. Severability. Any provision of any Loan Document held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions thereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.
SECTION 9.08. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender, the Issuing Bank, and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final and in whatever currency denominated) at any time held, and other obligations at any time owing, by such Lender, the Issuing Bank or any such Affiliate, to or for the credit or the account of any Loan Party against any and all of the Secured Obligations now or hereafter existing and owing to such Lender or the Issuing Bank or their respective Affiliates, irrespective of whether or not such Lender, the Issuing Bank or such Affiliate shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of the Loan Parties may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch office or Affiliate of such Lender or the Issuing Bank different from the branch office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided that, in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all
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amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.20 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks, and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Secured Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The applicable Lender, the Issuing Bank or such Affiliate shall notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of such setoff or application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff or application under this Section. The rights of each Lender, the Issuing Bank and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, the Issuing Bank or their respective Affiliates may have.
SECTION 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process.
(a) The Loan Documents (other than those containing a contrary express choice of law provision) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(b) Each of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that, notwithstanding the governing law provisions of any applicable Loan Document, any claims brought against the Administrative Agent by any Secured Party relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document, the Collateral or the consummation or administration of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(c) Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan (or if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan), and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to any Loan Documents, the transactions relating hereto or thereto, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may (and any such claims, cross-claims or third party claims brought against the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties may only) be heard and determined in such Federal (to the extent permitted by law) or New York State court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any Loan Party or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(d) Each Loan Party hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document in any court referred to in paragraph (c) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(e) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01. Each Foreign Subsidiary that is a party hereto irrevocably designates and appoints the Borrower, as its authorized agent, to accept and acknowledge on its behalf, service of any and all process which may be served in any suit, action or proceeding of the nature referred to in Section 9.09(c) in any federal or New York State court sitting in New York City. The Borrower hereby represents, warrants and confirms that the Borrower has agreed to accept such appointment. Said designation and appointment shall be irrevocable by each such Foreign Subsidiary until Payment in Full of the Secured Obligations. Each Foreign Subsidiary party thereto hereby consents to process being served in any suit, action or proceeding of the nature referred to in Section 9.09(c) in any federal or New York State court sitting in New York City by service of process upon the Borrower as provided in this
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Section 9.09(e); provided that, to the extent lawful and possible, notice of said service upon such agent shall be mailed by registered or certified air mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, to the Borrower and (if applicable to) such Foreign Subsidiary at its address set forth herein or in the Joinder Agreement pursuant to which such Foreign Subsidiary became a party hereto, as applicable, or to any other address of which such Foreign Subsidiary shall have given written notice to the Administrative Agent (with a copy thereof to the Borrower). Each Foreign Subsidiary party hereto irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, all claim of error by reason of any such service in such manner and agrees that such service shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon such Foreign Subsidiary in any such suit, action or proceeding and shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be taken and held to be valid and personal service upon and personal delivery to such Foreign Subsidiary. To the extent any Foreign Subsidiary party hereto has or hereafter may acquire any immunity from jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether from service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution of a judgment, execution or otherwise), each Foreign Subsidiary hereby irrevocably waives such immunity in respect of its obligations under the Loan Documents. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE OR OTHER AGENT (INCLUDING ANY ATTORNEY) OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 9.11. Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 9.12. Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its and its Affiliates’ directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any Governmental Authority (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by any Requirement of Law or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party to this Agreement, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any suit, action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (x) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (y) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Loan Parties and their obligations, (g) on a confidential basis to (1) any rating agency in connection with rating the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facility provided for herein or (2) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers with respect to the credit facility provided for herein, (h) with the consent of the Borrower, (i) to any Person providing a Guarantee of all or any portion of the Secured Obligations, or (j) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-confidential basis from a source other than the Borrower. For the purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower relating to the Borrower or its business, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-
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confidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower and other than information pertaining to this Agreement provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry; provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
EACH LENDER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 9.12 FURNISHED TO IT PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY INCLUDE MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BORROWER, THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES, AND CONFIRMS THAT IT HAS DEVELOPED COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES REGARDING THE USE OF MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THAT IT WILL HANDLE SUCH MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THOSE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING REQUESTS FOR WAIVERS AND AMENDMENTS, FURNISHED BY THE BORROWER OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT PURSUANT TO, OR IN THE COURSE OF ADMINISTERING, THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE SYNDICATE-LEVEL INFORMATION, WHICH MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE BORROWER, THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES. ACCORDINGLY, EACH LENDER REPRESENTS TO THE BORROWER AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT THAT IT HAS IDENTIFIED IN ITS ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE A CREDIT CONTACT WHO MAY RECEIVE INFORMATION THAT MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
SECTION 9.13. Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law. The respective obligations of the Lenders hereunder are several and not joint and the failure of any Lender to make any Loan or perform any of its obligations hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender from any of its obligations hereunder. Each Lender hereby represents that it is not relying on or looking to any margin stock (as defined in Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board) for the repayment of the Borrowings provided for herein. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, neither the Issuing Bank nor any Lender shall be obligated to extend credit to the Borrower in violation of any Requirement of Law.
SECTION 9.14. USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act hereby notifies each Loan Party that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies such Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of such Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender to identify such Loan Party in accordance with the USA PATRIOT Act.
SECTION 9.15. Disclosure. Each Loan Party, each Lender and the Issuing Bank hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Administrative Agent and/or its Affiliates from time to time may hold investments in, make other loans to or have other relationships with, any of the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates.
SECTION 9.16. Appointment for Perfection. Each Lender hereby appoints each other Lender as its agent for the purpose of perfecting Liens, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties, in assets which, in accordance with Article 9 of the UCC or any other applicable law can be perfected only by possession or control. Should any Lender (other than the Administrative Agent) obtain possession or control of any such Collateral, such Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent thereof, and, promptly upon the Administrative Agent’s request therefor shall deliver such Collateral to the Administrative Agent or otherwise deal with such Collateral in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s instructions.
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SECTION 9.17. Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if at any time the interest rate applicable to any Loan, together with all fees, charges and other amounts which are treated as interest on such Loan under applicable law (collectively the “Charges”), shall exceed the maximum lawful rate (the “Maximum Rate”) which may be contracted for, charged, taken, received or reserved by the Lender holding such Loan in accordance with applicable law, the rate of interest payable in respect of such Loan hereunder, together with all Charges payable in respect thereof, shall be limited to the Maximum Rate and, to the extent lawful, the interest and Charges that would have been payable in respect of such Loan but were not payable as a result of the operation of this Section shall be cumulated and the interest and Charges payable to such Lender in respect of other Loans or periods shall be increased (but not above the Maximum Rate therefor) until such cumulated amount, together with interest thereon at the NYFRB Rate to the date of repayment, shall have been received by such Lender.
SECTION 9.18. No Fiduciary Duty, etc.. (a) Each Loan Party acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that no Credit Party will have any obligations except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents and each Credit Party is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Loan Parties with respect to the Loan Documents and the transactions contemplated therein and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, any Loan Party or any other person. Each Loan Party agrees that it will not assert any claim against any Credit Party based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by such Credit Party in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents. Additionally, each Loan Party acknowledges and agrees that no Credit Party is advising the Loan Parties as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting, regulatory or any other matters in any jurisdiction. Each Loan Party shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, and the Credit Parties shall have no responsibility or liability to any Loan Party with respect thereto.
(b) Each Loan Party further acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party, together with its Affiliates, is a full service securities or banking firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities as well as providing investment banking and other financial services. In the ordinary course of business, any Credit Party may provide investment banking and other financial services to, and/or acquire, hold or sell, for its own accounts and the accounts of customers, equity, debt and other securities and financial instruments (including bank loans and other obligations) of, any Loan Party or its Affiliates and other companies with which any Loan Party may have commercial or other relationships. With respect to any securities and/or financial instruments so held by any Credit Party or any of its customers, all rights in respect of such securities and financial instruments, including any voting rights, will be exercised by the holder of the rights, in its sole discretion.
(c) In addition, each Loan Party acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party and its affiliates may be providing debt financing, equity capital or other services (including financial advisory services) to other companies in respect of which a Loan Party or its Subsidiaries may have conflicting interests regarding the transactions described herein and otherwise. No Credit Party will use confidential information obtained from the Borrower by virtue of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents or its other relationships with the Borrower or its Subsidiaries in connection with the performance by such Credit Party of services for other companies, and no Credit Party will furnish any such information to other companies. Each Loan Party also acknowledges that no Credit Party has any obligation to use in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, or to furnish to any Loan Party, confidential information obtained from other companies.
SECTION 9.19. Marketing Consent. The Borrower hereby authorizes Chase and its affiliates (collectively, the “Chase Parties”), at their respective sole expense, and without any prior approval by the Borrower, to include the Borrower’s name and logo in advertising, marketing, tombstones, case studies and training materials, and to give such other publicity to this Agreement as Chase Parties may from time to time determine in their sole discretion. The foregoing authorization shall remain in effect unless the Borrower notifies Chase in writing that such authorization is revoked.
SECTION 9.20. Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement
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or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Affected Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:
(a) the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any party hereto that is an Affected Financial Institution; and
(b) the effects of any Bail-In Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:
(i) a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;
(ii) a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such Affected Financial Institution, its parent entity, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or
(iii) the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority.
SECTION 9.21. Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs. To the extent that the Loan Documents provide support, through a guarantee or otherwise, for Swap Agreements or any other agreement or instrument that is a QFC (such support “QFC Credit Support” and each such QFC a “Supported QFC”), the parties acknowledge and agree as follows with respect to the resolution power of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (together with the regulations promulgated thereunder, the “U.S. Special Resolution Regimes”) in respect of such Supported QFC and QFC Credit Support (with the provisions below applicable notwithstanding that the Loan Documents and any Supported QFC may in fact be stated to be governed by the laws of the State of New York and/or of the United States or any other state of the United States):
In the event a Covered Entity that is party to a Supported QFC (each, a “Covered Party”) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer of such Supported QFC and the benefit of such QFC Credit Support (and any interest and obligation in or under such Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support, and any rights in property securing such Supported QFC or such QFC Credit Support) from such Covered Party will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support (and any such interest, obligation and rights in property) were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event a Covered Party or a BHC Act Affiliate of a Covered Party becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under the Loan Documents that might otherwise apply to such Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support that may be exercised against such Covered Party are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and the Loan Documents were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. Without limitation of the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that rights and remedies of the parties with respect to a Defaulting Lender shall in no event affect the rights of any Covered Party with respect to a Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support.
ARTICLE X
Loan Guaranty
Loan Guaranty
SECTION 10.01. Guaranty. Each Loan Guarantor hereby agrees that it is jointly and severally liable for, and, as a primary obligor and not merely as surety, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to the Secured Parties, the prompt payment when due, whether at stated maturity,
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upon acceleration or otherwise, and at all times thereafter, of the Guaranteed Obligations of such Loan Guarantor. Each Loan Guarantor further agrees that the Guaranteed Obligations may be extended or renewed in whole or in part without notice to or further assent from it, and that it remains bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any such extension or renewal. All terms of this Loan Guaranty apply to and may be enforced by or on behalf of any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of any Lender that extended any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations. All terms of this Loan Guaranty apply to and may be enforced by or on behalf of any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of any Lender that extended any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations. Each Loan Guarantor further agrees that if payment in respect of any Guaranteed Obligation shall be due in a currency other than Dollars and/or at a place of payment other than New York, Chicago or any other Eurocurrency Payment Office and if, by reason of any Change in Law, disruption of currency or foreign exchange markets, war or civil disturbance or other event, payment of such Guaranteed Obligation in such currency or at such place of payment shall be impossible or, in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender (or any of its Affiliates), disadvantageous to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender (or any of such Lender’s Affiliates) in any material respect, then, at the election of the Administrative Agent, such Loan Guarantor shall make payment of such Guaranteed Obligation in Dollars (based upon the applicable equivalent amount in effect on the date of payment) and/or in New York, Chicago or such other Eurocurrency Payment Office as is designated by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and, as a separate and independent obligation, shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and any Lender (and such Lender’s Affiliates) against any losses or reasonable out-of-pocket expenses that it shall sustain as a result of such alternative payment.
SECTION 10.02. Guaranty of Payment. This Loan Guaranty is a guaranty of payment and not of collection. Each Loan Guarantor waives any right to require the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender to sue the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor, any other guarantor of, or any other Person obligated for all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations (each, an “Obligated Party”), or otherwise to enforce its payment against any collateral securing all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations.
SECTION 10.03. No Discharge or Diminishment of Loan Guaranty.
(a) Except as otherwise provided for herein, the obligations of each Loan Guarantor hereunder are unconditional and absolute and not subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason (other than the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations), including: (i) any claim of waiver, release, extension, renewal, settlement, surrender, alteration, or compromise of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, by operation of law or otherwise; (ii) any change in the existence, structure or ownership of the Borrower or any other Obligated Party liable for any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (iii) any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other similar proceeding affecting any Obligated Party, or their assets or any resulting release or discharge of any obligation of any Obligated Party; or (iv) the existence of any claim, setoff or other rights which any Loan Guarantor may have at any time against any Obligated Party, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, any Lender, or any other Person, whether in connection herewith or in any unrelated transactions.
(b) The obligations of each Loan Guarantor hereunder are not subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, or termination whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise, or any provision of applicable law or regulation purporting to prohibit payment by any Obligated Party, of the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof.
(c) Further, the obligations of any Loan Guarantor hereunder are not discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by: (i) the failure of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy with respect to all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; (ii) any waiver or modification of or supplement to any provision of any agreement relating to the Guaranteed Obligations; (iii) any release, non-perfection, or invalidity of any indirect or direct security for the obligations of the Borrower for all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or any obligations of any other Obligated Party liable for any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (iv) any action or failure to act by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender with respect to any collateral securing any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; or (v) any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the payment or performance of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any other circumstance, act,
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omission or delay that might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of such Loan Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of any Loan Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations).
SECTION 10.04. Defenses Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Loan Guarantor hereby waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or any Loan Guarantor or the unenforceability of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor or any other Obligated Party, other than the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Loan Guarantor irrevocably waives acceptance hereof, presentment, demand, protest and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any notice not provided for herein, as well as any requirement that at any time any action be taken by any Person against any Obligated Party, or any other Person. Each Loan Guarantor confirms that it is not a surety under any state law and shall not raise any such law as a defense to its obligations hereunder. The Administrative Agent may, at its election, foreclose on any Collateral held by it by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such Collateral in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise act or fail to act with respect to any collateral securing all or a part of the Guaranteed Obligations, compromise or adjust any part of the Guaranteed Obligations, make any other accommodation with any Obligated Party or exercise any other right or remedy available to it against any Obligated Party, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of such Loan Guarantor under this Loan Guaranty, except to the extent the Guaranteed Obligations have been Paid in Full. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Loan Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such election even though that election may operate, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of any Loan Guarantor against any Obligated Party or any security.
SECTION 10.05. Rights of Subrogation. No Loan Guarantor will assert any right, claim or cause of action, including, without limitation, a claim of subrogation, contribution or indemnification that it has against any Obligated Party, or any collateral, until the Loan Parties and the Loan Guarantors have fully performed all their obligations to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders.
SECTION 10.06. Reinstatement; Stay of Acceleration. If at any time any payment of any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations (including a payment effected through exercise of a right of setoff) is rescinded, or must otherwise be restored or returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower or otherwise (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by a Secured Party in its discretion), each Loan Guarantor’s obligations under this Loan Guaranty with respect to that payment shall be reinstated at such time as though the payment had not been made and whether or not the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders are in possession of this Loan Guaranty. If acceleration of the time for payment of any of the Guaranteed Obligations is stayed upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, all such amounts otherwise subject to acceleration under the terms of any agreement relating to the Guaranteed Obligations shall nonetheless be payable by the Loan Guarantors forthwith on demand by the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 10.07. Information. Each Loan Guarantor assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrower’s financial condition and assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Guaranteed Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that each Loan Guarantor assumes and incurs under this Loan Guaranty, and agrees that none of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender shall have any duty to advise any Loan Guarantor of information known to it regarding those circumstances or risks.
SECTION 10.08. Release of Loan Guarantors.
(a) A Subsidiary Guarantor shall automatically be released from its obligations under the Loan Guaranty upon the consummation of any transaction permitted by this Agreement as a result of which such Subsidiary Guarantor ceases to be a Subsidiary; provided that, if so required by this Agreement, the Required Lenders shall have consented to such transaction and the terms of such consent shall not have provided otherwise. In connection with any termination or release pursuant to this Section, the Administrative Agent shall (and is hereby irrevocably authorized by each Lender to) execute and deliver to any Loan Party, at such Loan Party’s expense, all documents that such Loan Party shall
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reasonably request to evidence such termination or release. Any execution and delivery of documents pursuant to this Section shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent.
(b) Further, the Administrative Agent shall (and is hereby irrevocably authorized by each Lender to), upon the request of the Borrower, release any Subsidiary Guarantor from its obligations under the Loan Guaranty if such Subsidiary Guarantor is no longer a Material Subsidiary.
(c) Upon Payment in Full of all Secured Obligations, the Loan Guaranty and all obligations (other than those expressly stated to survive such termination) of each Loan Guarantor thereunder shall automatically terminate, all without delivery of any instrument or performance of any act by any Person.
SECTION 10.09. Taxes. Each payment of the Guaranteed Obligations will be made by each Loan Guarantor without withholding for any Taxes, unless such withholding is required by law. If any Loan Guarantor determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it is so required to withhold Taxes, then such Loan Guarantor may so withhold and shall timely pay the full amount of withheld Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law. If such Taxes are Indemnified Taxes, then the amount payable by such Loan Guarantor shall be increased as necessary so that, net of such withholding (including such withholding applicable to additional amounts payable under this Section), the Administrative Agent, Lender or Issuing Bank (as the case may be) receives the amount it would have received had no such withholding been made.
SECTION 10.10. Maximum Liability. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Loan Guaranty, the amount guaranteed by each Loan Guarantor hereunder shall be limited to the extent, if any, required so that its obligations hereunder shall not be subject to avoidance under Section 548 of the Bankruptcy Code or under any applicable state Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act, Uniform Voidable Transactions Act or similar statute or common law. In determining the limitations, if any, on the amount of any Loan Guarantor’s obligations hereunder pursuant to the preceding sentence, it is the intention of the parties hereto that any rights of subrogation, indemnification or contribution which such Loan Guarantor may have under this Loan Guaranty, any other agreement or applicable law shall be taken into account.
SECTION 10.11. Contribution.
(a) To the extent that any Loan Guarantor shall make a payment under this Loan Guaranty (a “Guarantor Payment”) which, taking into account all other Guarantor Payments then previously or concurrently made by any other Loan Guarantor, exceeds the amount which otherwise would have been paid by or attributable to such Loan Guarantor if each Loan Guarantor had paid the aggregate Guaranteed Obligations satisfied by such Guarantor Payment in the same proportion as such Loan Guarantor’s “Allocable Amount” (as defined below) (as determined immediately prior to such Guarantor Payment) bore to the aggregate Allocable Amounts of each of the Loan Guarantors as determined immediately prior to the making of such Guarantor Payment, then, following payment in full in cash of the Guarantor Payment, the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations and the termination of this Agreement, such Loan Guarantor shall be entitled to receive contribution and indemnification payments from, and be reimbursed by, each other Loan Guarantor for the amount of such excess, pro rata based upon their respective Allocable Amounts in effect immediately prior to such Guarantor Payment.
(b) As of any date of determination, the “Allocable Amount” of any Loan Guarantor shall be equal to the excess of the fair saleable value of the property of such Loan Guarantor over the total liabilities of such Loan Guarantor (including the maximum amount reasonably expected to become due in respect of contingent liabilities, calculated, without duplication, assuming each other Loan Guarantor that is also liable for such contingent liability pays its ratable share thereof), giving effect to all payments made by other Loan Guarantors as of such date in a manner to maximize the amount of such contributions.
(c) This Section 10.11 is intended only to define the relative rights of the Loan Guarantors, and nothing set forth in this Section 10.11 is intended to or shall impair the obligations of the Loan Guarantors, jointly and severally, to pay any amounts as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Loan Guaranty.
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(d) The parties hereto acknowledge that the rights of contribution and indemnification hereunder shall constitute assets of the Loan Guarantor or Loan Guarantors to which such contribution and indemnification is owing.
(e) The rights of the indemnifying Loan Guarantors against other Loan Guarantors under this Section 10.11 shall be exercisable upon the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 10.12. Liability Cumulative. The liability of each Loan Party as a Loan Guarantor under this Article X is in addition to and shall be cumulative with all liabilities of each Loan Party to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party or in respect of any obligations or liabilities of the other Loan Parties, without any limitation as to amount, unless the instrument or agreement evidencing or creating such other liability specifically provides to the contrary.
SECTION 10.13. Keepwell. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor hereby jointly and severally absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes to provide such funds or other support as may be needed from time to time by each other Loan Party to honor all of its obligations under this Guarantee in respect of a Swap Obligation (provided, however, that each Qualified ECP Guarantor shall only be liable under this Section 10.13 for the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering its obligations under this Section 10.13 or otherwise under this Loan Guaranty voidable under applicable law relating to fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer, and not for any greater amount). Except as otherwise provided herein, the obligations of each Qualified ECP Guarantor under this Section 10.13 shall remain in full force and effect until the termination of all Swap Obligations. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor intends that this Section 10.13 constitute, and this Section 10.13 shall be deemed to constitute, a “keepwell, support, or other agreement” for the benefit of each other Loan Party for all purposes of Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
ARTICLE XI
Collection Allocation Mechanism
Collection Allocation Mechanism
(a) On the CAM Exchange Date, (i) the Revolving Commitments shall automatically and without further act be terminated as provided in Article VII, (ii) the principal amount of each Revolving Loan and LC Disbursement denominated in a Foreign Currency shall automatically and without any further action required, be converted into Dollars determined using the Exchange Rates calculated as of the CAM Exchange Date, equal to the Dollar Amount of such amount and on and after such date all amounts accruing and owed to any Revolving Lender in respect of such Obligations shall accrue and be payable in Dollars at the rates otherwise applicable hereunder and (iii) the Revolving Lenders shall automatically and without further act be deemed to have made reciprocal purchases of interests in the Designated Obligations such that, in lieu of the interests of each Revolving Lender in the particular Designated Obligations that it shall own as of such date and immediately prior to the CAM Exchange, such Revolving Lender shall own an interest equal to such Revolving Lender’s CAM Percentage in each Designated Obligation. Each Revolving Lender, each Person acquiring a participation from any Revolving Lender as contemplated by Section 9.04, and each Borrower hereby consents and agrees to the CAM Exchange. Each of the Borrower and the Revolving Lenders agrees from time to time to execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent all such promissory notes and other instruments and documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request to evidence and confirm the respective interests and obligations of the Revolving Lenders after giving effect to the CAM Exchange, and each Revolving Lender agrees to surrender any promissory notes originally received by it hereunder to the Administrative Agent against delivery of any promissory notes so executed and delivered; provided that the failure of any Borrower to execute or deliver or of any Revolving Lender to accept any such promissory note, instrument or document shall not affect the validity or effectiveness of the CAM Exchange.
(b) As a result of the CAM Exchange, on and after the CAM Exchange Date, each payment received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to any Credit Document in respect of the Designated Obligations shall be distributed to the Revolving Lenders pro rata in accordance with their respective
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CAM Percentages (to be redetermined as of each such date of payment or distribution to the extent required by paragraph (c) below).
(c) In the event that, after the CAM Exchange, the aggregate amount of the Designated Obligations shall change as a result of the making of an LC Disbursement by any Issuing Bank that is not reimbursed by any Borrower, then (i) each Revolving Lender shall, in accordance with Section 2.06(d), promptly purchase from such Issuing Bank the Dollar Equivalent of a participation in such LC Disbursement in the amount of such Revolving Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such LC Disbursement (without giving effect to the CAM Exchange), (ii) the Administrative Agent shall redetermine the CAM Percentages after giving effect to such LC Disbursement and the purchase of participations therein by the applicable Revolving Lenders, and the Revolving Lenders shall automatically and without further act be deemed to have made reciprocal purchases of interests in the Designated Obligations such that each Revolving Lender shall own an interest equal to such Revolving Lender’s CAM Percentage in each of the Designated Obligations and (iii) in the event distributions shall have been made in accordance with clause (i) of paragraph (b) above, the Revolving Lenders shall make such payments to one another in Dollars as shall be necessary in order that the amounts received by them shall be equal to the amounts they would have received had each LC Disbursement been outstanding immediately prior to the CAM Exchange. Each such redetermination shall be binding on each of the Revolving Lenders and their successors and assigns in respect of the Designated Obligations held by such Persons and shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d) Nothing in this Article shall prohibit the assignment by any Revolving Lender of interests in some but not all of the Designated Obligations held by it after giving effect to the CAM Exchange; provided, that in connection with any such assignment such Revolving Lender and its assignee shall enter into an agreement setting forth their reciprocal rights and obligations in the event of a redetermination of the CAM Percentages as provided in the immediately preceding paragraph.
[Signature Page Follows]
121
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.
CRICUT, INC.,
as the Borrower
By: /s/Kimball Shill
Name: Kimball Shill
Title: Chief Financial Officer
as the Borrower
By: /s/Kimball Shill
Name: Kimball Shill
Title: Chief Financial Officer
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., individually as a Lender, and as Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and Issuing Bank
By: /s/ Kristin L. Gubler
Name: Kristin L. Gubler
Title: Authorized Signer
CITIBANK, N.A.,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Jason Quinn
Name: Jason Quinn
Title: Authorized Signatory
KEYBANK, N.A.,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Steve Wilson
Name: Steve Wilson
Title: Sr. Relationship Manager
as a Lender
By: /s/ Steve Wilson
Name: Steve Wilson
Title: Sr. Relationship Manager
PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Dana Kerpsack
Name: Dana Kerpsack
Title: Vice President
as a Lender
By: /s/ Dana Kerpsack
Name: Dana Kerpsack
Title: Vice President
ORIGIN BANK, as a Lender
By: /s/ Stephanie Danhou
Name: Stephanie Danhou
Title: Commercial Lender, SVP
BMO HARRIS BANK, N.A., as a Lender
By: /s/ Sean Eyssautier
Name: Sean Eyssautier
Title: Vice President
HSBC BANK U.S.A., NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ David Sanders
Name: David Sanders
Title: Global Relationship Manager
as a Lender
By: /s/ David Sanders
Name: David Sanders
Title: Global Relationship Manager
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Cricut, Inc.
Cricut, Inc.
COMMITMENT SCHEDULE
| Lender | Global Revolving Commitment | Non-Global Revolving Commitment | Total Revolving Commitment | ||||||||
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | $68,000,000 | $0 | $68,000,000 | ||||||||
| Citibank, N.A. | $62,000,000 | $0 | $62,000,000 | ||||||||
| KeyBank N.A. | $42,000,000 | $0 | $42,000,000 | ||||||||
| PNC Bank, National Association | $42,000,000 | $0 | $42,000,000 | ||||||||
| BMO Harris Bank, N.A. | $34,000,000 | $0 | $34,000,000 | ||||||||
| Origin Bank | $0 | $30,000,000 | $30,000,000 | ||||||||
| HSBC Bank U.S.A., National Association | $22,000,000 | $0 | $22,000,000 | ||||||||
| Total | $270,000,000 | $30,000,000 | $300,000,000 | ||||||||
Commitment Schedule
EXHIBIT A
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION
This Assignment and Assumption (this “Assignment and Assumption”) is dated as of the Effective Date set forth below and is entered into by and between [Insert name of Assignor] (the “Assignor”) and [Insert name of Assignee] (the “Assignee”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Credit Agreement identified below (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), receipt of a copy of which is hereby acknowledged by the Assignee. The Standard Terms and Conditions set forth in Annex 1 attached hereto are hereby agreed to and incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Assignment and Assumption as if set forth herein in full.
For an agreed consideration, the Assignor hereby irrevocably sells and assigns to the Assignee, and the Assignee hereby irrevocably purchases and assumes from the Assignor, subject to and in accordance with the Standard Terms and Conditions and the Credit Agreement, as of the Effective Date inserted by the Administrative Agent as contemplated below (i) all of the Assignor’s rights and obligations in its capacity as a Lender under the Credit Agreement and any other documents or instruments delivered pursuant thereto to the extent related to the amount and percentage interest identified below of all of such outstanding rights and obligations of the Assignor under the facility identified below (including any letters of credit and guarantees and swingline loans included in such facility) and (ii) to the extent permitted to be assigned under applicable law, all claims, suits, causes of action and other rights of the Assignor (in its capacity as a Lender) against any Person, whether known or unknown, arising under or in connection with the Credit Agreement, any other documents or instruments delivered pursuant thereto or the loan transactions governed thereby or in any way based on or related to any of the foregoing, including contract claims, tort claims, malpractice claims, statutory claims and all other claims at law or in equity related to the rights and obligations sold and assigned pursuant to clause (i) above (the rights and obligations sold and assigned pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) above being referred to herein collectively as the “Assigned Interest”). Such sale and assignment is without recourse to the Assignor and, except as expressly provided in this Assignment and Assumption, without representation or warranty by the Assignor.
1. Assignor: ______________________________
2. Assignee: ______________________________
[and is an Affiliate/Approved Fund of [identify Lender]1]
[and is an Affiliate/Approved Fund of [identify Lender]1]
3. Borrower: Cricut, Inc.
4. Administrative Agent: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the administrative agent under the Credit Agreement
5. Credit Agreement: The Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 among Cricut, Inc., the other Loan Parties party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent
6. Assigned Interest:
1 Select as applicable.
A-1
| Aggregate Amount of Revolving Commitment/Loans for all Lenders | Amount of Revolving Commitment/Loans Assigned | Percentage Assigned of Revolving Commitment/Loans2 | ||||||
| $ | $ | % | ||||||
| $ | $ | % | ||||||
| $ | $ | % | ||||||
Effective Date: _____________ ___, 20___ [TO BE INSERTED BY ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND WHICH SHALL BE THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF RECORDATION OF TRANSFER IN THE REGISTER THEREFOR.]
The Assignee agrees to deliver to the Administrative Agent a completed Administrative Questionnaire in which the Assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the Borrower, the Loan Parties and their Related Parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the Assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including federal and state securities laws.
The terms set forth in this Assignment and Assumption are hereby agreed to:
ASSIGNOR
[NAME OF ASSIGNOR]
[NAME OF ASSIGNOR]
By:_____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
ASSIGNEE
[NAME OF ASSIGNEE]
[NAME OF ASSIGNEE]
By:_____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
2 Set forth, to at least 9 decimals, as a percentage of the Revolving Commitment/Loans of all Lenders thereunder.
A-2
[Consented to and]3 Accepted:
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as
Administrative Agent, Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender
Administrative Agent, Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender
By:_________________________________
Name:______________________________
Title:_______________________________
Name:______________________________
Title:_______________________________
[Consented to:]4
CRICUT, INC.
By:________________________________
Name:_____________________________
Title:_______________________________
Name:_____________________________
Title:_______________________________
3 To be added only if the consent of the Administrative Agent, Issuing Bank and/or Swingline Lender, as applicable, is required by the terms of the Credit Agreement.
4 To be added only if the consent of the Borrower is required by the terms of the Credit Agreement.
A-3
ANNEX 1 to
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION
STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION
1. Representations and Warranties.
1.1 Assignor. The Assignor (a) represents and warrants that (i) it is the legal and beneficial owner of the Assigned Interest, (ii) the Assigned Interest is free and clear of any lien, encumbrance or other adverse claim and (iii) it has full power and authority, and has taken all action necessary, to execute and deliver this Assignment and Assumption and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; and (b) assumes no responsibility with respect to (i) any statements, warranties or representations made in or in connection with the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the execution, legality, validity, enforceability, genuineness, sufficiency or value of the Loan Documents or any collateral thereunder, (iii) the financial condition of the Borrower, any Subsidiary or Affiliate or any other Person obligated in respect of any Loan Document, (iv) any requirements under applicable law for the Assignee to become a lender under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document or to charge interest at the rate set forth therein from time to time or (v) the performance or observance by the Borrower, any Subsidiary or Affiliate, or any other Person of any of their respective obligations under any Loan Document.
1.2 Assignee. The Assignee (a) represents and warrants that (i) it has full power and authority, and has taken all action necessary, to execute and deliver this Assignment and Assumption and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and to become a Lender under the Credit Agreement, (ii) it satisfies the requirements, if any, specified in the Credit Agreement and under applicable law that are required to be satisfied by it in order to acquire the Assigned Interest and become a Lender, (iii) from and after the Effective Date, it shall be bound by the provisions of the Credit Agreement as a Lender thereunder and, to the extent of the Assigned Interest, shall have the obligations of a Lender thereunder, (iv) it is sophisticated with respect to decisions to acquire assets of the type represented by the Assigned Interest and either it, or the Person exercising discretion in making its decision to acquire the Assigned Interest, is experienced in acquiring assets of this type, (v) it has received a copy of the Credit Agreement, together with copies of the most recent financial statements delivered pursuant to Sections 5.01(a) and 5.01(b) thereof, as applicable, and such other documents and information as it has deemed appropriate to make its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Assignment and Assumption and to purchase the Assigned Interest on the basis of which it has made such analysis and decision independently and without reliance on the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Assignor or any other Lender or their respective Related Parties, and (vi) attached to the Assignment and Assumption is any documentation required to be delivered by it pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, duly completed and executed by the Assignee; and (b) agrees that (i) it will, independently and without reliance on the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent, the Assignor or any other Lender or their respective Related Parties, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit decisions in taking or not taking action under the Loan Documents, and (ii) it will perform in accordance with their terms all of the obligations which by the terms of the Loan Documents are required to be performed by it as a Lender.
2. Payments. From and after the Effective Date, the Administrative Agent shall make all payments in respect of the Assigned Interest (including payments of principal, interest, fees and other amounts) to the Assignor for amounts which have accrued to but excluding the Effective Date and to the Assignee for amounts which have accrued from and after the Effective Date.
3. General Provisions. This Assignment and Assumption shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Assignment and Assumption may be executed in any number of counterparts, which together shall constitute one instrument. Acceptance and adoption of the terms of this Assignment and Assumption by the Assignee and the Assignor by Electronic Signature (as defined in the Credit Agreement) or delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Assignment and Assumption by any Approved Electronic Platform
Annex 1-1
(as defined in the Credit Agreement) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Assignment and Assumption. This Assignment and Assumption shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of New York.
Annex 1-2
EXHIBIT B
[RESERVED]
B-1
EXHIBIT C-1
[FORM OF] BORROWING REQUEST
CRICUT, INC.
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
10 South Dearborn, Floor L2
Suite IL1-1145
Chicago, IL, 60603-2300
Attention: ___________________
Fax No: (312) ___________
Date:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Borrowing Request is furnished pursuant to Section 2.03 of that certain Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Agreement”) among Cricut, Inc. (the “Borrower”), the other Loan Parties, the lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“Chase”), as Administrative Agent for the Lenders. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Borrowing Request have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Agreement. The Borrower represents that, as of this date, the conditions precedent set forth in Section 4.02 are satisfied.
The Borrower hereby notifies Chase of its request for the following Revolving Borrowing:
1. Aggregate Amount and Agreed Currency of the Borrowing5: $_________________
2. Borrowing Date of the Borrowing (must be a Business Day): ____________________
3. The Borrowing shall be a ___ ABR Borrowing, ___ RFR Borrowing or ___ Term Benchmark Borrowing6
4. If a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the duration of Interest Period 7:
One Month __________
Two Months (solely in the case of any Borrowing bearing interest at the Adjusted
CDOR Rate) __________
Three Months_________
Six Months__________
5. Location and number of the Borrower’s account or any other account agreed upon by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower to which proceeds of Borrowing are to be disbursed:
5 Must comply with Sections 2.01 and 2.02(c) of the Agreement
6 If no election is made, then the requested Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing
7 Shall be subject to the definition of “Interest Period.” Cannot extend beyond the Revolving Credit Maturity Date. If an Interest Period is not specified, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.
C-1-1
CRICUT, INC., as the Borrower
By: _______________________
Name:
Title:
C-1-2
EXHIBIT C-2
[FORM OF] INTEREST ELECTION REQUEST
CRICUT, INC.
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
10 South Dearborn, Floor L2
Suite IL1-1145
Chicago, IL, 60603-2300
Attention: ___________________
Fax No: (312) ___________
Date:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Interest Election Request is furnished pursuant to Section 2.08(c) of that certain Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Agreement”) among Cricut, Inc. (the “Borrower”), the other Loan Parties, the lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“Chase”), as Administrative Agent for the Lenders. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Interest Election Request have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Agreement.
The Borrower is hereby requesting to convert or continue certain Borrowings as follows:
1. Agreed Currency and Borrowing to which this Interest Election Request applies8:
________________________________
2. Date of conversion/continuation (must be a Business Day): __________________, 20____
2. Amount of Borrowings being converted/continued: $ _______________
3. Nature of conversion/continuation:
a. Conversion of ABR Borrowings to Term Benchmark Borrowings
b. Conversion of Term Benchmark Borrowings to ABR Borrowings
c. Conversion of RFR Borrowings to Term Benchmark Borrowings
d. Conversion of Term Benchmark Borrowings to RFR Borrowings
e. Continuation of Term Benchmark Borrowings as such
4. If Borrowings are being continued as or converted to Term Benchmark Borrowings, the duration of the new Interest Period that commences on the conversion/continuation date9:
One Month __________
Two Months (solely in the case of any Borrowing bearing interest at the Adjusted CDOR Rate)
8 If different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing).
9 Shall be subject to the definition of “Interest Period.” Cannot extend beyond the Revolving Credit Maturity Date. If an Interest Period is not specified, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.
C-2-1
__________
Three Months __________
Six Months __________
5. The undersigned officer of the Borrower certifies that, both before and after giving effect to the request above, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing under the Agreement.
CRICUT, INC., as the Borrower
By: _______________________
Name:
Title:
C-2-2
EXHIBIT D-1
U.S. TAX COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
(For Foreign Lenders That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
(For Foreign Lenders That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Reference is hereby made to the Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among Cricut, Inc., as Borrower, the other Loan Parties party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and each lender from time to time party thereto.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.17 of the Credit Agreement, the undersigned hereby certifies that (i) it is the sole record and beneficial owner of the Loan(s) (as well as any promissory note(s) evidencing such Loan(s)) in respect of which it is providing this certificate, (ii) it is not a bank within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (iii) it is not a ten percent shareholder of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the Code and (iv) it is not a controlled foreign corporation related to the Borrower as described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code.
The undersigned has furnished the Administrative Agent and the Borrower with a certificate of its non-U.S. Person status on IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable. By executing this certificate, the undersigned agrees that (1) if the information provided on this certificate changes, the undersigned shall promptly so inform the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, and (2) the undersigned shall have at all times furnished the Borrower and the Administrative Agent with a properly completed and currently effective certificate prior to the first payment to be made to the undersigned, or in either of the two calendar years preceding such payments.
Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Credit Agreement and used herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Credit Agreement.
[NAME OF LENDER]
By:_________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Date: ________ __, 20[ ]
D-1-1
EXHIBIT D-2
U.S. TAX COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
(For Foreign Participants That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
(For Foreign Participants That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Reference is hereby made to the Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among Cricut, Inc., as Borrower, the other Loan Parties party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and each lender from time to time party thereto.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.17 of the Credit Agreement, the undersigned hereby certifies that (i) it is the sole record and beneficial owner of the participation in respect of which it is providing this certificate, (ii) it is not a bank within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (iii) it is not a ten percent shareholder of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the Code, and (iv) it is not a controlled foreign corporation related to the Borrower as described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code.
The undersigned has furnished its participating Lender with a certificate of its non-U.S. Person status on IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable. By executing this certificate, the undersigned agrees that (1) if the information provided on this certificate changes, the undersigned shall promptly so inform such Lender in writing, and (2) the undersigned shall have at all times furnished such Lender with a properly completed and currently effective certificate prior to the first payment to be made to the undersigned, or in either of the two calendar years preceding such payments.
Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Credit Agreement and used herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Credit Agreement.
[NAME OF PARTICIPANT]
By:_________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Date: ________ __, 20[ ]
D-2-1
EXHIBIT D-3
U.S. TAX COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
(For Foreign Participants That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
(For Foreign Participants That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Reference is hereby made to the Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among Cricut, Inc., as Borrower, the other Loan Parties party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and each lender from time to time party thereto.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.17 of the Credit Agreement, the undersigned hereby certifies that (i) it is the sole record owner of the participation in respect of which it is providing this certificate, (ii) its direct or indirect partners/members are the sole beneficial owners of such participation, (iii) with respect to such participation, neither the undersigned nor any of its direct or indirect partners/members is a bank extending credit pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in the ordinary course of its trade or business within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (iv) none of its direct or indirect partners/members is a ten percent shareholder of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the Code and (v) none of its direct or indirect partners/members is a controlled foreign corporation related to the Borrower as described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code.
The undersigned has furnished its participating Lender with IRS Form W-8IMY accompanied by one of the following forms from each of its partners/members that is claiming the portfolio interest exemption: (i) an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, or (ii) an IRS Form W-8IMY accompanied by a withholding statement together with an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, from each of such partner’s/member’s beneficial owners that is claiming the portfolio interest exemption. By executing this certificate, the undersigned agrees that (1) if the information provided on this certificate changes, the undersigned shall promptly so inform such Lender and (2) the undersigned shall have at all times furnished such Lender with a properly completed and currently effective certificate prior to the first payment to be made to the undersigned, or in either of the two calendar years preceding such payments.
Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Credit Agreement and used herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Credit Agreement.
[NAME OF PARTICIPANT]
By:_________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Date: ________ __, 20[ ]
D-3-1
EXHIBIT D-4
U.S. TAX COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
(For Foreign Lenders That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
(For Foreign Lenders That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Reference is hereby made to the Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among Cricut, Inc., as Borrower, the other Loan Parties party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and each lender from time to time party thereto.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.17 of the Credit Agreement, the undersigned hereby certifies that (i) it is the sole record owner of the Loan(s) (as well as any promissory note(s) evidencing such Loan(s)) in respect of which it is providing this certificate, (ii) its direct or indirect partners/members are the sole beneficial owners of such Loan(s) (as well as any promissory note(s) evidencing such Loan(s)), (iii) with respect to the extension of credit pursuant to this Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, neither the undersigned nor any of its direct or indirect partners/members is a bank extending credit pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in the ordinary course of its trade or business within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (iv) none of its direct or indirect partners/members is a ten percent shareholder of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the Code and (v) none of its direct or indirect partners/members is a controlled foreign corporation related to the Borrower as described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code.
The undersigned has furnished the Administrative Agent and the Borrower with IRS Form W-8IMY accompanied by one of the following forms from each of its partners/members that is claiming the portfolio interest exemption: (i) an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, or (ii) an IRS Form W-8IMY accompanied by a withholding statement together with an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, from each of such partner’s/member’s beneficial owners that is claiming the portfolio interest exemption. By executing this certificate, the undersigned agrees that (1) if the information provided on this certificate changes, the undersigned shall promptly so inform the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, and (2) the undersigned shall have at all times furnished the Borrower and the Administrative Agent with a properly completed and currently effective certificate prior to the first payment to be made to the undersigned, or in either of the two calendar years preceding such payments.
Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Credit Agreement and used herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Credit Agreement.
[NAME OF LENDER]
By:_________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Name:_______________________
Title:________________________
Date: ________ __, 20[ ]
D-4-1
EXHIBIT E
COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
To: The Lenders party to the
Credit Agreement described below
Credit Agreement described below
This Compliance Certificate (this “Certificate”), for the period ended [____], is furnished pursuant to that certain Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as amended, modified, renewed or extended from time to time, the “Agreement”) among Cricut, Inc. (the “Borrower”), the other Loan Parties party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent for the Lenders and as the Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Certificate have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Agreement.
THE UNDERSIGNED HEREBY CERTIFIES THAT:
1. I am the [____] of the Borrower and I am authorized to deliver this Certificate on behalf of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries;
2. I have reviewed the terms of the Agreement and I have made, or have caused to be made under my supervision, a detailed review of the compliance of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries with the Agreement during the accounting period covered by the attached financial statements (the “Relevant Period”);
3. The attached financial statements of the Borrower and, as applicable, its Subsidiaries and/or Affiliates for the Relevant Period: (a) have been prepared on an accounting basis (the “Accounting Method”) consistent with the requirements of the Agreement and, except as may have been otherwise expressly agreed to in the Agreement, in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, and (b) to the extent that the attached are not the Borrower’s annual fiscal year end statements, are subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
4. The examinations described in paragraph 2 did not disclose and I have no knowledge of, except as set forth below, (a) the existence of any condition or event which constitutes a Default or an Event of Default under the Agreement or any other Loan Document during or at the end of the Relevant Period or as of the date of this Certificate or (b) any change in the Accounting Method or in the application thereof that has occurred since the date of the annual financial statements delivered to the Administrative Agent in connection with the closing of the Agreement or subsequently delivered as required in the Agreement;
5. I hereby certify that, except as set forth below, no Loan Party has changed (i) its name, (ii) its chief executive office, (iii) its principal place of business, (iv) the type of entity it is or (v) its state of incorporation or organization without having given the Administrative Agent the notice required by the Security Agreement;
6. The representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in the Loan Documents are true and correct as of the date hereof, except to the extent that any such representation or warranty specifically refers to an earlier date, in which case it is true and correct only as of such earlier date;
7. Schedule I attached hereto sets forth financial data and computations evidencing the Borrower’s compliance with certain covenants of the Agreement, all of which data and computations are true, complete and correct; and
8. Schedule II hereto sets forth the computations necessary to determine the Applicable Rate commencing on the Business Day this Certificate is delivered.
E-1
Described below are the exceptions, if any, referred to in paragraph 4 hereof by listing, in detail, the (i) nature of the condition or event, the period during which it has existed and the action which the Borrower has taken, is taking, or proposes to take with respect to each such condition or event or (ii) change in the Accounting Method or the application thereof and the effect of such change on the attached financial statements:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
The foregoing certifications, together with the computations set forth in Schedule I and Schedule II hereto and the financial statements delivered with this Certificate in support hereof, are made and delivered this day of , .
By:
Name:
Title:
Name:
Title:
E-2
Schedule I to Compliance Certificate 10
Compliance as of [____] with
Provisions of Section 6.12 of the Agreement
Provisions of Section 6.12 of the Agreement
The computations set forth in this Schedule I are designed to facilitate the calculation of financial covenants and certain other provisions in the Agreement relating to the information set forth in the Borrower’s consolidated financial statements delivered with this Certificate. The computations set forth in this Schedule I have been made in accordance with GAAP. The use of abbreviated terminology and/or descriptions in the computations below are not in any way intended to override or eliminate the more detailed descriptions for such computations set forth in the relevant provisions of the Agreement, all of which shall be deemed to control. In addition, the failure to identify any specific provisions or terms of the Agreement in this Schedule I does not in any way affect their applicability during the periods covered by such financial statements or otherwise, which shall in all cases be governed by the Agreement.
| A. Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended 4 fiscal quarters | |||||||||||||||||
| With reference to any period: | |||||||||||||||||
| (i) Consolidated Net Income for such period | $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
plus, without duplication and to the extent deducted in determining Consolidated Net Income, | |||||||||||||||||
| (ii) Consolidated Interest Expense for such period | + $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (iii) income tax expense for such period net of tax refunds for such period | + $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (iv) depreciation for such period | + $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (v) amortization for such period | + $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
(vi) any unusual or non-recurring non-cash charges for such period (but excluding any non-cash charge in respect of an item that was included in Consolidated Net Income in a prior period) | + $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
10 NTD: Calculations to be updated to reflect final agreed terms.
minus, without duplication and to the extent included in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period, | |||||||||||||||||
(vii) any unusual or non-recurring gains and any non-cash items of income for such period | – $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (viii) Consolidated EBITDA (aggregate of A.(i) through A.(vii)) | #VALUE! | ||||||||||||||||
| B. Maximum Leverage Ratio (Section 6.12(a)) | |||||||||||||||||
| (i) Consolidated Total Indebtedness as of such date | $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (ii) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended 4 fiscal quarters (from A.(viii) above) | $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (iii) Leverage Ratio (ratio of B.(i) to B.(ii)) | ___ to 1.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| Maximum Leverage Ratio permitted under Section 6.12(a) | [___] to 1.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| In compliance? | Yes/No (select one) | ||||||||||||||||
| C. Interest Coverage Ratio (Section 6.12(b)) | |||||||||||||||||
| (i) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended 4 fiscal quarters (from A.(viii) above) | $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (ii) Consolidated Interest Expense for such period | $____________ | ||||||||||||||||
| (iii) Interest Coverage Ratio (ratio of C.(i) to C.(ii)) | ___ to 1.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| Minimum Interest Coverage Ratio permitted under Section 6.12(b) | 3.00 to 1.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| In compliance? | Yes/No (select one) | ||||||||||||||||
Schedule II to Compliance Certificate
Borrower’s Applicable Rate Calculation
EXHIBIT F
JOINDER AGREEMENT
THIS JOINDER AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of [____], is entered into between [_______], a [______] (the “New Subsidiary”) and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., in its capacity as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”) under that certain Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2022 (as the same may be amended, modified, extended or restated from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”) among Cricut, Inc. (the “Borrower”), the other Loan Parties party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and the Administrative Agent for the Lenders. All capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Credit Agreement.
The New Subsidiary and the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, hereby agree as follows:
1. The New Subsidiary hereby acknowledges, agrees and confirms that, by its execution of this Agreement, the New Subsidiary will be deemed to be a Loan Party under the Credit Agreement and a “Loan Guarantor” for all purposes of the Credit Agreement and shall have all of the obligations of a Loan Party and a Loan Guarantor thereunder as if it had executed the Credit Agreement. The New Subsidiary hereby ratifies, as of the date hereof, and agrees to be bound by, all of the terms, provisions and conditions contained in the Credit Agreement, including without limitation (a) all of the representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in Article III of the Credit Agreement, (b) all of the covenants set forth in Articles V and VI of the Credit Agreement and (c) all of the guaranty obligations set forth in Article X of the Credit Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing terms of this paragraph 1, the New Subsidiary, subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 10.10 and 10.13 of the Credit Agreement, hereby guarantees, jointly and severally with the other Loan Guarantors, to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, as provided in Article X of the Credit Agreement, the prompt payment and performance of the Guaranteed Obligations in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration or otherwise) strictly in accordance with the terms thereof and agrees that if any of the Guaranteed Obligations are not paid or performed in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration or otherwise), the New Subsidiary will, jointly and severally together with the other Loan Guarantors, promptly pay and perform the same, without any demand or notice whatsoever, and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.
2. If required, the New Subsidiary is, simultaneously with the execution of this Agreement, executing and delivering such Collateral Documents (and such other documents and instruments) as requested by the Administrative Agent in accordance with the Credit Agreement.
3. The address of the New Subsidiary for purposes of Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement is as follows:
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
4. The New Subsidiary hereby waives acceptance by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders of the guaranty by the New Subsidiary upon the execution of this Agreement by the New Subsidiary.
5. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Execution of this Agreement by Electronic Signature (as defined in the Credit Agreement) or delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by any Approved Electronic
F-1
Platform (as defined in the Credit Agreement) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
6. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the New Subsidiary has caused this Agreement to be duly executed by its authorized officer, and the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, has caused the same to be accepted by its authorized officer, as of the day and year first above written.
[NEW SUBSIDIARY]
By:_____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Acknowledged and accepted:
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Administrative Agent
By:_____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
F-2
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OR 15d-14a OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302
OF THE SARBANES OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Ashish Arora, certify that:
1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Cricut, Inc.;
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:
(a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(c)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
| CRICUT, INC. | |||||
| Date: August 9, 2022 | /s/ Ashish Arora | ||||
| Ashish Arora | |||||
| Chief Executive Officer | |||||
| (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OR 15d-14a OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302
OF THE SARBANES OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Kimball Shill, certify that:
1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Cricut, Inc.;
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:
(a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(c)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
| CRICUT, INC. | |||||
| Date: August 9, 2022 | /s/ Kimball Shill | ||||
| Kimball Shill Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | |||||
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Ashish Arora, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Cricut, Inc. for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Cricut, Inc.
| CRICUT, INC. | |||||
| Date: August 9, 2022 | /s/ Ashish Arora | ||||
| Ashish Arora Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||
Exhibit 32.2
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Kimball Shill, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Cricut, Inc. for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Cricut, Inc.
| CRICUT, INC. | |||||
| Date: August 9, 2022 | /s/ Kimball Shill | ||||
| Kimball Shill Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | |||||