Execution
LONG TERM INSURED CREDIT FUND, LLC
AMENDED AND RESTATED
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
EFTA01399366
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1.
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
1
1.1
Continuation
1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
Name
1
Purpose.
1
Principal Place of Business and Registered
Offices 2
Term
2
2.
3.
CERTAIN
DEFINITIONS
2
INTERESTS, MEMBERS, CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CAPITAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
7
3.1
3.2
Interests and
Members.
7
Admission of Members; Capital
Commitments. 7
3.3 Capital
Contributions.
9
3.4
Default by
Members
9
3.5 Capital
Accounts
11
3.6 Return of Capital
Contributions
11
4.
DISTRIBUTIONS
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11
4.1
4.2
4.3
Distributions
Generally
11
Distributions of Distributable
Proceeds 11
Tax
Distributions
12
4.4 Limitations on
Distributions
12
4.5 Withholding
Taxes
13
4.6 Liability for Certain
Taxes
13
5.
6.
ALLOCATIONS OF PROFITS AND
LOSSES 13
5.1
Allocation of Profits and
Losses
13
5.2 Regulatory Allocation
Provisions
14
FEES AND
EXPENSES
15
6.1
Expenses
15
7.
MANAGEMENT
16
7.1 Management of Fund
Business
16
7.2 Removal of
Manager
16
7.3
7.4
7.5
Powers of the
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Manager.
16
Other
Businesses
19
Exclusivity
19
Determination by the Manager of Certain
Matters 21
7.6 Liability and
Indemnification
20
7.7
8.
7.8 Conflicts Derived by Dual Status of the
Manager 21
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE
MEMBERS 21
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8.1 Limitations on the
Members
21
8.2 Liability of the
Members
21
8.3
Consents
22
9.
BOOKS, RECORDS AND
REPORTS
22
9.1 Books and
Records
22
9.2
Accounting
Basis
22
Tax
Information
22
9.3
Reports.
22
9.4
10. TRANSFERS AND
WITHDRAWALS
22
10.1 Restrictions on Transfers of
Interest.
...23
10.2
Assignees.
23
10.3 Substituted
Members.
24
10.4 Transfer of Interests by the
Manager
24
10.5
Withdrawals
25
11. WINDING UP, DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION OF THE
FUND 25
11.1 Winding
UP
25
11.2 Procedure for
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Dissolution.
25
11.3 Distributions at
Liquidation
26
11.4
Termination
26
12.
AMENDMENTS
27
12.1
Amendments
27
12.2 Amendment of Registration
Statement
27
13.
FURTHER
INSTRUMENTS
27
14. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, COVENANTS AND
UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE
MEMBERS
27
15. BANK HOLDING COMPANY REGULATORY
COMPLIANCE 27
15.1 Non-Voting
Interests
27
15.2 Withdrawals of Non-Permitted
Interests 27
16.
CONFIDENTIALITY
28
16.1
Confidentiality
28
16.2 Confidential
Information
28
16.3 Disclosure of Confidential
Information
28
17.
MISCELLANEOUS
29
17.1
Notice
29
17.2 Governing
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Law
29
17.3 Venue; Waiver of Jury
Trial.
29
17.4 Entire
Agreement
29
17.5
Headings
29
17.6 Binding
Effect
30
ii
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17.7
Legends
30
17.8 Third Party
Rights
30
17.9
AEOI
30
17.10
Counterparts
30
17.11
Creditors
30
17.12
Severability
30
17.13
Context
31
iii
EFTA01399373
AMENDED AND RESTATED
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
OF
LONG TERM INSURED CREDIT FUND, LLC
This Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (as amended or
restated from
time to time, this "Agreement") is made on September 26, 2018 by and among
ESM Management LLC,
a Delaware limited liability company, as the Manager (as defined below), and
such other Person (as
defined below) or Persons as may become parties to this Agreement by
executing a counterpart hereof, as
members (each a "Member" and, collectively, the "Members").
Recitals
A.
Long Term Insured Credit Fund, LLC (the "Fund") is a Cayman Islands limited
liability
company that was formed pursuant to the filing of the Registration Statement
(as defined below) with the
Registrar (as defined below) on September 10, 2018, and has been operating
pursuant to that certain
Initial Limited Liability Company Agreement dated as of September 10, 2018
(the "Prior Agreement").
B.
The Manager and the Members have determined to amend and restate the Prior
Agreement to govern the management and operation of the Fund and the
relationship of the parties from
and after the date hereof in accordance with the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in this
Agreement.
Agreement
In consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter contained and for other
good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged,
the parties hereby agree as
follows:
1.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
1.1 Continuation. The parties hereby ratify the execution, delivery and
filing of the
Registration Statement with the Registrar. The parties hereby agree to
continue the Fund pursuant to the
terms and conditions of this Agreement. The rights and liabilities of the
Manager and the Members shall
be as provided in this Agreement and, to the extent not inconsistent with
the provisions contained herein,
in the Limited Liability Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands,
as amended from time to
time (the "LLC Law"). The Manager shall cause to be executed and filed
additional certificates, notices,
statements or other instruments required by law for the operation of a
EFTA01399374
limited liability company in all
jurisdictions where the Fund is required to qualify or be authorized to do
business as a foreign limited
liability company, or as otherwise necessary to carry out the purpose of
this Agreement and the business
of the Fund.
1.2 Name. The name of the Fund shall be Long Term Insured Credit Fund, LLC.
The
Manager may, without the approval of, or prior notice to, the Members,
change the name of the Fund or
cause the Fund to transact business under another name.
1 3
Purpose.
1.3.1 The purposes of the Fund shall be to (i) invest in the Bonds (as
defined below)
and (ii) engage in any and all activities and transactions that the Manager
reasonably determines
to be necessary or incidental in connection with the foregoing.
1
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1.3.2 All purchases and sales of the Bonds and/or other financial
instruments shall be
for the account and at the risk of the Fund.
1.3.3
In connection with the Fund's investments, the Manager shall have the right
to
effect any investment through, or to transfer all or a portion of such
investment to, one or more
investment vehicles owned by the Fund and other Person(s) ("Investment
Vehicles") that are
established solely for purposes of enabling the Fund to overcome or minimize
legal and
regulatory constraints, enhance tax efficiencies or address other tax
considerations, or otherwise
facilitate the Fund's participation in such investments; provided that the
Manager shall not have
the right to establish any parallel fund that would invest alongside the
Fund.
1.4
Principal Place of Business and Registered Offices. The principal place of
business of
the Fund is 262 West 38th Street, Suite 507, New York, NY 10018, United
States. The Fund may from
time to time change its principal place of business and may establish
additional places of business when
and where required by the business of the Fund. The name and initial address
of the Fund's registered
agent shall be as set forth in the Registration Statement, until such time
as it is changed in accordance
with the LLC Law. The registered office of the Fund initially shall be
located at c/o Walkers Corporate
Limited, Cayman Corporate Centre, 27 Hospital Road, George Town, Grand
Cayman KY1-9008,
Cayman Islands. The Manager may change the location of the registered office
of the Fund to such other
location within the Cayman Islands as the Manager may determine at any time,
upon written notice to the
Members indicating the new location of such registered office.
1.5
Term. The term of the Fund commenced on September 10, 2018 and shall
continue in
existence in perpetuity until the Fund is wound up and subsequently
dissolved pursuant to Section 11.1.
2
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
2 1
(a)
(b)
"Adjusted Capital Account Deficit" means, with respect to any Member, the
deficit
balance, if any, in such Member's Capital Account as of the end of the
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relevant taxable year or other
period, after giving effect to the following adjustments:
credit such Capital Account by any amounts that such Member is obligated to
restore pursuant to this Agreement or is deemed to be obligated to restore
pursuant to the
penultimate sentence of each of Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(5)
and 1.704-2(g); and
debit such Capital Account by the items described in Treasury Regulations
Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5) and (6).
The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account Deficit is intended to
comply with the
provisions of Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be
interpreted consistently
therewith.
2.2
"Adjusted Capital Contribution" means, with respect to any Member and as of
any
date of determination, an amount equal to (i) the aggregate amount of
Capital Contributions made by such
Member on or prior to such date, reduced (but not below zero) by (ii) the
cumulative amount of (x) all
distributions made to such Member on or prior to such date pursuant to
Section 4.2.1, (y) all unused
capital returned to such Member on or prior to such date pursuant to Section
3.3.3, and (z) any Capital
Contribution by such Member that is held in Capital Reserves.
2 3
"AEOI" means one or more of the following, as the context requires: (a)
FATCA, the
Common Reporting Standard issued by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, or
2
EFTA01399377
similar legislation, regulations or guidance enacted in any other
jurisdiction which seeks to implement
equivalent tax reporting and/or withholding tax regimes; (b) any
intergovernmental agreement, treaty or
any other arrangement between the Cayman Islands and the US or any other
jurisdiction (including
between any government bodies in each relevant jurisdiction), entered into
to facilitate, implement,
comply with or supplement the legislation, regulations or guidance described
in paragraph (a); and (c) any
legislation, regulations or guidance implemented in the Cayman Islands to
give effect to the matters
outlined in the preceding paragraphs.
2.4
"Affiliate" of any Person means any other Person controlling, controlled by
or under
common control with the subject Person; and "control" (including, with
correlative meanings, the terms
"controlled by" and "under common control with"), as used with respect to
any Person, shall mean the
possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the
direction of the management and
policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities,
by contract or otherwise.
2.5
26
2 7
"Affiliated Members" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1.2.
"Agreement" has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
"Auction Rate Bonds" means various series of Class A3 notes issued by the
Issuer
pursuant to the Indenture.
2.8
"Bankruptcy" means, with respect to any Key Person, the happening of any of
the
following: (i) the filing of an application by such Key Person for, or a
consent to, the appointment of a
trustee of all or a portion of such Key Person's assets for the benefit of
creditors generally, (ii) the filing
by such Key Person of a voluntary petition in bankruptcy or the filing of a
pleading in any court of record
admitting in writing such Key Person's inability to pay its debts generally
as they come due, (iii) the
making by such Key Person of a general assignment for the benefit of
creditors, or (iv) the entry of an
order, judgment or decree by any court of competent jurisdiction
adjudicating such Key Person as
bankrupt or appointing a trustee of all or a portion of such Key Person's
assets for the benefit of creditors
generally, and such order, judgment or decree continuing unstayed and in
effect for a period of ninety
EFTA01399378
(90) days.
2.9
2.10
2.11
2.12
2.13
2.14
2.15
"BBA Audit Rules" means Subchapter C of Chapter 63 of the Code (Sections
6221 et
seq.), as enacted by the U.S. Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, as amended from
time to time, any similar
state and local provisions, and any Treasury Regulations and other guidance
promulgated thereunder.
"BHC Act" means the U.S. Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended.
"BHC Limit" has the meaning set forth in Section 15.2.
"BHC Member" has the meaning set forth in Section 15.1.
"Bonds" means the Auction Rate Bonds and the Related Bonds
"Brokers" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2.2(x).
"Business Day" means a day (other than a Saturday or Sunday) on which banks
and
relevant financial markets are open for business in in New York, New York
and the Cayman Islands.
2.16
"Capital Account" means, with respect to each Member, the account
established and
maintained for such Member on the books of the Fund in compliance with
Treasury Regulations Section
3
EFTA01399379
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). For this purpose, the Manager may, in its reasonable
discretion, upon the occurrence of
any of the events specified in Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)-
(f), increase or decrease the
Capital Accounts in accordance with rules of such regulation and Treasury
Regulations Section 1.7041(b)(2)(iv)(g)
to reflect a revaluation of Fund property.
2 17
2.18
"Capital Commitment" means, with respect to any Member, the amount of cash
that
such Member agreed to contribute to the Fund as set forth in such Member's
Subscription Agreement, as
it may be adjusted in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
"Capital Contribution" means the total amount of cash contributed to the
Fund by each
Member, from time to time, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
2.19
2.20
2.21
"Capital Reserve" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3.3.
"Carried Interest" has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2.1.
"Cause" means, with respect to the Manager, that the Manager is found by a
court of
competent jurisdiction to have committed gross negligence (as such term is
construed under the laws of
the State of Delaware), willful misconduct, fraud or material breach of this
Agreement in the conduct of
its duties to the Fund hereunder.
2 22
"Closing Date" means October 11, 2018, subject to extension by the Manager
in its sole
discretion, provided that in no event shall the Manager extend the Closing
Date past December 31, 2018.
2 23
"Code" means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
2 24
2.25
2.26
"Complete Disposition Event" means the complete settlement, sale, redemption
or other
disposition of all of the Fund's investments as reasonably determined by the
Manager, and receipt by the
Fund of the proceeds in consideration thereof.
"Confidential Information" has the meaning set forth in Section 16.2.
"Confidential Offering Memorandum" means the document used to offer
Interests in
the Fund, as such document is amended and supplemented from time to time.
2.27
"Damages" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.6.2.
2.28
EFTA01399380
"Disposition Event," "Disposition" or "Disposed" means, with respect to any
investment of the Fund, a sale, settlement or other disposition of any
portion such investment (including,
with respect to any Bonds, a redemption of such Bonds) as reasonably
determined by the Manager, and
receipt by the Fund of the proceeds in consideration thereof.
2.29
"Distributable Proceeds" means, with respect to any period, (i) all proceeds
(or, in the
Manager's reasonable discretion, securities or other non-cash consideration)
received by the Fund during
such period in respect of any investment held by the Fund, including as the
result of the Disposition of
any such investment, together with settlement proceeds, dividends, interest
income and other similar
items received by the Fund on account of such investment, less (ii) all
expenses, liabilities and Reserves
of the Fund, as determined by the Manager in its reasonable discretion.
2.30
amended.
4
"ERISA" means the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
EFTA01399381
2.31
"Fair Market Value" means the fair market value of an investment, asset,
security or
Interest as determined by the Manager in accordance with its valuation
policy.
2.32
2.33
2.34
2.35
"Fiscal Year" has the meaning set forth in Section 9.2.
"Fund" has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
"Hurdle Amount" means, with respect to any Member and for any period, (x) the
amount equal to an annual return of eight percent (8%) computed on the basis
of the actual number of
days in such period over a year, compounded annually, on the amount of such
Member's Adjusted Capital
Contribution outstanding from time to time during such period, less (y) the
amount of such Member's
Preferred Return determined for the same period.
2.36
"Indenture" means that certain Indenture dated as of May 2, 2006 by and
among the
Issuer, Ambac Assurance UK Limited and Assured Guaranty (UK) Ltd. as
financial guarantors, The Bank
of New York (acting through its London Branch) as trustee, The Bank of New
York as auction agent and
The Bank of New York as securities intermediary.
2.37
2.38
2.39
laws of Ireland.
2.40
2.41
"Initial Member" means WNL Limited.
"Interest" means an interest in the Fund entitling a Member to a share of
the profits,
losses, distributions, capital and assets of Fund as provided herein.
Interests need not be evidenced by
certificates. There are no voting rights associated with any Interests
issued by the Fund.
"Issuer" means Ballantyne Re, plc, a public limited company incorporated
under the
"IRS" means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
"Key Person Event" means, with respect to Eric Meyer or William Van de Water
(each,
a "Key Person"): (i) such Key Person ceases to be actively involved in the
management activities of the
Fund for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days, (ii) the Manager becoming
aware that it is reasonably
likely that such Key Person will cease to be actively involved in the
management activities of the Fund
EFTA01399382
for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days, (iii) any resignation,
termination of employment, death, or
permanent disability which interferes with such Key Person's ability to
perform its responsibilities related
to the Fund, or (iv) the Bankruptcy of such Key Person.
2.42
"Majority-in-Interest of the Members" means, with respect to a particular
amendment
to this Agreement or other action that requires the consent or approval of
the Members, Members whose
aggregate Capital Commitment at such time exceeds 50% of the aggregate
Capital Commitment of all
Members (in each case not counting for purposes of this calculation any
Defaulting Members or any
Members who are Affiliated Members).
2.43
2.44
"Manager" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.
"Manager Parties" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.6.1.
"FATCA" means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as amended from time to
time, and any regulations thereunder or official interpretations thereof,
including any successor
regulations or interpretations, and any intergovernmental agreement
implementing the foregoing.
5
EFTA01399383
2.45
2.46
"Member" has the meaning set forth in the Preamble to this Agreement
"Percentage Interest" means, with respect to any Member, the percentage
calculated by
dividing such Member's Capital Commitment by the aggregate Capital
Commitments of all Members.
2.47
"Permitted Interests" has the meaning set forth in Section 15.2.
2.48
2.49
2.50
"Person" means any individual, partnership, limited liability company, joint
venture,
corporation, trust, unincorporated organization, government (or any agency
or political subdivision
thereof) or other entity, whether or not having legal personality.
"Plan Asset Regulations" means the regulations concerning the definition of
"Plan
Assets" under ERISA adopted by the United States Department of Labor and
codified in 29 C.F.R.
2510.3-101, as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA.
"Preferred Return" means, with respect to any Member and for any period, the
amount
equal to an annual return of four percent (4%) computed on the basis of the
actual number of days in such
period over a year, compounded annually, on the amount of such Member's
Adjusted Capital
Contribution outstanding from time to time during such period.
2 51
2 52
"Representatives" has the meaning set forth in Section 16.1.
"Reserve" means an amount of funds deemed sufficient by the Manager in its
reasonable
discretion, as of the date of determination, for working capital, capital
expenditures, other future uses of
capital, and to pay taxes (specifically including the Manager's authority to
retain reserves for purposes of
paying tax obligations of the Fund), insurance and/or other costs and
expenses incident to the operation of
the Fund.
2.53
2.54
"Related Bonds" means Class A2 notes issued by the Issuer pursuant to the
Indenture.
"Register" means the Register of Limited Liability Companies maintained by
the
Registrar, as required by the LLC Law.
2.55
2.56
"Registrar" means the Limited Liability Companies of the Cayman Islands.
EFTA01399384
"Registration Statement" means the registration statement referred to in
section 5(2) of
the LLC Law, and as amended pursuant to the LLC Law.
2.57
2.58
"Special Member" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1.2.
"Subscription Agreement" means a subscription agreement, in a form approved
by the
Manager, executed in connection with the acquisition of an Interest from the
Fund.
2.59
2.60
acquire the Bonds.
2.61
2.62
"Substituted Member" has the meaning set forth in Section 10.3.1.
"Tender Offer" means the tender offer process which the Fund intends to
utilize to
"Transfer" has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.1.
"Transferee" has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2.1.
6
EFTA01399385
2.63
2.64
"Transferor" has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2.1.
"Treasury Regulations" means the income tax regulations promulgated under
the Code,
as such regulations may be amended from time to time.
2.65
"Unpaid Preferred Return" means, with respect to any Member and as of any
date of
determination, (i) such Member's Preferred Return accrued for all periods
prior to such date, reduced (but
not below zero) by (ii) the cumulative amount of all distributions made to
such Member on or prior to
such date pursuant to Section 4.2.1(ii)(b).
2.66 "USD" or "$" means the lawful currency of the United States of America.
3
INTERESTS, MEMBERS, CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CAPITAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
3.1
Interests and Members.
3.1.1 The names, addresses, Capital Commitments and Capital Contributions of
the
Members and such other information as may be required by the LLC Law shall
be maintained by
the Manager on the books and records of the Fund.
3.1.2 The Manager shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to
designate certain
Members (including investors who are affiliated with the Manager
("Affiliated Members")) as
Special Members and, when deemed appropriate by the Manager in its sole
discretion, to enter
into separate agreements and/or side letters with such Special Members
setting forth the terms of
their investment in the Fund. A "Special Member" shall have the same rights
and obligations as
a Member, except that the Interest held by a Special Member (i) may have
preferential terms,
including, but not limited to, more favorable reporting or information
rights (i.e., greater
transparency); and/or (ii) may not be (x) subject to the same Carried
Interest; (y) subject to the
same restrictions as to transfers as the Interests held by other Members;
and/or (z) subject to such
other provisions as the Manager may specify and/or as set forth in any
applicable separate
agreement or side letter. Each Special Member shall be designated as a
Special Member in the
books and records of the Fund. Except as otherwise agreed with a particular
Special Member,
any Special Member may lose its designation as a Special Member in the sole
discretion of the
EFTA01399386
Manager. Neither the Manager nor the Fund shall be required to obtain the
consent or approval
of, or give notice to, any other Member in connection with the designation
of any Member as a
Special Member. Except as otherwise agreed with a particular Member, the
designation of one or
more Special Members will not entitle any other Member to similar terms or
designation, and
neither the Manager nor the Fund will be required to obtain the consent or
approval of, or provide
notice to, any Member in connection therewith.
3.2 Admission of Members; Capital Commitments.
3.2.1 The Manager may, in its sole discretion, admit one or more Persons to
the Fund
as Members as of the Closing Date. A Person shall be admitted to the Fund as
a Member (and
shall be shown as such in the books and records of the Fund) upon execution
and delivery by such
Person of this Agreement (or a counterpart hereof) and a Subscription
Agreement and the
acceptance by the Manager of such subscription in accordance with the terms
and conditions of
this Agreement. It is understood and agreed that the Manager may execute
this Agreement on
behalf of the Members pursuant to the power-of-attorney granted by each of
the Members in their
respective Subscription Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained herein,
7
EFTA01399387
the Manager may decline to accept a subscription by any Person, in whole or
in part, and for any
reason or no reason, in its sole discretion. Immediately following the
admission of one or more
Members on the Closing Date, the Initial Member, by its execution and
delivery of a counterpart
of this Agreement, shall resign from the Fund and shall have no further
rights or claims against,
or obligations as the Initial Member of, the Fund.
3.2.2 Each Member shall commit to contribute to the capital of the Fund an
amount
equal to its Capital Commitment. The minimum Capital Commitment for any
Member shall be
$1,000,000, subject to waiver, reduction or increase by the Manager in its
sole discretion and any
adjustment in accordance with Section 3.2.4 and/or Section 3.2.5. Subject to
certain specific
limitations contained in other provisions of this Agreement, such obligation
to contribute capital
to the Fund shall be irrevocable, unconditional and not subject to any
defense, counterclaim or
offset of any kind.
3.2.3 The Manager and/or its principals shall make aggregate Capital
Commitments to
the Fund of at least $2,000,000. In addition, ESM Fund I LP (the "ESM
Fund"), a private
investment fund managed by the Manager, shall make a Capital Commitment of
$3,000,000 to
the Fund.
3.2.4 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Manager
will
allocate the Bonds to be acquired by the Fund first to the Affiliated
Members and call capital
from the Affiliated Members on a pro rata basis based on their respective
Capital Commitments
(as set forth in Section 3.2.3) to fund the acquisition cost until each
Affiliated Member's
unfunded Capital Commitment is reduced to zero, unless otherwise determined
by the Manager,
and then allocate the remaining portion of the Bonds to be acquired by the
Fund to the other
Members (the "Unaffiliated Members") and call capital from the Unaffiliated
Members on a pro
rata basis based on their respective Capital Commitments in accordance with
the provisions of
Section 3.3 to fund the remaining portion of the acquisition cost. In the
event that any
Unaffiliated Member's level of participation in the acquired Bonds is less
than the level of
participation that such Unaffiliated Member would have had in the acquired
Bonds had the
EFTA01399388
Manager allocated the investment opportunity to (and called capital from)
all Members pro rata
based on their respective Capital Commitments without giving any priority to
the Affiliated
Members, then such Unaffiliated Member's Capital Commitment and unfunded
Capital
Commitment shall be deemed to have been reduced by the same proportion as
the reduction of its
level of participation in the acquired Bonds resulting from the priority
allocation of acquired
Bonds to the Affiliated Members.
3.2.5 Unless otherwise agreed with a particular Member, after thirty (30)
calendar days
following the completion of the Tender Offer, each Member shall be released
from further
obligations with respect to its unfunded Capital Commitment except to the
extent as reasonably
determined by the Manager to be necessary to: (i) pay amounts owing or which
may become due
under any indebtedness or to satisfy obligations under existing guarantees,
indemnities, covenants
or other undertakings; (ii) pay Fund expenses when due; and (iii) establish
Reserves for the
purpose of funding the matters described in clauses (i) and (ii).
Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in the foregoing, if, within the thirty (30) calendar period
following the completion of
the Tender Offer, there remain unfunded Capital Commitments available for
drawdown, and any
holders of the Bonds who did not accept the Tender Offer contact the
Manager, then the Manager
may in its sole discretion acquire additional Bonds from these holders in
one or more privately
negotiated transactions on behalf of the Fund and call capital from the
Members to fund such
transaction(s), in which event the Members will not be released from their
unfunded Capital
Commitments until such transactions have been completed.
8
EFTA01399389
3.3 Capital Contributions.
3.3.1 Each Member shall make Capital Contributions when and as called by the
Manager upon at least five (5) Business Days' prior written notice to the
Members (a "Capital
Call Notice"). The amount of cash required to be contributed by each Member
shall be equal to
the total amount of capital called for by the Manager, multiplied by a
fraction, the numerator of
which shall be the amount of such Member's Capital Commitment and the
denominator of which
shall be the aggregate amount of all Members' Capital Commitments.
3.3.2 All Capital Contributions shall be made in immediately available funds
in US
dollars by 12:00 noon (Eastern Standard time) on the date specified in the
applicable Capital Call
Notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the actual Capital Contribution
amount of a Member
changes after the delivery of a Capital Call Notice for any reason, the
Manager shall issue a
revised Capital Call Notice to the Members, and in such event the Capital
Contributions required
by such revised Capital Call Notice shall be made by 12:00 noon (Eastern
Standard time) on the
date specified in such revised Capital Call Notice.
3.3.3 Any capital called from the Members that is not used to acquire
investments or
pay Fund expenses shall be promptly returned to the Members, provided that
the Manager may,
in its sole discretion, hold back up to 5% of any such unused capital for up
to ninety (90) days to
fund investments, pay expenses of the Fund and/or for other use of capital
incident to the
operation of the Fund (any such amount held back, a "Capital Reserve").
3.3.4 Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, nothing in this
Agreement shall
operate to increase any Member's Capital Commitment and no Member shall have
any obligation
to contribute any amounts in excess of such Member's Capital Commitment to
the Fund.
3.3.5 The Manager shall not be personally liable for the return or repayment
of all or
any portion of the capital (or appreciation thereof) of any Member, it being
expressly agreed that
any such return of capital or appreciation made pursuant to this Agreement
shall be made solely
from the assets of the Fund, without any right of contribution from the
Manager.
3.4 Default by Members.
3.4.1 Upon the failure of a Member (a "Defaulting Member") to make all or any
portion of its required Capital Contribution in accordance with Section 3.3
(the "Default
EFTA01399390
Amount"), which failure is not cured within five (5) Business Days following
notice from the
Manager to the Defaulting Member of such failure (such occurrence, a
"Default"), the Manager
may in its sole discretion take one or more of the following actions:
(i)
cause any non-defaulting Member (each, a "Non-Defaulting Member")
to advance the Default Amount on behalf of the Defaulting Member (provided
that in no
event shall the Manager cause any Non-Defaulting Member to make any such
advance to
a Defaulting Member if such advance would cause such Non-Defaulting Member to
contribute capital to the Fund in excess of such Non-Defaulting Member's
Capital
Commitment), in which event (x) the amount so advanced shall be treated as a
loan from
such Non-Defaulting Member to the Defaulting Member, payable on demand and
bearing
interest at a rate equal to the lesser of (A) 12% per annum and (B) the
highest rate
allowable under applicable law, from the date the Default Amount was due,
plus
expenses of collection (including attorneys' fees), (y) any such loan shall
be secured by
the Capital Commitment of the Defaulting Member and the Defaulting Member's
9
EFTA01399391
Interest, and (z) the Fund shall withhold all distributions that would
otherwise be made to
the Defaulting Member under this Agreement and pay such withheld amounts to
such
Non-Defaulting Member to offset the amount owed by the Defaulting Member to
such
Non-Defaulting Member under this clause (i);
(ii) withhold all distributions (or portions thereof) that would otherwise be
made to the Defaulting Member under this Agreement and apply such withheld
distributions to offset the Defaulted Amount or other amounts owed by the
Defaulting
Member to the Fund;
(iii)
offer all or any portion of the Defaulting Member's Interest to the
NonDefaulting
Members or any other Person (including the Manager and its Affiliates), at
such price and on such terms as the Manager deems appropriate, in its sole
discretion, in
which event the proceeds of the sale shall first be applied to the payment
of the expenses
of the sale, next to the payment of the amounts owed by such Defaulting
Member to the
Fund and/or any Non-Defaulting Member (including, but not limited to,
amounts owed to
any Non-Defaulting Member pursuant to clause (i) above), and the balance, if
any, shall
be remitted to the Defaulting Member; provided, however, that if a shortfall
exists
between (x) the amount of the proceeds from any such sale and (y) an amount
equal to
the difference between (A) such Defaulting Member's Capital Commitment and
(B) such
Defaulting Member's Adjusted Capital Contribution, the Defaulting Member
shall
remain liable for such shortfall;
(iv)
Member;
(vi)
Interest; and/or
(vii)
declare the Defaulting Member's entire unfunded Capital Commitment
to be immediately due and payable;
(v)
suspend all investment participation and other rights of the Defaulting
cause a complete or partial forfeiture of the Defaulting Member's
pursue and enforce all other rights and remedies which the Fund may
have against the Defaulting Member at law or in equity.
3.4.2 Any Non-Defaulting Member or other Person acquiring a portion of the
Defaulting Member's Interest shall assume the portion of the Defaulting
Member's obligation to
make both defaulted and future Capital Contributions pursuant to such
EFTA01399392
Defaulting Member's
Capital Commitment applicable to that portion of the Defaulting Member's
Interest being
acquired.
3.4.3 No right, power or remedy available to the Manager in this Section 3.4
shall be
exclusive, and each such right, power or remedy shall be cumulative and in
addition to any other
right, power or remedy available at law or in equity. No course of dealing
between the Manager
or the Fund and any Defaulting Member, and no delay in exercising any right,
power or remedy,
shall operate as a waiver or otherwise prejudice the exercise of such right,
power or remedy.
3.4.4 Each Member hereby consents to the application of the remedies
provided in this
Section 3.4 in recognition, in addition to actual damages suffered by the
Fund or the other
Members as the result of a Default by such Member, that the Fund may have no
adequate remedy
10
EFTA01399393
at law for a Default by a Member and that damages resulting from such
Default may be
impossible to ascertain at the time of such Default.
3.4.5 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the
Manager may,
but shall not be obligated to, waive any Default, permit a Default to be
cured by a Defaulting
Member or advance funds on behalf of a Defaulting Member without interest,
on such terms and
conditions as the Manager deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
3.5 Capital Accounts. A separate Capital Account shall be maintained for
each Member on
the books of the Fund and shall be adjusted from time to time pursuant to
the terms of this Agreement.
3.6 Return of Capital Contributions. No Member shall be entitled to receive
any interest
on its Capital Contributions except as specifically provided herein. The
Members shall not have the right
to demand return of their Capital Contributions, nor shall the Members have
the right to demand and
receive property other than cash in return for their Capital Contributions.
4
DISTRIBUTIONS
4.1 Distributions Generally. Subject to the other provisions of this Article
IV, the Manager
shall cause the Fund to distribute to the Members any Distributable Proceeds
received by the Fund within
five (5) Business Days after the Fund's receipt thereof.
4.2 Distributions of Distributable Proceeds.
4.2.1 Any distribution of Distributable Proceeds pursuant to Section 4.1
shall be made
as follows:
(i)
first, Distributable Proceeds shall be divided among all Members pro rata
based on their respective Percentage Interests;
(ii)
second, the Distributable Proceeds apportioned to the Affiliated
Members pursuant to clause (i) above shall be distributed to such Persons,
and the
Distributable Proceeds apportioned to each Unaffiliated Member pursuant to
clause (i)
above (the "Reapportionable Proceeds") shall be distributed between such
Unaffiliated
Member and the Manager as follows:
(a)
first, 100% to such Unaffiliated Member, until such Unaffiliated
Member's Adjusted Capital Contribution is reduced to zero (0) by
distributions
made to such Unaffiliated Member pursuant to this clause (a) on or prior to
such
distribution date and unused capital returned to such Unaffiliated Member
EFTA01399394
pursuant to Section 3.3.3 on or prior to such distribution date;
(b)
second, 100% to such Unaffiliated Member, until such
Unaffiliated Member's Unpaid Preferred Return is reduced to zero (0);
(c)
third:
(I)
until the sum of the remaining Reapportionable Proceeds
and the cumulative amount of all distributions made to such Unaffiliated
Member pursuant to this clause (c)(I) is equal to the Hurdle Amount
11
EFTA01399395
applicable to such Member determined as of such distribution date,
100% to the Unaffiliated Member;
(II)
next, 100% to the Manager until the Manager has been
distributed pursuant to this clause (c)(II) an amount equal to 25% of the
aggregate amounts distributed pursuant to clause (c)(I) above and this
clause (c)(II); and
(III)
thereafter, 75% to such Unaffiliated Member and 25% to
the Manager (the aggregate amount distributable to the Manager
pursuant to clause c(II) above and this clause (c)(III), the "Carried
Interest").
4.2.2 For the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any distribution made by
the Fund
prior to the one (1) year anniversary of the Closing Date, the Carried
Interest calculation shall be
made (in accordance with Section 4.2.1) as a percentage of the total dollar
amount of the portion
of Reapportionable Proceeds for such period that represents net investment
profits (and not as a
percentage of annualized net investment return for such period).
4.2.3 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the
Manager may, in
its sole discretion, reduce, waive or rebate the Carried Interest with
respect to any Member,
including, without limitation, Affiliated Members, in each case without
entitling any other
Member to the same or similar reduction, waiver or rebate, and shall not be
required to obtain the
consent or approval of, or give notice to, any Member in connection
therewith.
4.3
Tax Distributions. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4.2.1, prior to
any
distribution being made pursuant to Section 4.2.1, the Manager may cause the
Fund to distribute to the
Manager an amount equal to the sum of any taxable income of the Fund
allocable to the Manager with
respect to the applicable Fiscal Year on account of its entitlement to the
Carried Interest, after taking into
account all tax losses allocable to the Manager with respect to any Fiscal
Year (to the extent that such tax
losses have not previously been applied against taxable income allocable to
the Manager with respect to
such Fiscal Year or any prior Fiscal Year), multiplied by an assumed tax
rate equal to (i) the highest
combined marginal federal, state and local tax rate applicable to
individuals residing in New York, New
York, and (ii) to the extent applicable, the highest rates of tax imposed in
respect of any self-employment
and Medicare contribution tax, taking into account (A) taxable income
EFTA01399396
classified for tax purposes as
ordinary income and (B) taxable income classified for tax purposes as net
long term capital gains
(calculated in accordance with the Code). Distributions to the Manager
pursuant to this Section 4.3 shall
only be made to the extent that the Manager would not receive, for the
applicable Fiscal Year,
distributions pursuant to Section 4.2.1(c) in an amount equal to the amount
described in this Section 4.3.
Any amount distributed to the Manager pursuant to this Section 4.3 shall be
treated as an advance against
future Carried Interest distributions.
4.4
Limitations on Distributions Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained
herein, no distribution pursuant to this Agreement shall be made if the
Manager determines, based on the
opinion of reputable outside legal counsel, that such distribution would
violate the LLC Law or any
applicable law. The Manager's good faith determination of the restrictions
and limitations set forth in the
preceding sentence shall be final and conclusive as to all Members. If a
distribution is suspended or
delayed pursuant to this Section 4.4, then all amounts so retained by the
Fund shall continue to be subject
to all the liabilities of the Fund and such distribution shall be made
promptly after the Manager
reasonably determines that such payment restrictions and limitations are no
longer in effect.
12
EFTA01399397
4.5
Withholding Taxes. The Fund shall comply with withholding requirements under
any
applicable law (including under FATCA) and shall remit amounts withheld to
and file required forms
with the applicable jurisdictions. If requested by the Manager, each Member
shall deliver to the Manager:
(i) an affidavit in form satisfactory to the Manager that the applicable
Member is not subject to
withholding under the provisions of any U.S. federal (including under
FATCA), state, local, foreign or
other law; (ii) any certificate that the Manager may reasonably request with
respect to any such laws;
and/or (iii) any other form or instrument reasonably requested by the
Manager relating to any Member's
status under AEOI. In the event that a Member fails or is unable to deliver
to the Manager an affidavit
described in clause (i) of this Section 4.5, the Manager will withhold
amounts from such Member in
accordance with the remainder of this provision. To the extent the Fund is
required to withhold and pay
over any amounts (including under FATCA) to any authority with respect to
distributions or allocations to
any Member, the amount withheld shall be treated as a distribution in the
amount of the withholding to
that Member. In the event of any claimed over-withholding, Members shall be
limited to an action against
the applicable jurisdiction. If the amount withheld was not withheld from
actual distributions, the Fund
may, at its option, (A) require the Member to reimburse the Fund for such
withholding or (B) reduce any
subsequent distributions by the amount of such withholding. Each Member
shall indemnify the Manager
and the Fund against any losses and liabilities (including interest and
penalties) related to any withholding
obligations with respect to allocations or distributions made to it by the
Fund (unless such loss or liability
resulted from the bad faith of the Manager) and any taxes imposed on the
Fund due to such Member's
non-compliance with AEOI. The provisions contained in this Section 4.5 shall
survive the dissolution of
the Fund, the withdrawal of any Member or the transfer or assignment of any
Member's Interest.
4.6
Liability for Certain Taxes. If the Fund is subject to any tax, interest and
penalties
under Section 6225 of the BBA Audit Rules ("Tax Liabilities"), the Manager
shall allocate among the
Members any such Tax Liability in a manner it determines to be fair and
equitable by deducting amounts
from Capital Accounts or reducing amounts otherwise distributable to the
EFTA01399398
Members, taking into account
any modifications attributable to a Member pursuant to Section 6225(c) of
the BBA Audit Rules (if
applicable). To the extent that the Manager cannot allocate such Tax
Liabilities through adjustments to
Capital Accounts or distributions to the Members and to the extent that a
portion of the Tax Liabilities
imposed under Section 6225 of the BBA Audit Rules for a prior year relates
to a former Member, the
Members and former Members shall indemnify and hold harmless the Fund for
their respective share of
such amounts as determined by the Manager in accordance with the foregoing.
Each Member
acknowledges that, notwithstanding the transfer or withdrawal of all or any
portion of its Interest, it may
remain liable for Tax Liabilities with respect to its allocable share of
income and gain of the Fund for the
taxable years (or portions thereof) prior to such transfer or withdrawal, as
applicable, under Section 6225
of the BBA Audit Rules.
5
ALLOCATIONS OF PROFITS AND LOSSES
5.1 Allocation of Profits and Losses. After giving effect to the allocations
set forth in
Section 5.2, items of Fund income, gain, loss, expense or deduction for any
Fiscal Year or other allocation
period shall be allocated to the Capital Accounts of the Members in such a
manner that, as of the end of
such Fiscal Year or other allocation period, the sum of (a) the Capital
Account of each Member, (b) such
Member's share of minimum gain (as determined according to Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-2(g))
and (c) such Member's partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain (as defined in
Treasury Regulations
Section 1.704-2(i)(3)) shall be equal to the respective net amount, positive
or negative, which would be
distributed to such Member or for which such Member would be liable to the
Fund under this Agreement,
determined as if the Fund were to (x) liquidate its assets for an amount
equal to their book values
determined according to the rules of Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)-
(2)(iv)) and (y) distribute
the proceeds of liquidation pursuant to Section 11.3(iv) as of the end of
such Fiscal Year or other
allocation period. Any decision regarding allocations to the Capital
Accounts of the Members shall be
13
EFTA01399399
made by the Manager in its reasonable discretion, taking into account such
facts and circumstances as the
Manager deems relevant for such allocation.
5.2 Regulatory Allocation Provisions. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this Article
V:
5.2.1
If there is a net decrease in "partnership minimum gain" or "partner
nonrecourse
debt minimum gain" (determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury
Regulations
Sections 1.704-2(d) and 1.704-2(i)) during any Fiscal Year, each Member
shall be specially
allocated items of Fund income and gain for such Fiscal Year (and, if
necessary, subsequent
years) in an amount equal to its respective share of such net decrease
during such year,
determined pursuant to Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704- 2(g) and
1.704-2(i)(5). The items
to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Treasury
Regulations Section 1.7042(f).
This Section 5.2.1 is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback
requirement in
such Treasury Regulations Section and shall be interpreted consistently
therewith, including that
no chargeback shall be required to the extent of the exceptions provided in
Treasury Regulations
Sections 1.704-2(f) and 1.704-2(i)(4).
5.2.2
If any Member has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any
Fiscal
Year, items of Fund income and gain shall be specially allocated to such
Member in an amount
and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury
Regulations, the
Adjusted Capital Account deficit of such Member as promptly as possible;
provided that an
allocation pursuant to this Section 5.2.2 shall be made only if and to the
extent that a Member
would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit in excess of such sum after
all other allocations
provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section
5.2.2 were not in this
Agreement. This Section 5.2.2 is intended to comply with the "qualified
income offset"
requirement of Section 704(b) of the Code.
5.2.3 Nonrecourse deductions for any Fiscal Year shall be allocated to the
applicable
Member by the Manager in its reasonable discretion.
5.2.4 Any partner nonrecourse deductions for any Fiscal Year shall be
specially
EFTA01399400
allocated to the Member who bears the economic risk of loss with respect to
the partner
nonrecourse debt to which such partner nonrecourse deductions are
attributable in accordance
with Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(1).
5.2.5 Any special allocations pursuant to this Section 5.2 shall be taken
into account in
computing subsequent allocations pursuant to Section 5.1 and this Section
5.2 so that the net
amount of any items so allocated and all other items allocated to each
Member shall, to the extent
possible, be equal to the net amount that would have been allocated to each
Member if such
allocations had not occurred.
5.2.6 Except to the extent otherwise required by the Code and Treasury
Regulations, if
an Interest in the Fund or part thereof is transferred in any Fiscal Year,
the items of income, gain,
loss, deduction and credit allocable to such Interest for such Fiscal Year
shall be allocated to the
Person who held such Interest on the date such items were realized or
incurred by the Fund, using
any method selected by the Manager. The Manager may, in its reasonable
discretion, make the
election provided for in Section 754 of the Code upon the request of the
transferor, provided that
such transferor timely furnishes the Manager with all required information
necessary to make
and/or properly reflect said election.
14
EFTA01399401
6.
FEES AND EXPENSES
6.1
Expenses.
6.1.1 The Fund shall pay all expenses incurred in connection with the
organization of
the Fund (and any Investment Vehicle) and the offering of the Interests, up
to an aggregate
amount of $125,000, provided that such limit may be increased or waived with
the consent of a
Majority-in-Interest of the Members. Any organization and offering expenses
in excess of such
cap shall be borne by the Manager. These organizational and offering
expenses include, without
limitation, formation costs, offering expenses, expenses associated with
preparation of this
Agreement, the Confidential Offering Memorandum and other Fund-related
documents (but
excluding all expenses associated with the negotiation of any Fund -related
documents or side
letters with investors), legal, accounting, filing, printing, travel,
capital raising, government filing,
regulatory compliance and other organizational expenses ordinarily
associated with the
organization of an investment vehicle such as the Fund.
6.1.2 The Fund shall pay all of its (and any Investment Vehicle's) ordinary
and
extraordinary operating expenses, including (i) any interest, fees, and
costs of Fund-related
borrowings; (ii) operational costs ordinarily associated with the operation
of an investment
vehicle such as the Fund, such as legal, accounting, bookkeeping, auditing,
consulting and other
professional expenses, administration and tax preparation expenses, all
taxes (if any), costs and
expenses related to regulatory compliance matters, and fees payable to
governments or agencies
(including, without limitation, annual Cayman Islands registration and
registered office fees); (iii)
its pro rata portion of any insurance costs, including directors and
officers insurance and errors
and omissions insurance; (iv) expenses incurred in connection with the
collection of monies owed
to the Fund; (v) the costs of any reporting to investors and meetings with
investors; (vi) the cost
of maintaining the Fund's books and records; (vii) expenses incurred in
connection with the
dissolution, liquidation, and termination of the Fund; (viii) expenses of
any administrative
proceedings undertaken by the Manager in its capacity as the Fund's
"partnership representative";
EFTA01399402
(ix) the Fund's pro rata portion of any regulatory and compliance costs
incurred by the Manager
related to the Fund, including, but not limited to, preparation and filing
of the SEC Form ADV
and the preparation and/or submission of other required regulatory filings;
and (x) extraordinary
expenses, such as litigation and indemnification expenses (including any
judgments or
settlements paid in connection therewith) involving the Fund or any of its
investments, if any.
6.1.3 The Fund shall pay all of its (and any Investment Vehicle's)
investment-related
expenses, meaning all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the
execution of the Fund's
investment strategy and the acquisition, holding and Disposition of the
Fund's investments,
including, but not limited to, legal expenses (including costs associated
with the preparation and
conduct of litigation proceedings related to the implementation of the
Fund's investment
strategy), tender fees, custodian fees, and investment-related travel
expenses (e.g., meeting with
representatives of the financial guarantors of the Bonds in person to
negotiate a settlement).
6.1.4 All expenses of the Fund noted above incurred by the Manager in
connection
with the exercise of its duties to the Fund shall be paid or reimbursed by
the Fund, subject to the
cap set forth in Section 6.1.1. Such expenses may be advanced by the
Manager, in which event
the Fund shall reimburse or otherwise compensate the Manager for these
expenses over such
period as the Manager shall determine in its sole discretion.
15
EFTA01399403
7.
MANAGEMENT
7 1
Management of Fund Business. The Fund shall be managed, and the conduct of
the
Fund's business shall be controlled and conducted solely by, a manager (the
"Manager") appointed in
accordance with this Agreement. The initial Manager shall be ESM Management
LLC. The Manager
may admit additional Managers of the Fund or successor Manager(s) of the
Fund, which additional or
successor Manager(s) may be Affiliates of ESM Management LLC or, with the
consent of a Majority-inlnterest
of the Members, may be unaffiliated third parties. The Manager shall be
required to devote to the
conduct of the business of the Fund such time and attention as it determines
in its reasonable discretion to
be necessary to accomplish the purposes and to conduct the business of the
Fund. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Manager shall not be precluded from engaging in other
activities or business ventures of
any kind. Except to the extent required by nonwaivable provisions of any
applicable laws, the Members
acknowledge and agree that (i) the Manager shall have no duties (including,
but not limited to, any
fiduciary duties) to the Fund and/or any Members other than those duties
expressly described herein and
the Manager's implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing,
and (ii) so long as the Manager
acts in a manner consistent with the implied contractual covenant of good
faith and fair dealing and with
the express provisions of this Agreement, the Manager shall not be in breach
of any duties (including
fiduciary duties) in respect of the Fund and/or any Member otherwise
applicable at law or in equity. The
provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they expand, restrict or
eliminate the duties and liabilities
of the Manager otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the
Members to replace fully and
completely such other duties and liabilities of the Manager. Subject to the
foregoing but notwithstanding
any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary or other applicable
provision at law or in equity,
whenever in this Agreement the Manager is permitted or required to make a
decision or take an action (i)
in its discretion or under a similar grant of authority or latitude, in
making such decision or taking such
action, the Manager shall be entitled to take into account its own interests
and the interests of its
Affiliates, as well as the interests of the Members as a whole, or (ii) in
"good faith" or under another
EFTA01399404
expressed standard, the Manager shall act under such express standard and
shall not be subject to any
other or different standard.
7.2 Removal of Manager. The Manager may only be removed from such position
due to the
Manager's withdrawal or resignation, or by a Majority-in-Interest of the
Members in accordance with the
provisions of this Section 7.2. The Manager shall have the authority to
withdraw or otherwise resign
from the Fund at any time upon providing ninety (90) days' prior written
notice to the Fund, and any such
resignation by the Manager shall not result in the dissolution of the Fund.
A Majority-in-Interest of the
Members may remove the Manager as manager of the Fund and appoint a new
manager to the Fund (the
"Substitute Manager") (i) if the Manager engages in any conduct that
constitutes Cause or (ii) if a Key
Person Event has occurred and is continuing with respect to both Key
Persons. In the event that the
Manager is so removed, or withdraws or resigns, the Manager shall no longer
be entitled to receive any
Carried Interest.
7.3
Powers of the Manager.
7.3.1 The Manager shall have all rights and powers of a manager under the
LLC Law
and shall have and may exercise on behalf of the Fund all powers and rights
necessary, proper,
convenient or advisable to effectuate and carry out the purposes, business
and objectives of the
Fund and as permitted under the LLC Law; provided, however, that the Manager
may, subject to
Section 7.3.2, delegate its administrative, investment or other
responsibilities, and the costs and
expenses related thereto, to one or more appropriate designees.
7.3.2 Subject to any and all limitations expressly set forth in this
Agreement, the
Manager shall perform or cause to be performed all administrative,
management and operational
16
EFTA01399405
functions relating to the business of the Fund that are necessary or
advisable to carry out the
purposes of this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the Manager or
such other Person as the Manager may employ or retain, subject to such
limitations, is expressly
authorized on behalf of the Fund to:
(i)
expend the capital and revenues of the Fund in furtherance of the purpose
of the Fund as set forth in Section 1.3;
(ii)
open, maintain, conduct and close, in the name of the Fund, investment
and trading accounts, bank accounts, and to draw checks or other orders for
the payment
of money;
(iii) make, execute, acknowledge and deliver such agreements, contracts and
documents as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the investment
program of the
Fund;
(iv)
borrow money to acquire investments, and pledge assets of the Fund in
support of any financing;
(v) make, or designate and appoint other Persons to make, directly or
indirectly, all or any portion of the trading and investment decisions of
the Fund,
including Affiliates of the Manager, for the purposes set forth in this
Agreement;
provided that any delegation of investment authority shall require the
consent of a
Majority-in-Interest of the Members;
(vi)
enter into agreements and contracts with third parties, terminate such
agreements, and institute, defend and settle litigation arising therefrom,
and give receipts,
releases and discharges with respect to all of the foregoing and any matters
incidental
thereto;
(vii)
purchase and maintain insurance, at the cost and expense of the Fund, on
behalf of any one or more Person(s) against any liability that may be
asserted against or
expenses that may be incurred by such Person(s) in connection with the
activities of the
Fund, regardless of whether the Fund would have the power to indemnify any
such
Person(s) against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement;
(viii) maintain adequate records and accounts of all operations and
expenditures and furnish the Members with the reports required hereunder;
(ix)
name of the Fund, or in the name of a nominee authorized by the Manager;
(x)
EFTA01399406
(xi)
take and hold all property of the Fund, real, personal and mixed, in the
enter into one or more customer agreements with one or more U.S. or
non-U.S. dealers or brokers (including dealers or brokers that are
Affiliates of the
Manager) ("Brokers");
execute for and on behalf of the Fund any filing, notice, form or other
document under any applicable securities law and take any additional action
as it shall
deem necessary or desirable to effectuate the offering of Interests;
17
EFTA01399407
(xii)
sell, lease, exchange or otherwise dispose all or any portion of the
property of the Fund;
(xiii) employ or engage advisors, consultants, experts, professionals,
accountants, administrators, valuation agents, auditors, attorneys, Brokers,
banks and
other financial institutions, engineers, custodians, escrow agents, selling
and placement
agents and/or any other third parties, including Affiliates of the Manager,
deemed
necessary by the Manager, and terminate such employment or engagement;
(xiv) pay, extend, renew, modify, adjust, submit to arbitration, prosecute,
defend or compromise, upon such terms as it may determine and upon such
evidence as it
may deem sufficient, any obligation, suit, liability, cause of action or
claim, including
taxes, either in favor of or against the Fund;
(xv)
pay any and all fees and make any and all expenditures that it, in its
reasonable discretion, deems necessary or appropriate in connection with the
organization
of the Fund, the offering and sale of the Interests, the management of the
affairs of the
Fund or, the investment and maintenance of the assets of the Fund and the
carrying out of
its obligations and responsibilities under this Agreement;
(xvi) pay any and all reasonable fees and make any and all reasonable
expenditures to an affiliated entity that it, in its reasonable discretion,
deems necessary or
appropriate in connection with the administration of the Fund;
(xvii) admit a Transferee or other recipient of a Member's Interest to be a
Substituted Member pursuant to and subject to the terms of Article X,
without the
consent of any Member;
(xviii) determine the accounting methods and conventions to be used in the
preparation of the Fund's tax returns, and make such elections under the tax
laws of the
United States, the several states and other relevant jurisdictions as to the
treatment of
items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the Fund, or any other
method or
procedure related to the preparation of such returns;
(xix) be designated and act as the "tax matters partner" or "partnership
representative," as applicable, of the Fund under the Code, to which
designation each
Member hereby consents as an express condition of being admitted to the
Fund, and, in
such capacity, participate in an audit of the Fund's return of income and
consent to
assessments by the auditing agent that may be adverse to the Members or the
Fund, and,
EFTA01399408
in connection therewith, negotiate, settle and make agreements and
adjustments with
respect to the tax returns of the Fund binding upon the Members;
(xx) make (and if made, revoke) such elections as it may deem appropriate
under any provision of the Code, including without limitation an election
under Section
6226 of the BBA Audit Rules. Each of the Members shall, upon request, supply
the
information necessary to properly give effect to such election or necessary
for any other
tax purpose;
(xxi) subject to Section 7.5, prior to the termination of the Fund, form a
new
limited partnership, limited liability company or other entity the
investment policies of
which are substantially the same as those of the Fund;
18
EFTA01399409
(xxii) pay or authorize the payment of distributions to the Members;
(xxiii) prosecute, defend, settle or compromise actions or claims at law or
in
equity at the expense of the Fund as may be necessary or proper to enforce
or protect the
interests of the Fund, and satisfy any judgment, decree or decision of any
court, board or
authority having jurisdiction or any settlement of any suit or claim prior
to judgment or
final decision thereon, first, out of any insurance proceeds available
therefor, and then,
out of the Fund's; and
(xxiv) make, execute, sign, acknowledge, swear to, record and file (i) this
Agreement and any amendment to this Agreement, (ii) the Registration
Statement and all
amendments thereto required or permitted by law or the provisions of this
Agreement,
(iii) all certificates and other instruments deemed advisable by the Manager
to carry out
the provisions of this Agreement and applicable law or to permit the Fund to
become or
to continue as a limited liability company wherein the Members have limited
liability in a
jurisdiction where the Fund may be doing business, (iv) all instruments that
the Manager
deems appropriate to reflect a change or modification of this Agreement or
the Fund in
accordance with this Agreement, including, without limitation, the
substitution of
Transferees as Substituted Members pursuant to Section 10.3 and amendments
to this
Agreement, (v) all conveyances and other instruments or papers deemed
advisable by the
Manager to effect the winding up and dissolution of the Fund, (vi) all
fictitious or
assumed name certificates required or permitted to be filed on behalf of the
Fund, and
(vii) all other instruments or papers that may be required or permitted by
law to be filed
on behalf of the Fund.
The fact that the Manager or one or more of the Members has a direct or
indirect interest in or is
connected, directly or indirectly, with any Person with which the Fund may
have dealings, including, but
not limited to, any Person that renders investment advisory, brokerage,
custodial, share transfer or related
services, shall not preclude such dealings or make them void or voidable,
and neither the Fund nor any of
the Members shall have any rights in or to such dealings or any profits
derived therefrom.
7.4 Other Businesses. Subject to Section 7.5, the Manager and any Member, or
EFTA01399410
any
stockholder, officer, director, member, manager, partner, Affiliate or agent
of the Manager or any
Member, may engage in or possess any interest in other business ventures of
any kind, nature or
description, independently or with others, including but not limited to
investments in, and financing,
acquiring and disposing of, financial instruments, providing investment
advisory or asset management
services, investments and management counseling, brokerage services, or
serving as officers, directors,
advisors or agents of other companies, whether such ventures are competitive
with the Fund or otherwise,
and neither the Fund nor the Members shall have any rights or obligations by
virtue of this Agreement or
the relationship created hereby in or to such independent ventures or the
income or profits or losses
derived therefrom. The Manager and its Affiliates may also give advice or
take action with respect to its
own account or any other third party that may differ from or be opposite
from advice given or the timing
or nature of action taken with respect the Fund.
7 5
Exclusivity. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein,
until such time
when the Manager determines to dissolve the Fund, any investment opportunity
to acquire the Bonds that
is presented to or originated by the Manager and its Affiliates shall be
offered solely to the Fund, except
for any Bonds currently held by the ESM Fund and any follow-on investment
related to such holdings
(i.e., any additional investment by the ESM Fund in the same class and
series of the Bonds currently held
by the ESM Fund).
19
EFTA01399411
7.6
Liability and Indemnification.
7.6.1 Neither the Manager nor any of its Affiliates, nor any of its or their
respective
principals, managers, members, partners, officers, directors, employees,
equity holders, agents or
other applicable representatives (collectively, the "Manager Parties") shall
be liable, responsible
or accountable in damages or otherwise (including for any loss due to the
action or inaction of
any Person retained by the Fund) to the Fund or any Member, or any of their
respective Affiliates,
principals, managers, members, officers, directors, employees, equity
holders, agents or other
applicable representatives or any of their respective successors, assignees
or transferees, or to
third parties for any act or omission performed or omitted by them on behalf
of the Fund and in a
manner reasonably believed by them to be within the scope of the authority
granted to them by
this Agreement except when such action or failure to act is found by a court
of competent
jurisdiction to have been the result of such Manager Party's fraud, gross
negligence (as such term
is construed under the laws of the State of Delaware), willful misconduct or
material breach of
this Agreement in the performance or non -performance of its duties to the
Fund. The Manager
Parties may consult with counsel and accountants in respect of the Fund's
affairs and be fully
protected and justified in any action or inaction which is taken in good
faith and in accordance
with the information, reports, statements, advice or opinion provided by
such Persons.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall in any way
constitute a waiver or
limitation of any rights which the Members may have under any applicable
securities laws,
ERISA or the LLC Law.
7.6.2 Subject to Section 7.6.3, the Fund shall indemnify, defend and hold
harmless
each Manager Party from and against any and all losses, damages,
obligations, penalties, claims,
actions, suits, judgments, settlements, liabilities, costs, and expenses
(including, without
limitation, reasonable attorneys' and accountants' fees, as well as other
costs and expenses
incurred in connection with the defense of any actual or threatened action
or proceeding) and
amounts paid in settlement of any claims (collectively, "Damages") suffered
or sustained by such
EFTA01399412
Manager Party as a result of or in connection with any act or omission by
such Manager Party
under this Agreement or otherwise on behalf of the Fund; provided, however,
that such indemnity
shall be payable only if such Manager Party in good faith acted or failed to
act in a manner it
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the
Fund (as determined by
the Manager), and such Damages were not found by a court of competent
jurisdiction to have
been the result of such Manager Party's fraud, gross negligence (as such
term is construed under
the laws of the State of Delaware), willful misconduct or material breach of
this Agreement in the
performance or non-performance of its duties to the Fund, and in the case of
criminal
proceedings, that such Manager Party had no reasonable cause to believe was
unlawful. The
Manager may, in its sole discretion, cause the Fund to advance to any Person
entitled to
indemnification hereunder reasonable attorney's fees and other costs and
expenses incurred in
connection with the defense of any action or proceeding which arises out of
such conduct,
provided that all such advances will be promptly repaid if it is
subsequently determined that the
Person receiving such advance was not entitled to indemnification hereunder.
Any indemnity
under this Section 7.6.2 shall be paid from, and only to the extent of, the
Fund's assets, and no
Member shall have any personal liability on account thereof.
7.6.3 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (i) no
Manager Party
shall be entitled to any indemnification or advance from the Fund in
connection with any dispute
between such Manager Party and another Manager Party, and (ii) if a Manager
Party is insured by
an insurer under any insurance policy obtained by the Fund pursuant to
Section 7.3.2(vii) of this
Agreement for any liabilities, expenses or other losses as to which such
Manager Party also
would be entitled to be indemnified by the Fund pursuant to the foregoing
provisions of this
20
EFTA01399413
Section 7.6, such Manager Party shall first use commercially reasonable
efforts to pursue its
rights or remedies with respect to indemnification, advancement or insurance
provided by such
insurer before the Fund is required to makes any indemnification payment or
advance to such
Manager Party, and the amount of any indemnification to which such Manager
Party is entitled
under Section 7.6.2 shall be reduced by the amount of any such insurance
proceeds actually
received and entitled to be retained by such Manager Party, to the extent
that such proceeds or
payment are on account of the same matter, transaction or state of affairs
in respect of which such
indemnification relates.
7.6.4 All rights to indemnification permitted in this Agreement and payment
of
associated expenses shall not be affected by the termination and dissolution
of the Fund or the
removal, resignation, withdrawal, insolvency, bankruptcy, termination, or
dissolution of the
Manager.
7.7 Determination by the Manager of Certain Matters. Notwithstanding any
provisions
to the contrary in this Agreement, all matters concerning the valuation of
the Fund's investments, the
allocation of profits and losses among the Members (including the taxes
thereon) and accounting
procedures shall be determined by the Manager or its designee, in its
reasonable discretion, the
determination of which shall be final and conclusive as to all the Members.
In addition to the foregoing,
the Manager shall be authorized, without the need to obtain the consent of
the Members, to make such
allocations of tax items of the Fund, and such adjustments to the Members'
Capital Accounts, as the
Manager deems necessary or desirable to enable the Fund's allocations and
maintenance of capital
accounts for the Members pursuant to this Agreement to comply with the
provisions of Section 704(b)
and Section 704(c) of the Code and any Treasury Regulations promulgated
thereunder. The Manager
shall be entitled to consult with, and rely upon the advice of, the Fund's
accountants, administrators (if
any), agents or attorneys with respect to the matters referred to in this
Section 7.7 and shall incur no
liability in connection with any such allocations or adjustments made in
reliance thereon. In addition, no
such allocations or adjustments shall give rise to any claim or cause of
action by any Member. In the
event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Section 7.7 and
EFTA01399414
any other provision hereof, the
provisions of this Section 7.7 shall control.
7.8 Conflicts Derived by Dual Status of the Manager. In the event of any
inconsistency or
conflict between the rights and obligations of the Manager as a manager and
as a Member under this
Agreement, the rights and obligations of the Manager as a manager shall
control.
8
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE MEMBERS
8 1
Limitations on the Members. No Member shall: (i) be permitted to take part
in the
management or control of the business or affairs of the Fund, (ii) have any
voice in the management or
operation of any property, (iii) except as provided in Section 7.2, have the
power to remove the Manager,
(iv) except as provided in Section 11.1, have the power to influence the
management of the Fund, whether
by voting or approval rights or by changing or altering any Section of this
Agreement, including this
Section 8.1 or Section 12.1, by vote, consent or otherwise, or (v) have the
authority or power in its
capacity as a Member to act as agent for or on behalf of the Fund, or any
other Member, to do any act
which would be binding on the Fund, or any other Member, or to incur any
expenditures on behalf of or
with respect to the Fund.
8 2
Liability of the Members. The liability of each Member for the losses, debts
and
obligations of the Fund shall be limited to such Member's Capital
Contributions to, any unfunded Capital
Commitment with respect to, and share of any undistributed assets of, the
Fund, except to the extent
21
EFTA01399415
required by this Agreement or applicable law. The foregoing notwithstanding,
the Members shall each be
liable for the return to the Fund of any amounts that were distributed to
such Member in error.
8.3 Consents. If the consent of any Member to any action of the Fund, the
Manager or any
Member, as contemplated by this Agreement (including, but not limited to,
any consent contemplated by
Section 12.1), is solicited by the Manager, the consent of each Member so
solicited shall be deemed
conclusively to have been cast or granted as requested in the notice of
solicitation, unless such Member
deliver to the Fund its express written objection to the consent within
twenty (20) calendar days after such
Member's receipt of the notice of solicitation. The Manager and all Persons
dealing with the Fund shall
be entitled to act in reliance on any consent which is deemed granted
pursuant to this Section 8.3 and shall
be fully indemnified by the Fund in so doing.
9
BOOKS, RECORDS AND REPORTS
9.1
Books and Records. The Manager shall cause the Fund to keep complete and
accurate
books of the accounts with respect to the Fund's operations. The Manager
shall permit each Member to
inspect the books and records of the Fund for any purpose reasonably related
to such Member's interest as
a Member at any reasonable time during normal business hours and upon
reasonable advanced written
notice; provided, however, that the Manager shall have the right to keep
confidential from the Members
any information that the Fund or the Manager is required by law or agreement
with a third party to keep
confidential.
9.2 Accounting Basis. The Fiscal Year of the Fund shall begin on the 1st day
of January and
end on the 31st day of December of each year (the "Fiscal Year"); provided,
however, that the first Fiscal
Year of the Fund shall commence on September , 2018 and shall end on
December 31, 2018. The
Fiscal Year in which the Fund shall dissolve shall begin on January 1 and
end on the date of dissolution
of the Fund. Fund books shall be kept in accordance with the accounting
methods selected by the
Manager. Financial reports shall be on an accrual basis and shall be
prepared in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") with such adjustments
deemed necessary or
advisable by the Manager. In the sole discretion of the Manager, the books
of account and records of the
EFTA01399416
Fund shall be audited as of the end of each Fiscal Year by an independent
certified public accountant
selected by the Manager.
9.3 Reports.
9.3.1 The Manager shall cause to be provided to each Member each year an
annual
report containing financial statements prepared by an independent certified
public accountant
selected by the Manager with respect to the prior Fiscal Year as soon as
practicable following the
end of the Fiscal Year to which it relates.
9 3.2
In addition, the Manager may cause the Fund to provide to the Members such
other information and/or reports as determined by the Manager in its sole
discretion.
9.4
Tax Information. As soon as practicable after the close of each Fiscal Year,
the
Manager shall cause to be delivered to each Member and each other Member who
was a Member during
such Fiscal Year such information as shall be necessary for preparation of
the Member's income tax
returns. Each Member agrees to provide the Manager with any information
reasonably requested by the
Manager in connection with the preparation of the Fund's tax returns.
10.
TRANSFERS AND WITHDRAWALS
22
EFTA01399417
10.1 Restrictions on Transfers of Interest.
10.1.1 No sale, transfer, pledge, charge, hypothecation, exchange,
assignment or other
disposal of, and no creation of a derivative or security interest with
respect to, any portion of a
Member's Interest, whether directly or indirectly (each, a "Transfer"), may
be made without the
prior written consent of the Manager, which consent may be granted or
withheld in the sole
discretion of the Manager; provided, however, that a Transfer between a
Member and its
Affiliates shall be permitted without requiring the prior consent of the
Manager (but with notice
to the Manager). Any act by a Member in violation of this Section 10.1 shall
be void ab initio and
not be binding upon or recognized by the Fund (regardless of whether the
Manager has
knowledge thereof), unless approved or consented to in writing by the
Manager.
10.1.2 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, no
Transfer of a
Member's Interest shall be made unless the Manager has been satisfied that:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
when added to the total of all other Transfers of Interests within the
preceding twelve months, it would not result in the Fund being considered to
have
terminated for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
it would not violate any applicable securities laws including any investor
suitability standards applicable to the Fund or the Interest that is the
subject of the
Transfer;
it would not cause the Fund to lose its status as a partnership for U.S.
federal income tax purposes; and
(iv)
it would not otherwise adversely affect the status of the Fund under any
applicable law.
10.1.3 Each Member Transferring its Interest shall pay all reasonable
expenses,
including attorneys' fees, incurred by the Fund in connection with such
Transfer, if approved as
provided herein.
10.1.4 The Transfer of a Member's Interest and the admission of a
Substituted Member
shall not be cause for dissolution of the Fund.
10.2 Assignees.
10.2.1 The Fund shall not recognize for any purpose any purported Transfer
of an
Interest of a Member unless all the provisions of this Agreement shall have
been complied with
EFTA01399418
and there shall have been filed with the Fund a notification of such
Transfer, in form satisfactory
to the Manager, executed and acknowledged by both the Member requesting the
Transfer (the
"Transferor") and the other party to the proposed Transfer (the
"Transferee"), and such
notification (i) contains the acceptance by the Transferee of all of the
terms and provisions of this
Agreement and of the Fund's Subscription Agreement and related documents
approved by the
Manager, if applicable, and (ii) represents that such Transfer was made in
accordance with all
applicable laws and regulations. Any Transfer shall be recognized by the
Fund as effective only
as of such date as shall be designated by the Fund as reasonably convenient
for it.
10.2.2 The Transferee of a Member's Interest, unless and until admitted as a
Substituted
Member in such Member's stead in the sole discretion of the Manager, shall
not have any
23
EFTA01399419
statutory or other rights of the Transferor under any applicable law or this
Agreement, other than
the right to receive distributions with respect to the Interest that is the
subject of the Transfer.
Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, both the Fund and the
Manager shall be entitled
to treat the Transferor as the absolute owner of such Interest in all
respects, and shall incur no
liability for distributions made in good faith to it, until such time as the
requirements of this
Article X have been fulfilled.
10.3 Substituted Members.
10.3.1 No Member shall have the right to substitute a Transferee, donee,
heir, legatee,
distributee or other recipient of such Member's Interest as a Member in its
place. Any such
Transferee, donee, heir, legatee, distributee or other recipient of an
Interest (whether pursuant to a
voluntary or involuntary transfer) shall be admitted to the Fund as a
"Substituted Member" only
(i) with the prior written consent of the Manager, which consent may be
granted or withheld in
the sole discretion of the Manager, (ii) by satisfying the other
requirements of this Article X and
(iii) upon an amendment to this Agreement recorded in the proper records of
each jurisdiction in
which such recordation is necessary to qualify the Fund to conduct business
or to preserve the
limited liability of the Members. Any such consent by the Manager may be
evidenced by the
execution by the Manager of an amendment to this Agreement evidencing the
admission of such
Person as a Substituted Member or such other document as may be determined
by the Manager.
The Members hereby consent and agree to such admission of a Substituted
Member by the
Manager, and agree that the Manager may, on behalf of each Member and on
behalf of the Fund,
cause the books and records of the Fund to be updated to appropriately
reflect such admission, in
the event of such admission.
10.3.2 Each Substituted Member, as a condition to its admission as a
Substituted
Member, shall execute and acknowledge such instruments, in form and
substance satisfactory to
the Manager, as the Manager deems necessary or desirable to effectuate such
admission and to
confirm the agreement of the Substituted Member to be bound by all the terms
and provisions of
this Agreement. Further, each Member agrees, upon the request of the
Manager, to execute such
EFTA01399420
certificates or other documents and perform such acts as the Manager deems
appropriate to
preserve the limited liability status of the Fund under the laws of any
jurisdiction in which the
Fund is doing business after the completion of any Transfer of Interest.
10.3.3 Each Member hereby agrees to indemnify the Fund and each other Member
against any loss, damage, cost or expense (including, without limitation,
tax liabilities or loss of
tax benefits) arising directly or indirectly as a result of any Transfer or
proposed Transfer by such
Member in violation of this Article X.
10.4 Transfer of Interests by the Manager. To the extent permissible under
applicable law,
nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to prevent the merger of the
Manager with another
corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership or other entity,
the reorganization of the
Manager into or with any other corporation, limited liability company,
limited partnership or other entity,
the transfer of all equity interests in, or all or substantially all of the
assets of, the Manager, the transfer of
the Manager's Interest or the assumption of the rights, duties (including
status as the general partner of
the Fund) and liabilities of the Manager by, in the case of a merger,
reorganization or consolidation, the
surviving entity by operation of law or, in the case of a transfer of equity
interests in or assets of the
Manager or the Manager's Interest, the transferee of such equity interests
or assets or Interest. The
Manager shall make all filings with the Registrar as may be required in
order to effect any Transfer of its
Interest in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
24
EFTA01399421
10.5 Withdrawals.
10.5.1 A Member does not have the right to voluntarily withdraw from the
Fund,
withdraw any portion of its Capital Account or terminate its Capital
Commitment.
10.5.2 At any time, the Manager may require any Member to terminate or
reduce its
Capital Commitment and withdraw all or a portion of its Interest from the
Fund if (i) the Manager
reasonably believes that such Member acquired an Interest as a result of a
misrepresentation, (ii)
such Member is a "benefit plan investor" (within the meaning of the Plan
Asset Regulations) and
such withdrawal is necessary for the assets of the Fund not to be treated as
"plan assets" under
ERISA, or (iii) if the Manager reasonably believes that such Member's
ownership of an Interest
would cause the Fund, the Manager, such Member or any other Member to be in
violation of any
applicable laws or regulations. The Member thus designated shall withdraw
from the Fund or
withdraw that portion of such Member's Interest specified by the Manager, as
the case may be, as
of the close of business on such date as is determined by the Manager.
10.5.3 In the event a Member withdraws all or a portion of its Interest from
the Fund
pursuant to Section 10.5.2, the Fund shall pay such withdrawing Member an
amount equal to the
Fair Market Value of such Member's Interest as of the date of such
withdrawal with respect to the
Interest (or portions thereof being withdrawn). Such amount shall be paid
without interest within
120 days after the Manager's determination to cause such Member to withdraw;
provided,
however, such payment shall not be made during any time that such payment
would cause
hardship to the Fund. The Manager shall have sole discretion to make the
distribution in respect
of the Interest of a withdrawing Member in cash or in kind. The Manager may
withhold or delay
from distribution (but in no event for longer than one year) any assets the
distribution of which
would, in the Manager's reasonable discretion, cause hardship to the Fund or
to the issuer of any
securities to be distributed in kind. The Fund's books and records shall be
revised to reflect such
withdrawal and in the case of a complete withdrawal from the Fund the
withdrawing Member
shall no longer be considered a Member for purposes of this Agreement.
10.5.4 The Manager may, in its sole discretion, waive or modify any of the
requirements
EFTA01399422
and restrictions regarding withdrawals contained in this Agreement with
respect to any Member,
including, without limitation, Affiliated Members, without having to give
any other Member
notice of, and without entitling any other Member to, such a waiver or
modification.
11. WINDING UP, DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND
11.1 Winding UP. The Fund shall be wound up upon the happening of any of the
following
events: (i) the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Fund; (ii) an election by
the Manager to terminate the Fund
that has been approved by a Majority-in-Interest of the Members; (iii) a
termination required by operation
of law, (iv) an election by a Majority-in-Interest of the Members to wind up
the Fund that is delivered in
writing to the Manager within ninety (90) days following the two (2) year
anniversary of the date on
which the Tender Offer for the Bonds was completed, in the event a Complete
Disposition Event has not
occurred by such anniversary date; and (v) an election by a Majority-in -
Interest of the Members to wind
up the Fund that is delivered in writing to the Manager within ninety (90)
days following the three month
anniversary of the Closing Date, in the event the Fund fails to acquire
Bonds with aggregate face value of
at least $50,000,000 during the Tender Offer and in any event by such date.
11.2 Procedure for Dissolution.
25
EFTA01399423
11.2.1 In the event of the winding up of the Fund for any reason, the
Manager or a
liquidator appointed by the Manager (the Manager or such liquidator
hereinafter referred to as the
"Liquidator") shall commence to wind up the affairs of the Fund and to
liquidate the Fund's
assets. The Members shall continue to share all income, losses and
distributions of the Fund
during the period of liquidation in accordance with Articles IV and V. The
Liquidator shall have
full right and unlimited discretion to determine the time, manner and terms
of any sale or sales of
Fund property pursuant to such liquidation, giving due regard to the
activity and condition of the
relevant market and general financial and economic conditions.
11.2.2 The Liquidator shall have all of the rights and powers with respect
to the assets
and liabilities of the Fund in connection with the liquidation and
termination of the Fund that the
Manager would have with respect to the assets and liabilities of the Fund
during the term of the
Fund, and the Liquidator is hereby expressly authorized and empowered to
execute any and all
documents necessary or desirable to effectuate the liquidation and
termination of the Fund and the
transfer of any of the Fund's assets.
11.2.3 Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Liquidator which is not the Manager
shall not
be deemed a Member in this Fund and shall not have any of the economic
interests in the Fund of
a Member; and such Liquidator shall be compensated for its services to the
Fund at normal,
customary and competitive rates for its services to the Fund.
11.3 Distributions at Liquidation. The Liquidator shall, as soon as
practicable following the
event giving rise to the winding up, dissolution and termination of the
Fund, wind up the affairs of the
Fund and sell and/or distribute the assets of the Fund. The assets of the
Fund shall be applied in the
following order of priority:
(i)
first, to pay the costs and expenses of the winding up, liquidation and
termination of the Fund;
(ii)
(iii)
second, to creditors of the Fund in the order of priority provided by law;
third, to establish Reserves adequate to meet any and all contingent or
unforeseen liabilities or obligations of the Fund; provided that at the
expiration of such
period of time as the Liquidator may deem advisable, the balance of such
Reserves
EFTA01399424
remaining after the payment of such contingencies or liabilities shall be
distributed as
hereinafter provided; and
(iv)
fourth, to the Members and the Manager in the order of priority set forth
in Section 4.2; provided, however, that the Liquidator shall have the right
to offset
against any distribution due to a Member pursuant to this Section 11.3(iv)
any
outstanding advance distribution under Section 4.3 or Section 4.5.
11.4 Termination. The Fund shall terminate when all property owned by the
Fund shall have
been disposed of and the assets shall have been distributed as provided in
Section 11.3. The Liquidator
shall then execute and cause to be filed a notice of dissolution with the
Registrar.
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EFTA01399425
12. AMENDMENTS
12.1 Amendments.
12.1.1 Except as provided in Section 12.1.2, amendments to this Agreement
may be
made only if embodied in an instrument signed by the Manager and Majority-in -
Interest of the
Members; provided that no amendment to this Agreement that would increase
any Member's
Capital Commitment, or reduce any Member's share of the Fund's
distributions, income, gains or
losses, shall be adopted without the prior written consent of such Member.
12.1.2 Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
amendments to this
Agreement may be made by the Manager without the consent of any Member if
those
amendments are (i) to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any
provision herein which
may be inconsistent with any other provision herein or to make any other
provisions with respect
to matters or questions arising under this Agreement which is not
inconsistent with the provisions
of this Agreement, (ii) necessary to maintain the Fund's status as a
partnership for U.S. federal
income tax purposes, (iii) to make a change that does not adversely affect
the Members in any
material respect, or (iv) as otherwise permitted under this Agreement.
12.2 Amendment of Registration Statement. Upon amendment of this Agreement,
the
Manager shall amend the Registration Statement to reflect such change if it
deems such amendment of the
Registration Statement to be necessary or appropriate.
13.
FURTHER INSTRUMENTS
Each Member shall execute and deliver to the Manager within five (5) days
after receipt of the
Manager's request therefor such additional instruments as the Manager deems
necessary or appropriate to
carry out the terms of this Agreement.
14. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, COVENANTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS OF
THE MEMBERS
The representations, warranties, covenants, and understandings of each
Member, as set forth in a
Subscription Agreement and related documents, if any, completed and signed
by each Member prior to its
admission to the Fund or the making of an additional Capital Contribution,
if any, are incorporated herein
by reference and made a part hereof as if originally contained herein.
15.
BANK HOLDING COMPANY REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
15.1 Non-Voting Interests. The Members acknowledge and agree that the
Interests held by
EFTA01399426
the Members do not have voting rights. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the
extent that the Interests
held by the Members are deemed to be voting securities for purposes of the
BHC Act, that portion of the
Interest held by a Member that is, or is an Affiliate of, a bank holding
company, as defined in the BHC
Act, or is a non-bank subsidiary of such bank holding company, or is
otherwise subject to the BHC Act
(each, a "BHC Member"), or by a group of BHC Members whose Interests are
aggregated for BHC Act
purposes, in excess of 4.9% of the aggregate Interests held by all Members
shall be disregarded for all
such voting purposes.
15.2 Withdrawals of Non-Permitted Interests. To the extent that the
Interests held by the
Members are deemed to be voting securities for purposes of the BHC Act, in
the event that a BHC
Member (or a group of BHC Members whose Interests are aggregated for BHC Act
purposes) acquires an
27
EFTA01399427
Interest (or Interests) which would result in such BHC Member (or group of
BHC Members) owning an
Interest (or Interests) in excess of 24.9% (the "BHC Limit") of all
Interests in the aggregate or of any
individual class of Interests (those Interests up to the BHC Limit, the
"Permitted Interests"), then,
notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the
portion of such BHC
Member's (or group of BHC Members') Interest(s) in excess of the Permitted
Interests will be deemed to
have been compulsorily withdrawn, effective as of immediately prior to the
time the Permitted Interests
are exceeded. The Manager shall promptly notify each BHC Member upon
becoming aware of any
anticipated event which could cause such BHC Member to exceed the BHC Limit.
16. CONFIDENTIALITY
16.1 Confidentiality. Each Member shall, and shall cause its respective
directors, officers,
partners, members, employees, attorneys, accountants, trustees, consultants,
Affiliates and advisors (the
"Representatives") who have access to Confidential Information to, keep
confidential and not disclose
any Confidential Information without the express consent of the Manager
unless:
(i)
(ii)
such disclosure shall be required by applicable law, governmental rule or
regulation, court order, administrative or arbitral proceeding or by any
regulatory
authority having jurisdiction;
such disclosure is reasonably required in connection with any tax audit
involving the Fund or any Member; or
(iii)
such disclosure is required under the limited liability company agreement
or other organizational documents of a Member and the Member takes
reasonable steps
to cause recipients of the information to abide by the provisions hereof.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Members and/or Representatives may disclose
to any and all
Persons, without limitation of any kind, the structure and tax aspects of
the transactions described herein
and all materials of any kind that are provided to them relating to such
structure and tax aspects.
Confidential Information may be used by a Member and its Representatives
only in connection with Fund
matters and in connection with the maintenance of its Interest in the Fund.
16.2 Confidential Information. For purposes of this Agreement, "Confidential
Information" means this Agreement, any reports or other information sent or
otherwise made available
by the Fund or the Manager to the Members, and the Confidential Private
Placement Memorandum, other
EFTA01399428
than information that (i) is already available through publicly available
sources of information (other than
as a result of disclosure by such Member or its Representatives in violation
of Section 16.1), (ii) was
available to a Member on a non-confidential basis prior to its disclosure to
such Member, or (iii) becomes
available to a Member on a non-confidential basis from a third party,
provided such third party is not
known by such Member to be bound by this Agreement or another
confidentiality agreement with the
Fund. Nothing in this Article XVI shall be construed to prevent the
disclosure of this Agreement,
information contained in the books and records of the Fund, or other
correspondence or materials by a
Member on a confidential basis to professional advisors for the purpose of
obtaining professional legal or
accounting advice with respect thereto, provided that such Representatives
have agreed to be bound by
the confidentiality obligations set forth in this Article XVI.
16.3 Disclosure of Confidential Information. In the event that any Member or
any
Representative of such Member is required to disclose any of the
Confidential Information for any of the
reasons described in Section 16.1(i), (ii) or (iii), such Member will use
commercially reasonable efforts to
the extent practicable to provide, in the case of Confidential Information
relating to the Fund, to the Fund
28
EFTA01399429
or, in the case of Confidential Information relating to another Member, such
other Member, with prompt
written notice so that the Fund or Member, as the case may be, may seek a
protective order or other
appropriate remedy and/or waive compliance with the provisions of this
Agreement, and such Member
will use commercially reasonable efforts, at the request of the Fund and at
the Fund's expense, to
cooperate with the Fund or Member, as the case may be, in any effort any
such Person undertakes to
obtain a protective order or other remedy. In the event that such protective
order or other remedy is not
sought or obtained, or that the Fund or Member, as the case may be, waives
compliance with the
provisions of this Article XVI, such Member and its Representatives will
furnish only that portion of the
Confidential Information which is required and will exercise all reasonable
efforts to obtain reasonably
reliable assurance that the Confidential Information will be accorded
confidential treatment.
17.
MISCELLANEOUS
17.1 Notice. Notice to any Member shall be sent to such Member at its
address, as such
Member shall designate in writing to the Manager. Any notice to the Fund or
the Manager shall be sent
to the address of the Fund's principal place of business as set forth in
Section 1.4 hereto or to such other
address as the Manager shall designate in writing to the Members. Each
consent, notice, order and other
communication required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall
be in writing, shall be
effective upon receipt (whether or not such receipt is acknowledged or
confirmed by the Member) and
shall be delivered personally, by recognized overnight delivery service, by
registered or certified mail,
return receipt requested, or by e-mail or facsimile transmission with
electronic or other confirmation of
receipt.
17.2 Governing Law. It is the intention of the Manager and the Members that
the laws of the
Cayman Islands (excluding the conflicts of law provisions thereof), as the
same may be amended from
time to time, shall govern the validity of this Agreement, the construction
of its terms, interpretation of
the rights and duties of the Manager and the Members, and all disputes
arising from any of the foregoing.
17.3 Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial.
17.3.1 Each Member and the Manager, on behalf of itself and/or the Fund,
hereby (i)
agrees that any and all litigation arising out of this Agreement shall be
EFTA01399430
conducted only in courts
located in New York, New York, (ii) agrees that such courts shall have the
exclusive jurisdiction
to hear and decide such matters, (iii) expressly waives any right to a trial
by jury in any action or
proceeding to enforce or defend any right, power or remedy under or in
connection with this
Agreement or arising from any relationship existing in connection with this
Agreement, and (iv)
agrees that any such action shall be tried before a court and not before a
jury.
17.3.2 Each Member hereby submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts
described in Sections 17.3.1 and waives any objection such Member may now or
hereafter have
to venue or that such courts are inconvenient forums.
17.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with any other agreement
referred to
herein, shall constitute the entire agreement between the Members, the
Manager and the Fund with
respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede any prior
agreement or understanding, oral or
written, relating to the Fund.
17.5 Headings. The headings in this Agreement are inserted for convenience
of reference
only and shall not be considered part of or affect the interpretation of
this Agreement.
29
EFTA01399431
17.6 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the
benefit of the
heirs, executors, administrators and, subject to Article X, the successors
and permitted Transferees of the
Members hereto. For purposes of determining the rights of any Member or
Transferee or other recipient
of an Interest hereunder, the Fund and the Manager may rely on the Fund
records as to the identity of the
Members and the permitted Transferees and other recipients of Interests, and
all Members, Transferees
and other recipients of Interests agree that the Fund and the Manager, in
determining such rights, shall
rely on such records and that Members, Transferees and other recipients of
Interests shall be bound by
such determinations.
17.7 Legends. If certificates are issued evidencing a Member's Interest,
each such certificate
shall bear such legends as may be required by applicable laws, or as may be
deemed necessary or
appropriate by the Manager to reflect restrictions upon transfer
contemplated herein.
17.8 Third Party Rights. Any Manager Parties specified in Section 7.6.1 that
is not a party
to this Agreement may enforce any rights granted to it pursuant to this
Agreement in its own right as if it
was a party to this Agreement. Except as expressly provided in the
immediately preceding sentence, a
Person who is not a party to this Agreement shall not have any rights under
the Contracts (Rights of Third
Parties) Law, 2014 (as amended) of the Cayman Islands to enforce any term of
this Agreement.
Notwithstanding any term of this Agreement, the consent of or notice to any
person who is not a party to
this Agreement shall not be required for any termination, rescission or
agreement to any variation, waiver,
assignment, novation, release or settlement under this Agreement at any time.
17.9 AEOI. Each Member agrees to provide to the Fund or its agents, upon
request, any
documentation or other information regarding the Member and its beneficial
owners that the Fund or its
agents may require from time to time in connection with the Fund's
obligations under, and compliance
with, applicable laws and regulations, including, but not limited to AEOI.
By executing this Agreement,
each Member waives any provision under the laws and regulations of any
jurisdiction that would, in the
absence of such waiver, prevent or inhibit the Fund's compliance with
applicable law as described in this
Section 17.9, including, but not limited to, preventing (i) the Member from
providing any requested
information or documentation, or (ii) the disclosure by the Fund or its
EFTA01399432
agents of the provided information
or documentation to applicable governmental or regulatory authorities. Each
Member further
acknowledges that the Fund and the Manager may take such action as each of
them considers necessary in
relation to such Member's holding and/or distribution proceeds to ensure
that any withholding tax
payable by the Fund, and any related costs, interest, penalties and other
losses and liabilities suffered by
the Fund or the Manager, any other investor, or any agent, delegate,
employee, director, officer, member,
manager or affiliate of any of the foregoing persons, arising from such
Member's failure to provide any
requested documentation or other information to the Fund or the Manager, is
economically borne by such
Member.
17.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts,
each of which
shall be deemed an original but all of which shall constitute one and the
same instrument.
17.11 Creditors. None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the
benefit of or
enforceable by any creditors of the Fund.
17.12 Severability. In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall
be declared invalid
or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the
validity or enforceability of the
other provisions of this Agreement, it being hereby agreed that such
provisions are severable and that this
Agreement shall be construed in all respects as if such invalid or
unenforceable provision were omitted.
30
EFTA01399433
17.13 Context.
In this Agreement, unless there is something in the subject or context
inconsistent with such construction, (i) words importing the singular only
shall include the plural, words
importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and
the neuter, words importing
individuals only shall include entities, whether companies or associations
or bodies of persons, whether
corporate or not, and words importing entities only shall include
individuals, and (ii) all references to
Sections are to Sections of this Agreement.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank.
Signature Page Follows.]
31
EFTA01399434
EFTA01399435