<PAGE>
                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.1

                                                                  EXECUTION COPY

================================================================================

                          JUNIOR SUBORDINATED INDENTURE

                                     between

                        NORTH POINTE HOLDINGS CORPORATION

                                       and

                       LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
                                   as Trustee

                                   ----------

                          Dated as of February 22, 2006

                                   ----------

================================================================================

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                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

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                                ARTICLE I
         DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
Section 1.1.   Definitions...............................................     1
Section 1.2.   Compliance Certificate and Opinions.......................    10
Section 1.3.   Forms of Documents Delivered to Trustee...................    10
Section 1.4.   Acts of Holders...........................................    11
Section 1.5.   Notices, Etc. to Trustee and Company......................    13
Section 1.6.   Notice to Holders; Waiver.................................    13
Section 1.7.   Effect of Headings and Table of Contents..................    13
Section 1.8.   Successors and Assigns....................................    13
Section 1.9.   Separability Clause.......................................    14
Section 1.10.  Benefits of Indenture.....................................    14
Section 1.11.  Governing Law.............................................    14
Section 1.12.  Submission to Jurisdiction................................    14
Section 1.13.  Non-Business Days.........................................    14

                                ARTICLE II
                              SECURITY FORMS
Section 2.1.   Form of Security..........................................    15
Section 2.2.   Restricted Legend.........................................    20
Section 2.3.   Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication...........    22
Section 2.4.   Temporary Securities......................................    23
Section 2.5.   Definitive Securities.....................................    23

                               ARTICLE III
                              THE SECURITIES
Section 3.1.   Payment of Principal and Interest.........................    23
Section 3.2.   Denominations.............................................    25
Section 3.3.   Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating............    25
Section 3.4.   Global Securities.........................................    26
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Section 3.5.   Registration, Transfer and Exchange Generally.............    28
Section 3.6.   Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities..........    29
Section 3.7.   Persons Deemed Owners.....................................    30
Section 3.8.   Cancellation..............................................    30
Section 3.9.   Deferrals of Interest Payment Dates.......................    30
Section 3.10.  Right of Set-Off..........................................    31
Section 3.11.  Agreed Tax Treatment......................................    31
Section 3.12.  CUSIP Numbers.............................................    31

                                ARTICLE IV
                        SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
Section 4.1.   Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture...................    32
Section 4.2.   Application of Trust Money................................    33

                                ARTICLE V
                                 REMEDIES
Section 5.1.   Events of Default.........................................    33
Section 5.2.   Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment........    34
Section 5.3.   Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by
               Trustee...................................................    35
Section 5.4.   Trustee May File Proofs of Claim..........................    36
Section 5.5.   Trustee May Enforce Claim Without Possession of
               Securities................................................    36
Section 5.6.   Application of Money Collected............................    36
Section 5.7.   Limitation on Suits.......................................    37
Section 5.8.   Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal,
               Premium and Interest; Direct Action by Holders of
               Preferred Securities......................................    38
Section 5.9.   Restoration of Rights and Remedies........................    38
Section 5.10.  Rights and Remedies Cumulative............................    38
Section 5.11.  Delay or Omission Not Waiver..............................    38
Section 5.12.  Control by Holders........................................    38
Section 5.13.  Waiver of Past Defaults...................................    39
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                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                   (continued)

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Section 5.14.  Undertaking for Costs.....................................    39
Section 5.15.  Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws...................    40

                                ARTICLE VI
                               THE TRUSTEE
Section 6.1.   Corporate Trustee Required................................    40
Section 6.2.   Certain Duties and Responsibilities.......................    40
Section 6.3.   Notice of Defaults........................................    41
Section 6.4.   Certain Rights of Trustee.................................    42
Section 6.5.   May Hold Securities.......................................    43
Section 6.6.   Compensation; Reimbursement; Indemnity....................    44
Section 6.7.   Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.........    45
Section 6.8.   Acceptance of Appointment by Successor....................    45
Section 6.9.   Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to
               Business..................................................    46
Section 6.10.  Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities....    46
Section 6.11.  Appointment of Authenticating Agent.......................    46

                               ARTICLE VII
            HOLDER'S LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
Section 7.1.   Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of
               Holders...................................................    48
Section 7.2.   Preservation of Information, Communications to Holders....    48
Section 7.3.   Reports by Company........................................    48

                               ARTICLE VIII
           CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, CONVEYANCE, TRANSFER OR LEASE
Section 8.1.   Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms......    49
Section 8.2.   Successor Company Substituted.............................    49

                                ARTICLE IX
                         SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.1.   Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Holders........    50
Section 9.2.   Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders...........    51
Section 9.3.   Execution of Supplemental Indentures......................    52
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Section 9.4.   Effect of Supplemental Indentures.........................    52
Section 9.5.   Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures........    52

                                ARTICLE X
                                COVENANTS
Section 10.1.  Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest................    52
Section 10.2.  Money for Security Payments to be Held in Trust...........    52
Section 10.3.  Statement as to Compliance................................    54
Section 10.4.  Calculation Agent.........................................    54
Section 10.5.  Additional Tax Sums.......................................    54
Section 10.6.  Additional Covenants......................................    55
Section 10.7.  Waiver of Covenants.......................................    56
Section 10.8.  Treatment of Securities...................................    56

                                ARTICLE XI
                         REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
Section 11.1.  Optional Redemption.......................................    56
Section 11.2.  Special Event Redemption..................................    56
Section 11.3.  Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee.....................    57
Section 11.4.  Selection of Securities to be Redeemed....................    57
Section 11.5.  Notice of Redemption......................................    57
Section 11.6.  Deposit of Redemption Price...............................    58
Section 11.7.  Payment of Securities Called for Redemption...............    58

                               ARTICLE XII
                       SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES
Section 12.1.  Securities Subordinate to Senior Debt.....................    59
Section 12.2.  No Payment When Senior Debt in Default; Payment Over of
               Proceeds Upon Dissolution, Etc............................    59
Section 12.3.  Payment Permitted If No Default...........................    61
Section 12.4.  Subrogation to Rights of Holders of Senior Debt...........    61
Section 12.5.  Provisions Solely to Define Relative Rights...............    61
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                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Section 12.6.  Trustee to Effectuate Subordination.......................    62
Section 12.7.  No Waiver of Subordination Provisions.....................    62
Section 12.8.  Notice to Trustee.........................................    62
Section 12.9.  Reliance on Judicial Order or Certificate of Liquidating
               Agent.....................................................    63
Section 12.10. Trustee Not Fiduciary for Holders of Senior Debt..........    63
Section 12.11. Rights of Trustee as Holder of Senior Debt; Preservation
               of Trustee's Rights.......................................    63
Section 12.12. Article Applicable to Paying Agents.......................    63
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                                       -v-

<PAGE>

SCHEDULES

Schedule A - Determination of LIBOR
Exhibit A  - Form of Officer's Financial Certificate
Exhibit B  - Form of Officer's Certificate Pursuant to Section 10.3


                                      -vi-

<PAGE>

     JUNIOR SUBORDINATED INDENTURE, dated as of February 22, 2006, between NORTH
POINTE HOLDINGS CORPORATION, a Michigan corporation (the "Company"), and LASALLE
BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association, as Trustee (in such
capacity, the "Trustee").

                             RECITALS OF THE COMPANY

     WHEREAS, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this
Indenture to provide for the issuance of its unsecured junior subordinated
deferrable interest notes (the "Securities") issued to evidence loans made to
the Company of the proceeds from the issuance by NP Capital Trust I, a Delaware
statutory trust (the "Trust"), of undivided preferred beneficial interests in
the assets of the Trust (the "Preferred Securities") and undivided common
beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust (the "Common Securities" and,
collectively with the Preferred Securities, the "Trust Securities"), and to
provide the terms and conditions upon which the Securities are to be
authenticated, issued and delivered; and

     WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement of
the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.

     NOW, THEREFORE, this Indenture Witnesseth:

     For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities
by the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and
proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities, as follows:

                                   ARTICLE I

             DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION

     SECTION 1.1. Definitions.

     For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided
or unless the context otherwise requires:

          (a) the terms defined in this Article I have the meanings assigned to
     them in this Article I;

          (b) the words "include", "includes" and "including" shall be deemed to
     be followed by the phrase "without limitation";

          (c) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the
     meanings assigned to them in accordance with GAAP;

          (d) unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to an
     "Article" or a "Section" refers to an Article or a Section, as the case may
     be, of this Indenture;

<PAGE>

          (e) the words "hereby", "herein", "hereof" and "hereunder" and other
     words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any
     particular Article, Section or other subdivision;

          (f) a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa;
     and

          (g) the masculine, feminine or neuter genders used herein shall
     include the masculine, feminine and neuter genders.

     "Act" when used with respect to any Holder, has the meaning specified in
Section 1.4.

     "Administrative Trustee" means, with respect to the Trust, each Person
identified as an "Administrative Trustee" in the Trust Agreement, solely in its
capacity as Administrative Trustee of the Trust under the Trust Agreement and
not in its individual capacity, or its successor in interest in such capacity,
or any successor Administrative Trustee appointed as therein provided.

     "Additional Interest" means the interest, if any, that shall accrue on any
amounts payable on the Securities, the payment of which has not been made on the
applicable Interest Payment Date and which shall accrue at the rate per annum
specified or determined as specified in such Security, in each case to the
extent legally enforceable.

     "Additional Tax Sums" has the meaning specified in Section 10.5.

     "Additional Taxes" means taxes, duties or other governmental charges
imposed on the Trust as a result of a Tax Event (which, for the sake of clarity,
does not include amounts required to be deducted or withheld by the Trust from
payments made by the Trust to or for the benefit of the Holder of, or any Person
that acquires a beneficial interest in, the Securities).

     "Affiliate" of any specified Person means any other Person directly or
indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common
control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition,
"control," when used with respect to any specified Person, means the power to
direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly,
whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise;
and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have meanings correlative to the
foregoing.

     "Applicable Accounting Principles" means accounting practices prescribed or
permitted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and, with
respect to the Company's subsidiary insurance companies, the applicable
insurance department of the state of domicile of such insurance subsidiary, and
in each case, applied consistently throughout the periods involved.

     "Applicable Depositary Procedures" means, with respect to any transfer or
transaction involving a Global Security or beneficial interest therein, the
rules and procedures of the Depositary for such Security, in each case to the
extent applicable to such transaction and as in effect from time to time.

     "Applicable Insurance Regulatory Authority" means the Office of Financial
and Insurance Services of the State of Michigan, the Office of Insurance
Regulation of the State of


                                       2

<PAGE>

Florida and the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking of the District
of Columbia, as applicable, or, if at any time after the execution of this
Indenture any such entity is not existing and performing the duties now assigned
to it, any successor body performing similar duties or functions.

     "Authenticating Agent" means any Person authorized by the Trustee pursuant
to Section 6.11 to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate the Securities.

     "Bankruptcy Code" means Title 11 of the United States Code or any successor
statute(s) thereto, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of
debtors, in each case as amended from time to time.

     "Board of Directors" means the board of directors of the Company or any
duly authorized committee of that board.

     "Board Resolution" means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary
or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board
of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such
certification.

     "Business Day" means any day other than (i) a Saturday or Sunday, (ii) a
day on which banking institutions in the City of New York are authorized or
required by law or executive order to remain closed or (iii) a day on which the
Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee is closed for business.

     "Calculation Agent" has the meaning specified in Section 10.4.

     "Common Securities" has the meaning specified in the first recital of this
Indenture.

     "Common Stock" means the common stock, without par value, of the Company.

     "Company" means the Person named as the "Company" in the first paragraph of
this Indenture until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to
the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Company" shall mean
such successor corporation.

     "Company Request" and "Company Order" mean, respectively, the written
request or order, which may be in the form of a blanket or standing request or
order, signed in the name of the Company by its Chairman of the Board of
Directors, its Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, its Chief Executive
Officer, President or a Vice President, and by its Chief Financial Officer, its
Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, its Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, and
delivered to the Trustee.

     "Corporate Trust Office" means the principal office of the Trustee at which
at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be administered, which
office at the date of this Indenture is located at 135 South LaSalle Street,
Suite 1511, Chicago, Illinois 60603, Attn: CDO Trust Services Group--NP Capital
Trust I.

     "Debt" means, with respect to any Person, whether recourse is to all or a
portion of the assets of such Person, whether currently existing or hereafter
incurred and whether or not


                                       3

<PAGE>

contingent and without duplication, (i) every obligation of such Person for
money borrowed; (ii) every obligation of such Person evidenced by bonds,
debentures, notes or other similar instruments, including obligations incurred
in connection with the acquisition of property, assets or businesses; (iii)
every reimbursement obligation of such Person with respect to letters of credit,
bankers' acceptances or similar facilities issued for the account of such
Person; (iv) every obligation of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred
purchase price of property or services (but excluding trade accounts payable or
other accrued liabilities arising in the ordinary course of business); (v) every
capital lease obligation of such Person; (vi) all indebtedness of such Person,
whether incurred on or prior to the date of this Indenture or thereafter
incurred, for claims in respect of derivative products, including interest rate,
foreign exchange rate and commodity forward contracts, options and swaps and
similar arrangements; (vii) every obligation of the type referred to in clauses
(i) through (vi) of another Person and all dividends of another Person the
payment of which, in either case, such Person has guaranteed or is responsible
or liable for, directly or indirectly, as obligor or otherwise; and (viii) any
renewals, extensions, refundings, amendments or modifications of any obligation
of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (vii).

     "Defaulted Interest" has the meaning specified in Section 3.1.

     "Delaware Trustee" means, with respect to the Trust, the Person identified
as the "Delaware Trustee" in the Trust Agreement, solely in its capacity as
Delaware Trustee of the Trust under the Trust Agreement and not in its
individual capacity, or its successor in interest in such capacity, or any
successor Delaware Trustee appointed as therein provided.

     "Depositary" means an organization registered as a clearing agency under
the Exchange Act that is designated as Depositary by the Company or any
successor thereto. DTC will be the initial Depositary.

     "Depositary Participant" means a broker, dealer, bank, other financial
institution or other Person for whom from time to time a Depositary effects
book-entry transfers and pledges of securities deposited with the Depositary.

     "Distributions" means amounts payable in respect of the Trust Securities as
provided in the Trust Agreement and referred to therein as "Distributions."

     "Dollar" or "$" means the currency of the United States of America that, as
at the time of payment, is legal tender for the payment of public and private
debts.

     "DTC" means The Depository Trust Company, a New York corporation, or any
successor thereto.

     "Event of Default" has the meaning specified in Section 5.1.

     "Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or any statute
successor thereto, in each case as amended from time to time.

     "Expiration Date" has the meaning specified in Section 1.4.


                                       4

<PAGE>

     "Extension Period" has the meaning specified in Section 3.9.

     "GAAP" means United States generally accepted accounting principles,
consistently applied, from time to time in effect.

     "Global Security" means a Security that evidences all or part of the
Securities, the ownership and transfers of which shall be made through book
entries by a Depositary.

     "Government Obligation" means (a) any security that is (i) a direct
obligation of the United States of America of which the full faith and credit of
the United States of America is pledged or (ii) an obligation of a Person
controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the
United States of America or the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed
as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America, which, in
either case (i) or (ii), is not callable or redeemable at the option of the
issuer thereof, and (b) any depositary receipt issued by a bank (as defined in
Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act) as custodian with respect to any
Government Obligation that is specified in clause (a) above and held by such
bank for the account of the holder of such depositary receipt, or with respect
to any specific payment of principal of or interest on any Government Obligation
that is so specified and held, provided, that (except as required by law) such
custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the
holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in
respect of the Government Obligation or the specific payment of principal or
interest evidenced by such depositary receipt.

     "Guarantee Agreement" means the Guarantee Agreement executed by the Company
and LaSalle Bank National Association, as Guarantee Trustee, contemporaneously
with the execution and delivery of this Indenture, for the benefit of the
holders of the Preferred Securities, as modified, amended or supplemented from
time to time.

     "Holder" means a Person in whose name a Security is registered in the
Securities Register.

     "Indenture" means this instrument as originally executed or as it may from
time to time be amended or supplemented by one or more amendments or indentures
supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof.

     "Interest Payment Date" means March 15, June 15, September 15 and December
15 of each year, commencing on March 15, 2006, during the term of this
Indenture.

     "Investment Company Act" means the Investment Company Act of 1940 or any
successor statute thereto, in each case as amended from time to time.

     "Investment Company Event" means the receipt by the Company of an Opinion
of Counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the
occurrence of a change in law or regulation (including any announced prospective
change) or a written change in interpretation or application of law or
regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory
authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within
ninety (90) days of the date of such opinion will be, considered an "investment
company" that is


                                       5

<PAGE>

required to be registered under the Investment Company Act, which change or
prospective change becomes effective or would become effective, as the case may
be, on or after the date of the issuance of the Securities.

     "LIBOR" has the meaning specified in Schedule A.

     "LIBOR Business Day" has the meaning specified in Schedule A.

     "LIBOR Determination Date" has the meaning specified in Schedule A.

     "Liquidation Amount" has the meaning specified in the Trust Agreement.

     "Maturity," when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which
the principal of such Security or any installment of principal becomes due and
payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by
declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.

     "Notice of Default" means a written notice of the kind specified in Section
5.1(c).

     "Officers' Certificate" means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the
Board, a Vice Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President
or a Vice President, and by the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, an
Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, of the Company and
delivered to the Trustee.

     "Operative Documents" means the Trust Agreement, the Indenture, the
Purchase Agreement and the Securities.

     "Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel
for or an employee of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company.

     "Optional Redemption Price" has the meaning set forth in Section 11.1.

     "Original Issue Date" means the date of original issuance of each Security.

     "Outstanding" means, when used in reference to any Securities, as of the
date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered
under this Indenture, except:

          (i) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or delivered to the
     Trustee for cancellation;

          (ii) Securities for whose payment or redemption money in the necessary
     amount has been theretofore deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent
     (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by
     the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent) for the
     Holders of such Securities; provided, that, if such Securities are to be
     redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this
     Indenture or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made;
     and


                                       6

<PAGE>

          (iii) Securities that have been paid or in substitution for or in lieu
     of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to
     the provisions of this Indenture, unless proof satisfactory to the Trustee
     is presented that any such Securities are held by Holders in whose hands
     such Securities are valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company;

provided, that, in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal
amount of Outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization,
direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, Securities owned by the Company
or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or such
other obligor shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except
that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying upon any
such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only
Securities that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows to be so
owned shall be so disregarded. Securities so owned that have been pledged in
good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the
satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee's right so to act with respect to such
Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the
Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or such other obligor.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Securities initially issued to
the Trust that are owned by the Trust shall be deemed to be Outstanding
notwithstanding the ownership by the Company or an Affiliate of any beneficial
interest in the Trust.

     "Paying Agent" means the Trustee or any Person authorized by the Company to
pay the principal of or any premium or interest on, or other amounts in respect
of, any Securities on behalf of the Company.

     "Person" means a legal person, including any individual, corporation,
estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited
liability company, trust, unincorporated association, government or any agency
or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.

     "Place of Payment" means, with respect to the Securities, the Corporate
Trust Office of the Trustee.

     "Preferred Securities" has the meaning specified in the first recital of
this Indenture.

     "Predecessor Security" of any particular Security means every previous
Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such
particular Security. For the purposes of this definition, any security
authenticated and delivered under Section 3.6 in lieu of a mutilated, destroyed,
lost or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the
mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security.

     "Proceeding" has the meaning specified in Section 12.2.

     "Property Trustee" means the Person identified as the "Property Trustee" in
the Trust Agreement, solely in its capacity as Property Trustee of the Trust
under the Trust Agreement and not in its individual capacity, or its successor
in interest in such capacity, or any successor Property Trustee appointed as
therein provided.


                                       7

<PAGE>

     "Purchase Agreement" means the agreement, dated as of the date hereof,
between the Company and the Trust and ALESCO Preferred Funding VII, Ltd.

     "Redemption Date" means, when used with respect to any Security to be
redeemed, the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture.

     "Redemption Price" means, when used with respect to any Security to be
redeemed, in whole or in part, the Special Redemption Price or the Optional
Redemption Price, as applicable, at which such Security or portion thereof is to
be redeemed as fixed by or pursuant to this Indenture.

     "Reference Banks" has the meaning specified in Schedule A.

     "Regular Record Date" for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date
with respect to the Securities means the date that is fifteen (15) days
preceding such Interest Payment Date (whether or not a Business Day).

     "Responsible Officer" means, when used with respect to the Trustee, the
officer in the CDO Trust Services Group of the Trustee having direct
responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

     "Rights Plan" means a plan of the Company providing for the issuance by the
Company to all holders of its Common Stock of rights entitling the holders
thereof to subscribe for or purchase shares of any class or series of capital
stock of the Company which rights (i) are deemed to be transferred with such
shares of such Common Stock and (ii) are also issued in respect of future
issuances of such Common Stock, in each case until the occurrence of a specified
event or events.

     "Securities" or "Security means any debt securities or debt security, as
the case may be, authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.

     "Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933 or any successor statute
thereto, in each case as amended from time to time.

     "Securities Register" and "Securities Registrar" have the respective
meanings specified in Section 3.5.

     "Senior Debt" means the principal of and any premium and interest on
(including interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in
bankruptcy or for reorganization relating to the Company, whether or not such
claim for post-petition interest is allowed in such proceeding) all Debt of the
Company, whether incurred on or prior to the date of this Indenture or
thereafter incurred, unless it is provided in the instrument creating or
evidencing the same or pursuant to which the same is outstanding, that such
obligations are not superior in right of payment to the Securities issued under
this Indenture; provided, however, that if the Company is subject to the
regulation and supervision of any Applicable Insurance Regulatory Authority, the
Company shall have received the approval of each appropriate Applicable
Insurance Regulatory Authority prior to issuing any such obligation if then
required; and provided, further, that Senior Debt shall not


                                       8

<PAGE>

be deemed to include any other debt securities and guarantees in respect of such
debt securities issued to any trust other than the Trust (or a trustee of any
such trust), partnership or other entity affiliated with the Company that is a
financing vehicle of the Company (a "financing entity") in connection with the
issuance by such financing entity of equity securities or other securities that
are treated as equity capital for regulatory capital purposes guaranteed by the
Company pursuant to an instrument that ranks pari passu with or junior in right
of payment to this Indenture.

     "Special Event" means the occurrence of an Investment Company Event or a
Tax Event.

     "Special Record Date" for the payment of any Defaulted Interest means a
date fixed by the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.1.

     "Special Redemption Price" has the meaning set forth in Section 11.2.

     "Stated Maturity" means March 15, 2036.

     "Statutory Financial Statements" means all financial statements of the
Company's subsidiary insurance companies for each relevant period, each prepared
in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles.

     "Subsidiary" means a Person more than fifty percent (50%) of the
outstanding voting stock or other voting interests of which is owned, directly
or indirectly, by the Company or by one or more other Subsidiaries, or by the
Company and one or more other Subsidiaries. For purposes of this definition,
"voting stock" means stock that ordinarily has voting power for the election of
directors, whether at all times or only so long as no senior class of stock has
such voting power by reason of any contingency.

     "Tax Event" means the receipt by the Company of an Opinion of Counsel
experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of (a) any amendment
to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any
regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or
taxing authority thereof or therein or (b) any judicial decision or any official
administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical
advice memorandum or field service advice) or regulatory procedure, including
any notice or announcement of intent to adopt any such pronouncement or
procedure (an "Administrative Action"), regardless of whether such judicial
decision or Administrative Action is issued to or in connection with a
proceeding involving the Company or the Trust and whether or not subject to
review or appeal, which amendment, change, judicial decision or Administrative
Action is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case, on or after the date
of issuance of the Securities, there is more than an insubstantial risk that (i)
the Trust is, or will be within ninety (90) days of the date of such opinion,
subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or
accrued on the Securities, (ii) interest payable by the Company on the
Securities is not, or within ninety (90) days of the date of such opinion, will
not be, deductible by the Company, in whole or in part, for United States
federal income tax purposes, or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within ninety
(90) days of the date of such opinion, subject to more than a de minimis amount
of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges.

     "Trust" has the meaning specified in the first recital of this Indenture.


                                      9

<PAGE>

     "Trust Agreement" means the Amended and Restated Trust Agreement executed
and delivered by the Company, the Property Trustee, Christiana Bank & Trust
Company, as Delaware Trustee and the Administrative Trustees named therein,
contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Indenture, for the
benefit of the holders of the Trust Securities, as amended or supplemented from
time to time.

     "Trustee" means the Person named as the "Trustee" in the first paragraph of
this instrument, solely in its capacity as such and not in its individual
capacity, until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the
applicable provisions of this Indenture, and, thereafter, "Trustee" shall mean
or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder.

     "Trust Indenture Act" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended and
as in effect on the date as of this Indenture.

     "Trust Securities" has the meaning specified in the first recital of this
Indenture.

     SECTION 1.2. Compliance Certificate and Opinions.

     (a) Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take
any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall, if
requested by the Trustee, furnish to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate
stating that all conditions precedent (including covenants compliance with which
constitutes a condition precedent), if any, provided for in this Indenture
relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of
Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions
precedent (including covenants compliance with which constitutes a condition
precedent), if any, have been complied with.

     (b) Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a
condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than the certificate
provided pursuant to Section 10.3) shall include:

          (i) a statement by each individual signing such certificate or opinion
     that such individual has read such covenant or condition and the
     definitions herein relating thereto;

          (ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination
     or investigation upon which the statements or opinions of such individual
     contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

          (iii) a statement that, in the opinion of such individual, he or she
     has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him or
     her to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or
     condition has been complied with; and

          (iv) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of such individual,
     such condition or covenant has been complied with.

     SECTION 1.3. Forms of Documents Delivered to Trustee.

     (a) In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or
covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all
such matters be certified by, or


                                       10

<PAGE>

covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or
covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion
with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other
matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters
in one or several documents.

     (b) Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based,
insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or
representations by, counsel, unless such officer knows, or after reasonable
inquiry should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with
respect to matters upon which his or her certificate or opinion is based are
erroneous. Any such certificate or Opinion of Counsel may be based, insofar as
it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or
representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the
information with respect to such factual matters is in the possession of the
Company, unless such counsel knows, or after reasonable inquiry should know,
that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters
are erroneous.

     (c) Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more
applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other
instruments under this Indenture, they may, but need not, be consolidated and
form one instrument.

     (d) Whenever, subsequent to the receipt by the Trustee of any Board
Resolution, Officers' Certificate, Opinion of Counsel or other document or
instrument, a clerical, typographical or other inadvertent or unintentional
error or omission shall be discovered therein, a new document or instrument may
be substituted therefor in corrected form with the same force and effect as if
originally received in the corrected form and, irrespective of the date or dates
of the actual execution and/or delivery thereof, such substitute document or
instrument shall be deemed to have been executed and/or delivered as of the date
or dates required with respect to the document or instrument for which it is
substituted. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any Securities
issued under the authority of such defective document or instrument shall
nevertheless be the valid obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of
this Indenture equally and ratably with all other Outstanding Securities.

     SECTION 1.4. Acts of Holders.

     (a) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver
or other action provided by this Indenture to be given to or taken by Holders
may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially
similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by an agent thereof duly
appointed in writing; and, except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such
action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments (including any
appointment of an agent) is or are delivered to the Trustee, and, where it is
hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments (and
the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred
to as the "Act" of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments. Proof of
execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent shall
be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and conclusive in favor of the
Trustee and the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section 1.4.

     (b) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument
or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by
the certificate of any


                                       11

<PAGE>

notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of
deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing
acknowledged to him or her the execution thereof. Where such execution is by a
Person acting in other than his or her individual capacity, such certificate or
affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his or her authority. The
fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing,
or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any
other manner that the Trustee deems sufficient and in accordance with such
reasonable rules as the Trustee may determine.

     (c) The ownership of Securities shall be proved by the Securities Register.

     (d) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver
or other action by the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of
the same Security and the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration
of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of
anything done or suffered to be done by the Trustee or the Company in reliance
thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security.

     (e) Without limiting the foregoing, a Holder entitled to take any action
hereunder with regard to any particular Security may do so with regard to all or
any part of the principal amount of such Security or by one or more duly
appointed agents each of which may do so pursuant to such appointment with
regard to all or any part of such principal amount.

     (f) Except as set forth in paragraph (g) of this Section 1.4, the Company
may set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders of
Outstanding Securities entitled to give, make or take any request, demand,
authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided or
permitted by this Indenture to be given, made or taken by Holders of Securities.
If any record date is set pursuant to this paragraph, the Holders of Outstanding
Securities on such record date, and no other Holders, shall be entitled to take
the relevant action, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such
record date; provided, that no such action shall be effective hereunder unless
taken on or prior to the applicable Expiration Date (as defined in Section
1.4(h)) by Holders of the requisite principal amount of Outstanding Securities
on such record date. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent the
Company from setting a new record date for any action for which a record date
has previously been set pursuant to this paragraph (whereupon the record date
previously set shall automatically and with no action by any Person be canceled
and of no effect). Promptly after any record date is set pursuant to this
paragraph, the Company, at its own expense, shall cause notice of such record
date, the proposed action by Holders and the applicable Expiration Date to be
given to the Trustee in writing and to each Holder of Securities in the manner
set forth in Section 1.6.

     (g) The Trustee may set any day as a record date for the purpose of
determining the Holders of Outstanding Securities entitled to join in the giving
or making of (i) any Notice of Default, (ii) any declaration of acceleration or
rescission or annulment thereof referred to in Section 5.2, (iii) any request to
institute proceedings referred to in Section 5.7(b) or (iv) any direction
referred to in Section 5.12. If any record date is set pursuant to this
paragraph, the Holders of Outstanding Securities on such record date, and no
other Holders, shall be entitled to join in such notice, declaration, request or
direction, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date;
provided, that no such action shall be effective hereunder unless taken on or
prior to the applicable Expiration Date by Holders of the requisite principal
amount of


                                       12

<PAGE>

Outstanding Securities on such record date. Nothing in this paragraph shall be
construed to prevent the Trustee from setting a new record date for any action
for which a record date has previously been set pursuant to this paragraph
(whereupon the record date previously set shall automatically and with no action
by any Person be canceled and of no effect). Promptly after any record date is
set pursuant to this paragraph, the Trustee, at the Company's expense, shall
cause notice of such record date, the proposed action by Holders and the
applicable Expiration Date to be given to the Company in writing and to each
Holder of Securities in the manner set forth in Section 1.6.

     (h) With respect to any record date set pursuant to paragraph (f) or (g) of
this Section 1.4, the party hereto that sets such record date may designate any
day as the "Expiration Date" and from time to time may change the Expiration
Date to any earlier or later day; provided, that no such change shall be
effective unless notice of the proposed new Expiration Date is given to the
other party hereto in writing, and to each Holder of Securities in the manner
set forth in Section 1.6, on or prior to the existing Expiration Date. If an
Expiration Date is not designated with respect to any record date set pursuant
to this Section 1.4, the party hereto that set such record date shall be deemed
to have initially designated the ninetieth (90th) day after such record date as
the Expiration Date with respect thereto, subject to its right to change the
Expiration Date as provided in this paragraph. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no
Expiration Date shall be later than the one hundred eightieth (180th) day after
the applicable record date.

     SECTION 1.5. Notices, Etc. to Trustee and Company.

     Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver, Act
of Holders, or other document provided or permitted by this Indenture to be made
upon, given or furnished to, or filed with:

     (a) the Trustee by any Holder, any holder of Preferred Securities or the
Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given,
furnished or filed in writing to or with and received by the Trustee at its
Corporate Trust Office, or

     (b) the Company by the Trustee, any Holder or any holder of Preferred
Securities shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if in writing and
mailed, first class, postage prepaid, to the Company addressed to it at 28819
Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034 or at any other address previously furnished
in writing to the Trustee by the Company.

     SECTION 1.6. Notice to Holders; Waiver.

     Where this Indenture provides for notice to Holders of any event, such
notice shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided)
if in writing and mailed, first class, postage prepaid, to each Holder affected
by such event to the address of such Holder as it appears in the Securities
Register, not later than the latest date, and not earlier than the earliest
date, prescribed for the giving of such notice. If, by reason of the suspension
of or irregularities in regular mail service or for any other reason, it shall
be impossible or impracticable to mail notice of any event to Holders when said
notice is required to be given pursuant to any provision of this Indenture, then
any manner of giving such notice as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee shall
be deemed to be a sufficient giving of such notice. In any case where notice to
Holders is


                                       13

<PAGE>

given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any
notice so mailed, to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such
notice with respect to other Holders. Where this Indenture provides for notice
in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to
receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be
the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with
the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity
of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver.

     SECTION 1.7. Effect of Headings and Table of Contents.

     The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for
convenience only and shall not affect the construction of this Indenture.

     SECTION 1.8. Successors and Assigns.

     This Indenture shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of any
successor to the Company and the Trustee, including any successor by operation
of law. Except in connection with a transaction involving the Company that is
permitted under Article VIII and pursuant to which the assignee agrees in
writing to perform the Company's obligations hereunder, the Company shall not
assign its obligations hereunder.

     SECTION 1.9. Separability Clause.

     If any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities shall be invalid,
illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the
remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and
there shall be deemed substituted for the provision at issue a valid, legal and
enforceable provision as similar as possible to the provision at issue.

     SECTION 1.10. Benefits of Indenture.

     Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, express or implied, shall
give to any Person, other than the parties hereto and their successors and
assigns, the holders of Senior Debt, the Holders of the Securities and, to the
extent expressly provided in Sections 5.2, 5.8, 5.9, 5.11, 5.13, 9.2 and 10.7,
the holders of Preferred Securities, any benefit or any legal or equitable
right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.

     SECTION 1.11. Governing Law.

     THIS INDENTURE AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF EACH OF THE HOLDERS, THE
COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND
GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ITS CONFLICT
OF LAWS PROVISIONS (OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).

     SECTION 1.12. Submission to Jurisdiction.

     ANY LEGAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING BY OR AGAINST ANY PARTY HERETO OR WITH
RESPECT TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS INDENTURE MAY BE BROUGHT IN OR REMOVED TO THE
COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, IN AND FOR THE


                                       14

<PAGE>

COUNTY OF NEW YORK, OR OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT
OF NEW YORK (IN EACH CASE SITTING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN). BY EXECUTION AND
DELIVERY OF THIS INDENTURE, EACH PARTY ACCEPTS, FOR ITSELF AND IN RESPECT OF ITS
PROPERTY, GENERALLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY, THE JURISDICTION OF THE AFORESAID
COURTS (AND COURTS OF APPEALS THEREFROM) FOR LEGAL PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR
IN CONNECTION WITH THIS INDENTURE.

     SECTION 1.13. Non-Business Days.

     If any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated Maturity of any
Security shall not be a Business Day, then (notwithstanding any other provision
of this Indenture or the Securities) payment of interest, premium, if any, or
principal or other amounts in respect of such Security shall not be made on such
date, but shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day (and additional
interest shall accrue in respect of the amounts whose payment is so delayed for
the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated
Maturity, as the case may be, until such next succeeding Business Day) except
that, if such Business Day falls in the next succeeding calendar year, such
payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day, in each case
with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date or
Redemption Date or at the Stated Maturity.

                                   ARTICLE II

                                 SECURITY FORMS

     SECTION 2.1. Form of Security.

   Any Security issued hereunder shall be in substantially the following form:

                        NORTH POINTE HOLDINGS CORPORATION

                 FLOATING RATE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTE DUE 2036

No. _____________                                                 $____________

     North Pointe Holdings Corporation, a corporation organized and existing
under the laws of Michigan (hereinafter called the "Company," which term
includes any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for
value received, hereby promises to pay to LaSalle Bank National Association, not
in its individual capacity, but solely as Property Trustee for NP Capital Trust
I, a Delaware statutory trust (the "Holder"), or registered assigns, the
principal sum of Twenty Million Six Hundred Twenty Thousand Dollars
($20,620,000) [IF THE SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY, THEN INSERT-- OR SUCH OTHER
PRINCIPAL AMOUNT REPRESENTED HEREBY AS MAY BE SET FORTH IN THE RECORDS OF THE
SECURITIES REGISTRAR HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDENTURE]
on March 15, 2036. The Company further promises to pay interest on said
principal sum from February 22, 2006, or from the most recent Interest Payment
Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, quarterly (subject to
deferral as set forth herein) in arrears on quarterly (subject to deferral as
set forth herein) in arrears on March 15, June 15,


                                       15

<PAGE>

September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing March 15, 2006 or if any
such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (and
additional interest shall accrue in respect of the amounts whose payment is so
delayed for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date until such next
succeeding Business Day), except that, if such Business Day falls in the next
succeeding calendar year, such payment shall be made on the immediately
preceding Business Day, in each case, with the same force and effect as if made
on the Interest Payment Date, at a fixed rate equal to 8.70% per annum through
the interest payment date in March 2011 and thereafter at a variable rate equal
to LIBOR plus 3.64% per annum, together with Additional Tax Sums, if any, as
provided in Section 10.5 of the Indenture, until the principal hereof is paid or
duly provided for or made available for payment; provided, further, that any
overdue principal, premium, if any, or Additional Tax Sums and any overdue
installment of interest shall bear Additional Interest at a fixed rate equal to
8.70% per annum through the Interest Payment Date in March 2011 and thereafter
at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus 3.64% per annum (to the extent that the
payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable), compounded quarterly,
from the dates such amounts are due until they are paid or made available for
payment, and such interest shall be payable on demand.

     The amount of interest payable shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day
year and the actual number of days elapsed in the relevant interest period. The
interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest
Payment Date shall, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose
name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the
close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest installment. Any
such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease
to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid
to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor
Securities) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for
the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice
whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities not less than ten (10) days
prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time in any other lawful
manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on
which the Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by
such exchange, all as more fully provided in the Indenture.

     So long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company
shall have the right, at any time and from time to time during the term of this
Security, to defer the payment of interest on this Security for a period of up
to twenty (20) consecutive quarterly interest payment periods (each such period,
an "Extension Period"), during which Extension Period(s), no interest shall be
due and payable (except any Additional Tax Sums that may be due and payable). No
Extension Period shall end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date, and no
Extension Period shall extend beyond the Stated Maturity of the principal of
this Security. No interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period
(except any Additional Tax Sums that may be due and payable), except at the end
thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and
payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest (to the
extent payment of such interest would be legally enforceable) at a fixed rate
equal to 8.70% per annum through the Interest Payment Date in March 2011 and
thereafter at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus 3.64% per annum, compounded
quarterly, from the dates on which amounts would have otherwise been due and
payable until paid or made available for payment. At the end of any such
Extension Period, the Company shall pay all interest then


                                       16

<PAGE>

accrued and unpaid on this Security, together with such Additional Interest.
Prior to the termination of any such Extension Period, the Company may further
defer the payment of interest; provided, that (i) all such previous and further
extensions comprising such Extension Period do not exceed twenty (20) quarterly
interest payment periods, (ii) no Extension Period shall end on a date other
than an Interest Payment Date and (iii) no Extension Period shall extend beyond
the Stated Maturity of the principal of this Security. Upon the termination of
any such Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid
interest and any Additional Interest then due on any Interest Payment Date, the
Company may elect to begin a new Extension Period; provided, that (i) such
Extension Period does not exceed twenty (20) quarterly interest payment periods,
(ii) no Extension Period shall end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date
and (iii) no Extension Period shall extend beyond the Stated Maturity of the
principal of this Security. The Company shall give the Holder of this Security
and the Trustee written notice of its election to begin any such Extension
Period at least five Business Days prior to the next succeeding Interest Payment
Date on which interest on this Security would be payable but for such deferral
or, so long as this Security is held by the Trust, at least five Business Days
prior to the earlier of (i) the next succeeding date on which Distributions on
the Preferred Securities of NP Capital Trust I would be payable but for such
deferral and (ii) the date on which the Property Trustee of such Trust is
required to give notice to any securities exchange or other applicable
self-regulatory organization or to holders of such Preferred Securities of the
record date for the payment of such Distributions.

     During any such Extension Period, the Company shall not (i) declare or pay
any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire or make a
liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company's capital stock or (ii)
make any payment of principal of or any interest or premium, if any, on or
repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company that rank pari
passu in all respects with or junior in interest to this Security (other than
(a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of
the Company in connection with (1) any employment contract, benefit plan or
other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of any one or more employees,
officers, directors or consultants, (2) a dividend reinvestment or stockholder
stock purchase plan and (3) the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or
securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as
consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable
Extension Period, (b) as a result of an exchange or conversion of any class or
series of the Company's capital stock (or any capital stock of a Subsidiary of
the Company) for any class or series of the Company's capital stock or of any
class or series of the Company's indebtedness for any class or series of the
Company's capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of
the Company's capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of
such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any
declaration of a dividend in connection with any Rights Plan, the issuance of
rights, stock or other property under any Rights Plan, or the redemption or
repurchase of rights pursuant thereto or (e) any dividend in the form of stock,
warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable
upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as
that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to
such stock).

     Payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on this Security
shall be made in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the
time of payment is legal tender


                                       17

<PAGE>

for payment of public and private debts. Payments of principal, premium, if any,
and interest due at the Maturity of this Security shall be made at the Place of
Payment upon surrender of such Securities to the Paying Agent, and payments of
interest shall be made, subject to such surrender where applicable, by wire
transfer at such place and to such account at a banking institution in the
United States as may be designated in writing to the Paying Agent at least ten
(10) Business Days prior to the date for payment by the Person entitled thereto
unless proper written transfer instructions have not been received by the
relevant record date, in which case such payments shall be made by check mailed
to the address of such Person as such address shall appear in the Security
Register. Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as the Holder of this Security
is the Property Trustee, the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any)
and interest (including any overdue installment of interest and Additional Tax
Sums, if any) on this Security will be made at such place and to such account as
may be designated by the Property Trustee.

     The indebtedness evidenced by this Security is, to the extent provided in
the Indenture, subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior payment
in full of all Senior Debt, and this Security is issued subject to the
provisions of the Indenture with respect thereto. Each Holder of this Security,
by accepting the same, (a) agrees to and shall be bound by such provisions, (b)
authorizes and directs the Trustee on his or her behalf to take such actions as
may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination so provided and
(c) appoints the Trustee his or her attorney-in-fact for any and all such
purposes. Each Holder hereof, by his or her acceptance hereof, waives all notice
of the acceptance of the subordination provisions contained herein and in the
Indenture by each holder of Senior Debt, whether now outstanding or hereafter
incurred, and waives reliance by each such holder upon said provisions.

     Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by the
Trustee by manual signature, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit
under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.

                          [FORM OF REVERSE OF SECURITY]

     This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the
Company (the "Securities") issued under the Junior Subordinated Indenture, dated
as of February 22, 2006 (the "Indenture"), between the Company and LaSalle Bank
National Association, as Trustee (in such capacity, the "Trustee," which term
includes any successor trustee under the Indenture), to which Indenture and all
indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the
respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of
the Company, the Trustee, the holders of Senior Debt, the Holders of the
Securities and the holders of the Preferred Securities, and of the terms upon
which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered.

     All terms used in this Security that are defined in the Indenture or in the
Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated as of February 22, 2006 (as
modified, amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Trust Agreement"),
relating to the NP Capital Trust I (the "Trust") among the Company, as
Depositor, the Trustees named therein and the Holders from time to time of the
Trust Securities issued pursuant thereto, shall have the meanings assigned to
them in the Indenture or the Trust Agreement, as the case may be.


                                       18

<PAGE>

     The Company may, on any Interest Payment Date, at its option and in
accordance with the Indenture, on or after December 15, 2011 and subject to the
terms and conditions of Article XI of the Indenture, redeem this Security in
whole at any time or in part from time to time at a Redemption Price equal to
one hundred percent (100%) of the principal amount hereof, together, in the case
of any such redemption, with accrued interest, including any Additional
Interest, through but excluding the date fixed as the Redemption Date; provided,
that the Company shall have received the prior approval of any Applicable
Insurance Regulatory Authority then required.

     In addition, upon the occurrence and during the continuation of a Special
Event, the Company may, at its option and in accordance with the Indenture,
redeem this Security, in whole but not in part, subject to the terms and
conditions of Article XI of the Indenture at a Redemption Price equal to one
hundred seven and one half percent (107.5%) of the principal amount hereof,
together, in the case of any such redemption, with accrued interest, including
any Additional Interest, through but excluding the date fixed as the Redemption
Date; provided, that the Company shall have received the prior approval of any
Applicable Insurance Regulatory Authority then required.

     In the event of redemption of this Security in part only, a new Security or
Securities for the unredeemed portion hereof will be issued in the name of the
Holder hereof upon the cancellation hereof. If less than all the Securities are
to be redeemed, the particular Securities to be redeemed shall be selected not
more than sixty (60) days prior to the Redemption Date by the Trustee from the
Outstanding Securities not previously called for redemption, by such method as
the Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate and which may provide for the
selection for redemption of a portion of the principal amount of any Security.

     The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the
Company and the Trustee at any time to enter into a supplemental indenture or
indentures for the purpose of modifying in any manner the rights and obligations
of the Company and of the Holders of the Securities, with the consent of the
Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding
Securities. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting Holders of
specified percentages in principal amount of the Securities, on behalf of the
Holders of all Securities, to waive compliance by the Company with certain
provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the Indenture and
their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security
shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of
this Security and of any Security issued upon the registration of transfer
hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such
consent or waiver is made upon this Security.

     No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or
of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is
absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and any premium, if any, and
interest, including any Additional Interest (to the extent legally enforceable),
on this Security at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency,
herein prescribed.

     As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set
forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Securities Register,
upon surrender of this Security


                                       19

<PAGE>

for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company maintained
for such purpose, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of
transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Securities Registrar and
duly executed by, the Holder hereof or such Holder's attorney duly authorized in
writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities, of like tenor, of authorized
denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the
designated transferee or transferees.

     The Securities are issuable only in registered form without coupons in
minimum denominations of $100,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess
thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein
set forth, Securities are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of
Securities and of like tenor of a different authorized denomination, as
requested by the Holder surrendering the same.

     No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or
exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any
tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

     The Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may
treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof
for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and neither the
Company, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the
contrary.

     The Company and, by its acceptance of this Security or a beneficial
interest herein, the Holder of, and any Person that acquires a beneficial
interest in, this Security agree that, for United States federal, state and
local tax purposes, it is intended that this Security constitute indebtedness.

     THIS SECURITY SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND
GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ITS CONFLICT
OF LAWS PROVISIONS (OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly
executed on this ____ day of __________, 20__.

                                        North Pointe Holdings Corporation


                                        By:
                                            ------------------------------------
                                        Name:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                        Title:
                                               ---------------------------------

     SECTION 2.2. Restricted Legend.

     (a) Any Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the
following form:


                                       20

<PAGE>

     "[IF THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY INSERT: THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL
     SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS
     REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY ("DTC") OR A NOMINEE
     OF DTC. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME
     OF A PERSON OTHER THAN DTC OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES
     DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND NO TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY (OTHER THAN A
     TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY AS A WHOLE BY DTC TO A NOMINEE OF DTC OR BY A
     NOMINEE OF DTC TO DTC OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF DTC) MAY BE REGISTERED EXCEPT
     IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES.

     UNLESS THIS SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC TO
     THE ISSUER OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT,
     AND ANY SECURITY ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH
     OTHER NAME AS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY
     PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS
     REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR
     OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL
     INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST
     HEREIN.]

     THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE WERE ORIGINALLY ISSUED IN A
     TRANSACTION EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS
     AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), AND SUCH SECURITIES, AND ANY INTEREST
     THEREIN, MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IN THE ABSENCE
     OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION THEREFROM. EACH PURCHASER
     OF ANY SECURITIES IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE SELLER OF THE SECURITIES MAY
     BE RELYING ON THE EXEMPTION FROM THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 OF THE
     SECURITIES ACT PROVIDED BY RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT.

     THE HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AGREES FOR THE
     BENEFIT OF THE COMPANY THAT (A) SUCH SECURITIES MAY BE OFFERED, RESOLD OR
     OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED ONLY (I) TO THE COMPANY, (II) TO A PERSON WHOM THE
     SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A "QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER" (AS DEFINED
     IN RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE
     REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A, (III) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL "ACCREDITED INVESTOR"
     WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (a) (1), (2), (3) OR (7) OF RULE 501
     UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THE SECURITY FOR ITS OWN
     ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF AN "ACCREDITED INVESTOR," FOR INVESTMENT
     PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH,
     ANY


                                       21

<PAGE>

     DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, (IV) PURSUANT TO AN
     EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR (V) PURSUANT
     TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, IN EACH CASE IN
     ACCORDANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OF THE UNITED
     STATES OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE JURISDICTION AND, IN THE CASE OF (III) OR
     (V), SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY TO REQUIRE AN OPINION OF COUNSEL
     AND OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO IT AND (B) THE HOLDER WILL NOTIFY ANY
     PURCHASER OF ANY SECURITIES FROM IT OF THE RESALE RESTRICTIONS REFERRED TO
     IN (A) ABOVE.

     THE SECURITIES WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING
     AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000. TO THE FULLEST
     EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES, OR ANY
     INTEREST THEREIN, IN A BLOCK HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF LESS
     THAN $100,000 AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000 IN EXCESS THEREOF SHALL BE DEEMED TO
     BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED
     BY LAW, ANY SUCH PURPORTED TRANSFEREE SHALL BE DEEMED NOT TO BE THE HOLDER
     OF SUCH SECURITIES FOR ANY PURPOSE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
     RECEIPT OF PRINCIPAL OF OR INTEREST ON SUCH SECURITIES, OR ANY INTEREST
     THEREIN, AND SUCH PURPORTED TRANSFEREE SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE NO INTEREST
     WHATSOEVER IN SUCH SECURITIES.

     THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY, OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, BY ITS ACCEPTANCE
     HEREOF OR THEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN
     EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR
     ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY
     ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED ("ERISA"), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE
     CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE "CODE") (EACH A "PLAN"), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE
     UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE "PLAN ASSETS" BY REASON OF ANY PLAN'S INVESTMENT
     IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING "PLAN ASSETS" OF ANY PLAN MAY
     ACQUIRE OR HOLD THIS SECURITY OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN. ANY PURCHASER OR
     HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE
     REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE
     BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO
     WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON
     ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON
     OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE
     SUCH PURCHASE."


                                       22

<PAGE>

     (b) The above legends shall not be removed from any Security unless there
is delivered to the Company satisfactory evidence, which may include an Opinion
of Counsel, as may be reasonably required to ensure that any future transfers
thereof may be made without restriction under or violation of the provisions of
the Securities Act and other applicable law. Upon provision of such satisfactory
evidence, the Company shall execute and deliver to the Trustee, and the Trustee
shall deliver, upon receipt of a Company Order directing it to do so, a Security
that does not bear the legend.

     SECTION 2.3. Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication.

     The Trustee's certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the
following form:

This represents the Securities referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

Dated:
       -----------------------------

                                        LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as
                                        Trustee


                                        By:
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                  Authorized signatory

     SECTION 2.4. Temporary Securities.

     (a) Pending the preparation of definitive Securities, the Company may
execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver,
temporary Securities that are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed
or otherwise produced, in any denomination, substantially of the tenor of the
definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued and with such appropriate
insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers
executing such Securities may determine, as evidenced by their execution of such
Securities.

     (b) If temporary Securities are issued, the Company will cause definitive
Securities to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of
definitive Securities, the temporary Securities shall be exchangeable for
definitive Securities upon surrender of the temporary Securities at the office
or agency of the Company designated for that purpose without charge to the
Holder. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities,
the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in
exchange therefor one or more definitive Securities of any authorized
denominations having the same Original Issue Date and Stated Maturity and having
the same terms as such temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, the temporary
Securities shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this
Indenture as definitive Securities.


                                       23

<PAGE>

     SECTION 2.5. Definitive Securities.

     The Securities issued on the Original Issue Date shall be in definitive
form. The definitive Securities shall be printed, lithographed or engraved, or
produced by any combination of these methods, if required by any securities
exchange on which the Securities may be listed, on a steel engraved border or
steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner permitted by the
rules of any securities exchange on which the Securities may be listed, all as
determined by the officers executing such Securities, as evidenced by their
execution of such Securities.

                                  ARTICLE III

                                 THE SECURITIES

     SECTION 3.1. Payment of Principal and Interest.

     (a) The unpaid principal amount of the Securities shall bear interest at a
fixed rate equal to 8.70% per annum through the Interest Payment Date in March
2011 and thereafter at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 3.64% per annum until paid
or duly provided for, such interest to accrue from the Original Issue Date or
from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or
duly provided for, and any overdue principal, premium, if any, or Additional Tax
Sums and any overdue installment of interest shall bear Additional Interest at
the rate equal to a fixed rate equal to 8.70% per annum through the interest
payment date in March 2011 and thereafter at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 3.64%
per annum, compounded quarterly from the dates such amounts are due until they
are paid or funds for the payment thereof are made available for payment.

     (b) Interest and Additional Interest on any Security that is payable, and
is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be
paid to the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor
Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date
for such interest, except that interest and any Additional Interest payable on
the Stated Maturity (or any date of principal repayment upon early maturity) of
the principal of a Security or on a Redemption Date shall be paid to the Person
to whom principal is paid. The initial payment of interest on any Security that
is issued between a Regular Record Date and the related Interest Payment Date
shall be payable as provided in such Security.

     (c) Any interest on any Security that is due and payable, but is not timely
paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities (herein
called "Defaulted Interest") shall forthwith cease to be payable to the
registered Holder on the relevant Regular Record Date by virtue of having been
such Holder, and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its
election in each case, as provided in paragraph (i) or (ii) below:

          (i) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to
     the Persons in whose names the Securities (or their respective Predecessor
     Securities) are registered at the close of business on a Special Record
     Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest (a "Special Record Date"),
     which shall be fixed in the following manner. At least thirty (30) days
     prior to the date of the proposed payment, the Company


                                       24

<PAGE>

     shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest
     proposed to be paid on each Security and the date of the proposed payment,
     and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount
     of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of
     such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the
     Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such
     money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons
     entitled to such Defaulted Interest. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a
     Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall
     be not more than fifteen (15) days and not less than ten (10) days prior to
     the date of the proposed payment and not less than ten (10) days after the
     receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee
     shall promptly notify the Company of such Special Record Date and, in the
     name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed
     payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to
     be mailed, first class, postage prepaid, to each Holder of a Security at
     the address of such Holder as it appears in the Securities Register not
     less than ten (10) days prior to such Special Record Date. Notice of the
     proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date
     therefor having been so mailed, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to
     the Persons in whose names the Securities (or their respective Predecessor
     Securities) are registered on such Special Record Date; or

          (ii) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest in any
     other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any
     securities exchange on which the Securities may be listed and, upon such
     notice as may be required by such exchange (or by the Trustee if the
     Securities are not listed), if, after notice given by the Company to the
     Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such payment shall
     be deemed practicable by the Trustee.

     (d) Payments of interest on the Securities shall include interest accrued
to but excluding the respective Interest Payment Dates. Interest payments for
the Securities shall be computed and paid on the basis of a 360-day year and the
actual number of days elapsed in the relevant interest period.

     (e) Payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the
Securities shall be made in such coin or currency of the United States of
America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and
private debts. Payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest due at the
Maturity of such Securities shall be made at the Place of Payment upon surrender
of such Securities to the Paying Agent and payments of interest shall be made
subject to such surrender where applicable, by wire transfer at such place and
to such account at a banking institution in the United States as may be
designated in writing to the Paying Agent at least ten (10) Business Days prior
to the date for payment by the Person entitled thereto unless proper written
transfer instructions have not been received by the relevant record date, in
which case such payments shall be made by check mailed to the address of such
Person as such address shall appear in the Security Register. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, so long as the holder of the Security is the Property Trustee,
the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest (including
any overdue installment of interest and Additional Tax Sums, if any) on the


                                       25

<PAGE>

Security will be made at such place and to such account as may be designated by
the Property Trustee.

     (f) Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.1, each Security
delivered under this Indenture upon transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of
any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to
accrue, that were carried by such other Security.

     SECTION 3.2. Denominations.

     The Securities shall be in registered form without coupons and shall be
issuable in minimum denominations of $100,000 and any integral multiple of
$1,000 in excess thereof.

     SECTION 3.3. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.

     (a) At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of
this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities in an aggregate principal
amount (including all then Outstanding Securities) not in excess of Twenty
Million Six Hundred Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,620,000) executed by the
Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the
authentication and delivery of such Securities, and the Trustee in accordance
with the Company Order shall authenticate and deliver such Securities. In
authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities
under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be
entitled to receive, and shall be fully protected in relying upon:

          (i) a copy of any Board Resolution relating thereto; and

          (ii) an Opinion of Counsel stating that: (1) such Securities, when
     authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in the
     manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel,
     will constitute, and the Indenture constitutes, valid and legally binding
     obligations of the Company, each enforceable in accordance with its terms,
     subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization,
     moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or
     affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles; (2) the
     Securities have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and have
     been delivered to the Trustee for authentication in accordance with this
     Indenture; (3) the Securities are not required to be registered under the
     Securities Act; and (4) the Indenture is not required to be qualified under
     the Trust Indenture Act.

     (b) The Securities shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its
Chairman of the Board, its Vice Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive
Officer, its President or one of its Vice Presidents. The signature of any of
these officers on the Securities may be manual or facsimile. Securities bearing
the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at any time the
proper officers of the Company shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such
individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the
authentication and delivery of such Securities or did not hold such offices at
the date of such Securities.


                                       26

<PAGE>

     (c) No Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be
valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless there appears on such Security a
certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for herein
executed by the Trustee by the manual signature of one of its authorized
signatories, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive
evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated
and delivered hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Security shall
have been authenticated and delivered hereunder but never issued and sold by the
Company, and the Company shall deliver such Security to the Trustee for
cancellation as provided in Section 3.8, for all purposes of this Indenture such
Security shall be deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered
hereunder and shall never be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

     (d) Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.

     SECTION 3.4. Global Securities.

     (a) Upon the election of the Holder after the Original Issue Date, which
election need not be in writing, the Securities owned by such Holder shall be
issued in the form of one or more Global Securities registered in the name of
the Depositary or its nominee. Each Global Security issued under this Indenture
shall be registered in the name of the Depositary designated by the Company for
such Global Security or a nominee thereof and delivered to such Depositary or a
nominee thereof or custodian therefor, and each such Global Security shall
constitute a single Security for all purposes of this Indenture.

     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, no Global
Security may be exchanged in whole or in part for registered Securities, and no
transfer of a Global Security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name
of any Person other than the Depositary for such Global Security or a nominee
thereof unless (i) such Depositary advises the Trustee and the Company in
writing that such Depositary is no longer willing or able to properly discharge
its responsibilities as Depositary with respect to such Global Security, and no
qualified successor is appointed by the Company within ninety (90) days of
receipt by the Company of such notice, (ii) such Depositary ceases to be a
clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and no successor is appointed
by the Company within ninety (90) days after obtaining knowledge of such event,
(iii) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee a Company Order stating
that the Company elects to terminate the book-entry system through the
Depositary or (iv) an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Upon the occurrence of any event specified in clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv)
above, the Trustee shall notify the Depositary and instruct the Depositary to
notify all owners of beneficial interests in such Global Security of the
occurrence of such event and of the availability of Securities to such owners of
beneficial interests requesting the same. The Trustee may conclusively rely, and
be protected in relying, upon the written identification of the owners of
beneficial interests furnished by the Depositary, and shall not be liable for
any delay resulting from a delay by the Depositary. Upon the issuance of such
Securities and the registration in the Securities Register of such Securities in
the names of the Holders of the beneficial interests therein, the Trustees shall
recognize such holders of beneficial interests as Holders.

     (c) If any Global Security is to be exchanged for other Securities or
canceled in part, or if another Security is to be exchanged in whole or in part
for a beneficial interest in any


                                       27

<PAGE>

Global Security, then either (i) such Global Security shall be so surrendered
for exchange or cancellation as provided in this Article III or (ii) the
principal amount thereof shall be reduced or increased by an amount equal to (x)
the portion thereof to be so exchanged or canceled, or (y) the principal amount
of such other Security to be so exchanged for a beneficial interest therein, as
the case may be, by means of an appropriate adjustment made on the records of
the Securities Registrar, whereupon the Trustee, in accordance with the
Applicable Depositary Procedures, shall instruct the Depositary or its
authorized representative to make a corresponding adjustment to its records.
Upon any such surrender or adjustment of a Global Security by the Depositary,
accompanied by registration instructions, the Company shall execute and the
Trustee shall authenticate and deliver any Securities issuable in exchange for
such Global Security (or any portion thereof) in accordance with the
instructions of the Depositary. The Trustee shall not be liable for any delay in
delivery of such instructions and may conclusively rely on, and shall be fully
protected in relying on, such instructions.

     (d) Every Security authenticated and delivered upon registration of
transfer of, or in exchange for or in lieu of, a Global Security or any portion
thereof shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a
Global Security, unless such Security is registered in the name of a Person
other than the Depositary for such Global Security or a nominee thereof.

     (e) Securities distributed to holders of Book-Entry Preferred Securities
(as defined in the applicable Trust Agreement) upon the dissolution of the Trust
shall be distributed in the form of one or more Global Securities registered in
the name of a Depositary or its nominee, and deposited with the Securities
Registrar, as custodian for such Depositary, or with such Depositary, for credit
by the Depositary to the respective accounts of the beneficial owners of the
Securities represented thereby (or such other accounts as they may direct).
Securities distributed to holders of Preferred Securities other than Book-Entry
Preferred Securities upon the dissolution of the Trust shall not be issued in
the form of a Global Security or any other form intended to facilitate
book-entry trading in beneficial interests in such Securities.

     (f) The Depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of a Global
Security, shall be the Holder of such Global Security for all purposes under
this Indenture and the Securities, and owners of beneficial interests in a
Global Security shall hold such interests pursuant to the Applicable Depositary
Procedures. Accordingly, any such owner's beneficial interest in a Global
Security shall be shown only on, and the transfer of such interest shall be
effected only through, records maintained by the Depositary or its nominee or
its Depositary Participants. The Securities Registrar and the Trustee shall be
entitled to deal with the Depositary for all purposes of this Indenture relating
to a Global Security (including the payment of principal and interest thereon
and the giving of instructions or directions by owners of beneficial interests
therein and the giving of notices) as the sole Holder of the Security and shall
have no obligations to the owners of beneficial interests therein. Neither the
Trustee nor the Securities Registrar shall have any liability in respect of any
transfers effected by the Depositary.

     (g) The rights of owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security shall
be exercised only through the Depositary and shall be limited to those
established by law and agreements between such owners and the Depositary and/or
its Depositary Participants.


                                       28

<PAGE>

     (h) No holder of any beneficial interest in any Global Security held on its
behalf by a Depositary shall have any rights under this Indenture with respect
to such Global Security, and such Depositary may be treated by the Company, the
Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the owner of such Global
Security for all purposes whatsoever. None of the Company, the Trustee nor any
agent of the Company or the Trustee will have any responsibility or liability
for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of
beneficial ownership interests of a Global Security or maintaining, supervising
or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the
Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee from giving effect to any
written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by a Depositary or
impair, as between a Depositary and such holders of beneficial interests, the
operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of the
Depositary (or its nominee) as Holder of any Security.

     SECTION 3.5. Registration, Transfer and Exchange Generally.

     (a) The Trustee shall cause to be kept at the Corporate Trust Office a
register (the "Securities Register") in which the registrar and transfer agent
with respect to the Securities (the "Securities Registrar"), subject to such
reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, shall provide for the registration
of Securities and of transfers and exchanges of Securities. The Trustee shall at
all times also be the Securities Registrar. The provisions of Article VI shall
apply to the Trustee in its role as Securities Registrar.

     (b) Subject to compliance with Section 2.2(b), upon surrender for
registration of transfer of any Security at the offices or agencies of the
Company designated for that purpose the Company shall execute, and the Trustee
shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or
transferees, one or more new Securities of any authorized denominations of like
tenor and aggregate principal amount.

     (c) At the option of the Holder, Securities may be exchanged for other
Securities of any authorized denominations, of like tenor and aggregate
principal amount, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at such
office or agency. Whenever any Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the
Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the
Securities that the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.

     (d) All Securities issued upon any transfer or exchange of Securities shall
be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled
to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered upon
such transfer or exchange.

     (e) Every Security presented or surrendered for transfer or exchange shall
(if so required by the Company or the Trustee) be duly endorsed, or be
accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the
Company and the Securities Registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or
such Holder's attorney duly authorized in writing.

     (f) No service charge shall be made to a Holder for any transfer or
exchange of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient
to cover any tax or other


                                       29

<PAGE>

governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer or
exchange of Securities.

     (g) Neither the Company nor the Trustee shall be required pursuant to the
provisions of this Section 3.5 (g): (i) to issue, register the transfer of or
exchange any Security during a period beginning at the opening of business
fifteen (15) days before the day of selection for redemption of Securities
pursuant to Article XI and ending at the close of business on the day of mailing
of the notice of redemption or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any
Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except, in the case of
any such Security to be redeemed in part, any portion thereof not to be
redeemed.

     (h) The Company shall designate an office or offices or agency or agencies
where Securities may be surrendered for registration or transfer or exchange.
The Company initially designates the Corporate Trust Office as its office and
agency for such purposes. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the
Trustee and to the Holders of any change in the location of any such office or
agency.

     SECTION 3.6. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.

     (a) If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee together with
such security or indemnity as may be required by the Trustee to save the Company
and the Trustee harmless, the Company shall execute and upon receipt thereof the
Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of
like tenor and aggregate principal amount and bearing a number not
contemporaneously outstanding.

     (b) If there shall be delivered to the Trustee (i) evidence to its
satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (ii) such
security or indemnity as may be required by it to save each of the Company and
the Trustee harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the
Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the
Company shall execute and upon its written request the Trustee shall
authenticate and deliver, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen
Security, a new Security of like tenor and aggregate principal amount as such
destroyed, lost or stolen Security, and bearing a number not contemporaneously
outstanding.

     (c) If any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or
is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead
of issuing a new Security, pay such Security.

     (d) Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section 3.6, the
Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other
governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other
expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

     (e) Every new Security issued pursuant to this Section 3.6 in lieu of any
mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original
additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the mutilated,
destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time


                                       30

<PAGE>

enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this
Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities duly
issued hereunder.

     (f) The provisions of this Section 3.6 are exclusive and shall preclude (to
the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement
or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.

     SECTION 3.7. Persons Deemed Owners.

     The Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall
treat the Person in whose name any Security is registered as the owner of such
Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and any interest
on such Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company,
the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by
notice to the contrary.

     SECTION 3.8. Cancellation.

     All Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, transfer or exchange
shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the
Trustee, and any such Securities and Securities surrendered directly to the
Trustee for any such purpose shall be promptly canceled by it. The Company may
at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously
authenticated and delivered hereunder that the Company may have acquired in any
manner whatsoever, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly canceled by
the Trustee. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for
any Securities canceled as provided in this Section 3.8, except as expressly
permitted by this Indenture. All canceled Securities shall be retained or
disposed of by the Trustee in accordance with its customary practices and the
Trustee shall deliver to the Company a certificate of such disposition.

     SECTION 3.9. Deferrals of Interest Payment Dates.

     (a) So long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the
Company shall have the right, at any time and from time to time during the term
of the Security, to defer the payment of interest on the Securities for a period
of up to twenty (20) consecutive quarterly interest payment periods (each such
period, an "Extension Period"), during which Extension Period(s), the Company
shall have the right to make no payments or partial payments of interest on any
Interest Payment Date (except any Additional Tax Sums that otherwise may be due
and payable). No Extension Period shall end on a date other than an Interest
Payment Date and no Extension Period shall extend beyond the Stated Maturity of
the principal of the Securities. No interest shall be due and payable during an
Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest
that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period
shall bear Additional Interest (to the extent payment of such interest would be
legally enforceable) at the rate equal to a fixed rate equal to 8.70% per annum
through the Interest Payment Date in March 2011 and thereafter at a variable
rate equal to LIBOR plus 3.64% per annum, compounded quarterly, from the dates
on which amounts would have otherwise been due and payable until paid or until
funds for the payment thereof have been made available for payment. At the end
of any such Extension Period, the Company shall pay all interest then


                                       31

<PAGE>

accrued and unpaid on the Securities together with such Additional Interest.
Prior to the termination of any such Extension Period, the Company may extend
such Extension Period and further defer the payment of interest; provided, that
(i) all such previous and further extensions comprising such Extension Period do
not exceed twenty (20) quarterly interest payment periods, (ii) no Extension
Period shall end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date and (iii) no
Extension Period shall extend beyond the Stated Maturity of the principal of the
Securities. Upon the termination of any such Extension Period and upon the
payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and any Additional Interest then due
on any Interest Payment Date, the Company may elect to begin a new Extension
Period; provided, that (i) such Extension Period does not exceed twenty (20)
quarterly interest payment periods, (ii) no Extension Period shall end on a date
other than an Interest Payment Date and (iii) no Extension Period shall extend
beyond the Stated Maturity of the principal of the Securities. The Company shall
give the Holders of the Securities and the Trustee written notice of its
election to begin any such Extension Period at least five Business Days prior to
the next succeeding Interest Payment Date on which interest on the Securities
would be payable but for such deferral or, so long as any Securities are held by
the Trust, at least five Business Days prior to the earlier of (i) the next
succeeding date on which Distributions on the Preferred Securities of such Trust
would be payable but for such deferral and (ii) the date on which the Property
Trustee of such Trust is required to give notice to any securities exchange or
other applicable self-regulatory organization or to holders of such Preferred
Securities of the record date for the payment of such Distributions.

     (b) In connection with any such Extension Period, the Company shall be
subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 10.6(a).

     SECTION 3.10. Right of Set-Off.

     Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Company shall have the
right to set off any payment it is otherwise required to make in respect of any
Security to the extent the Company has theretofore made, or is concurrently on
the date of such payment making, a payment under the Guarantee Agreement
relating to such Security or to a holder of Preferred Securities pursuant to an
action undertaken under Section 5.8 of this Indenture.

     SECTION 3.11. Agreed Tax Treatment.

     Each Security issued hereunder shall provide that the Company and, by its
acceptance or acquisition of a Security or a beneficial interest therein, the
Holder of, and any Person that acquires a direct or indirect beneficial interest
in, such Security, intend and agree to treat such Security as indebtedness of
the Company for United States Federal, state and local tax purposes and to treat
the Preferred Securities (including but not limited to all payments and proceeds
with respect to the Preferred Securities) as an undivided beneficial ownership
interest in the Securities (and any other Trust property) (and payments and
proceeds therefrom, respectively) for United States Federal, state and local tax
purposes. The provisions of this Indenture shall be interpreted to further this
intention and agreement of the parties.


                                       32

<PAGE>

     SECTION 3.12. CUSIP Numbers.

     The Company in issuing the Securities may use "CUSIP" numbers (if then
generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use "CUSIP" numbers in notices
of redemption and other similar or related materials as a convenience to
Holders; provided, that any such notice or other materials may state that no
representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed
on the Securities or as contained in any notice of redemption or other materials
and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed
on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect
in or omission of such numbers.

                                   ARTICLE IV

                           SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

     SECTION 4.1. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.

     This Indenture shall, upon Company Request, cease to be of further effect
(except as to any surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of
Securities herein expressly provided for and as otherwise provided in this
Section 4.1) and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Company,
shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of
this Indenture, when

     (a) either

          (i) all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than
     (A) Securities that have been mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen and that
     have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 3.6 and (B) Securities
     for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust or
     segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the
     Company or discharged from such trust as provided in Section 10.2) have
     been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

          (ii) all such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for
     cancellation

               (A) have become due and payable, or

               (B) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within
          one year of the date of deposit, or

               (C) are to be called for redemption within one year under
          arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of
          redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the
          Company,

     and the Company, in the case of subclause (ii)(A), (B) or (C) above, has
     deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in
     trust for such purpose (x) an amount in the currency or currencies in which
     the Securities are payable, (y) Government Obligations which through the
     scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in
     accordance with their terms will provide, not later than the due date of
     any payment, money in an amount or (z) a combination thereof, in each case
     sufficient, in the


                                       33

<PAGE>

     opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants
     expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to
     pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities not
     theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal and
     any premium and interest (including any Additional Interest) to the date of
     such deposit (in the case of Securities that have become due and payable)
     or to the Stated Maturity (or any date of principal repayment upon early
     maturity) or Redemption Date, as the case may be;

     (b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable
hereunder by the Company; and

     (c) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate and
an Opinion of Counsel each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided
for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture have been
complied with.

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the
obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 6.6, the obligations of
the Company to any Authenticating Agent under Section 6.11 and, if money shall
have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause (a)(ii) of this
Section 4.1, the obligations of the Trustee under Section 4.2 and Section
10.2(e) shall survive.

     SECTION 4.2. Application of Trust Money.

     Subject to the provisions of Section 10.2(e), all money deposited with the
Trustee pursuant to Section 4.1 shall be held in trust and applied by the
Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture,
to the payment in accordance with Section 3.1, either directly or through any
Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the
Trustee may determine, to the Persons entitled thereto, of the principal and any
premium and interest (including any Additional Interest) for the payment of
which such money or obligations have been deposited with or received by the
Trustee. Moneys held by the Trustee under this Section 4.2 shall not be subject
to the claims of holders of Senior Debt under Article XII.

                                    ARTICLE V

                                    REMEDIES

     SECTION 5.1. Events of Default.

     "Event of Default" means, wherever used herein with respect to the
Securities, any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event
of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by
operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or
any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):

     (a) default in the payment of any interest upon any Security, including any
Additional Interest in respect thereof, when it becomes due and payable, and
continuance of such default for


                                       34

<PAGE>

a period of thirty (30) days (subject to the deferral of any due date in the
case of an Extension Period); or

     (b) default in the payment of the principal of or any premium on any
Security at its Maturity; or

     (c) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty of
the Company in this Indenture and continuance of such default or breach for a
period of thirty (30) days after there has been given, by registered or
certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee
by the Holders of at least twenty five percent (25%) in aggregate principal
amount of the Outstanding Securities a written notice specifying such default or
breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a "Notice
of Default" hereunder;

     (d) the entry by a court having jurisdiction in the premises of a decree or
order adjudging the Company a bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as properly
filed a petition seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition
of or in respect of the Company under any applicable Federal or state
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law, or appointing a
custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other
similar official of the Company or of any substantial part of its property, or
ordering the winding up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of
any such decree or order for relief or any such other decree or order unstayed
and in effect for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days;

     (e) the institution by the Company of proceedings to be adjudicated a
bankrupt or insolvent, or the consent by the Company to the institution of
bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, or the filing by the Company of
a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under any
applicable Federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other
similar law, or the consent by it to the filing of such petition or to the
appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator,
assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other similar official of the Company or of
any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of an assignment for
the benefit of creditors, or the admission by it in writing of its inability to
pay its debts generally as they become due and its willingness to be adjudicated
a bankrupt or insolvent, or the taking of corporate action by the Company in
furtherance of any such action; or

     (f) the Trust shall have voluntarily or involuntarily liquidated,
dissolved, wound-up its business or otherwise terminated its existence, except
in connection with (1) the distribution of the Securities to holders of the
Preferred Securities in liquidation of their interests in the Trust, (2) the
redemption of all of the outstanding Preferred Securities or (3) certain
mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as and to the extent permitted by
the Trust Agreement.

     SECTION 5.2. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.

     (a) If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, then and in every such
case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than twenty five percent (25%) in
aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities may declare the
principal amount of all the Securities to be due and payable immediately, by a
notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders),
provided, that if, upon an Event of Default, the Trustee or the Holders of not
less than


                                       35

<PAGE>

twenty five percent (25%) in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities fail
to declare the principal of all the Outstanding Securities to be immediately due
and payable, the holders of at least twenty five percent (25%) in aggregate
Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities then outstanding shall have the
right to make such declaration by a notice in writing to the Property Trustee,
the Company and the Trustee; and upon any such declaration the principal amount
of and the accrued interest (including any Additional Interest) on all the
Securities shall become immediately due and payable.

     (b) At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to
Securities has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the
money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter provided in this
Article V, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
Outstanding Securities, by written notice to the Indenture Trustee, or the
holders of a majority in aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred
Securities, by written notice to the Property Trustee, the Company and the
Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:

          (i) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum
     sufficient to pay:

               (A) all overdue installments of interest on all Securities,

               (B) any accrued Additional Interest on all Securities,

               (C) the principal of and any premium on any Securities that have
          become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and
          interest (including any Additional Interest) thereon at the rate borne
          by the Securities, and

               (D) all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee hereunder and the
          reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements, indemnities and
          advances of the Trustee, the Property Trustee and their agents and
          counsel; and

          (ii) all Events of Default with respect to Securities, other than the
     non-payment of the principal of Securities that has become due solely by
     such acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.13;

provided, that if the Holders of such Securities fail to annul such declaration
and waive such default, the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate
Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities then outstanding shall also have
the right to rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences by written
notice to the Property Trustee, the Company and the Trustee, subject to the
satisfaction of the conditions set forth in paragraph (b) of this Section 5.2.
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right
consequent thereon.

     SECTION 5.3. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by
Trustee.

     (a) The Company covenants that if:

          (i) default is made in the payment of any installment of interest
     (including any Additional Interest) on any Security when such interest
     becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of thirty
     (30) days, or


                                       36

<PAGE>

          (ii) default is made in the payment of the principal of and any
     premium on any Security at the Maturity thereof,

the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee, for the
benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable
on such Securities for principal and any premium and interest (including any
Additional Interest) and, in addition thereto, all amounts owing the Trustee
under Section 6.6.

     (b) If the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand,
the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a
judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may
prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce the same
against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the
moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of
the property of the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities, wherever
situated.

     (c) If an Event of Default with respect to Securities occurs and is
continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its
rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities by such appropriate judicial
proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any
such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement
in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to
enforce any other proper remedy.

     SECTION 5.4. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.

     In case of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy,
reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or similar judicial
proceeding relative to the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities),
its property or its creditors, the Trustee shall be entitled and empowered, by
intervention in such proceeding or otherwise, to take any and all actions
authorized hereunder in order to have claims of the Holders and the Trustee
allowed in any such proceeding. In particular, the Trustee shall be authorized
to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on
any such claims and to distribute the same; and any custodian, receiver,
assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any
such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such
payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the
making of such payments directly to the Holders, to first pay to the Trustee any
amount due it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and
advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts owing the
Trustee, any predecessor Trustee and other Persons under Section 6.6.

     SECTION 5.5. Trustee May Enforce Claim Without Possession of Securities.

     All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities may
be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the
Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any
such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as
trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, subject to
Article XII and after provision for the payment of all the amounts owing the


                                       37

<PAGE>

Trustee, any predecessor Trustee and other Persons under Section 6.6, be for
the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such
judgment has been recovered.

     SECTION 5.6. Application of Money Collected.

     Any money or property collected or to be applied by the Trustee with
respect to the Securities pursuant to this Article V shall be applied in the
following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the
distribution of such money or property on account of principal or any premium or
interest (including any Additional Interest), upon presentation of the
Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and
upon surrender thereof if fully paid:

     FIRST: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee, any predecessor
Trustee and other Persons under Section 6.6;

     SECOND: To the payment of all Senior Debt of the Company if and to the
extent required by Article XII;

     THIRD: Subject to Article XII, to the payment of the amounts then due and
unpaid upon the Securities for principal and any premium and interest (including
any Additional Interest) in respect of which or for the benefit of which such
money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind,
according to the amounts due and payable on the Securities for principal and any
premium and interest (including any Additional Interest), respectively; and

     FOURTH: The balance, if any, to the Person or Persons entitled thereto.

     SECTION 5.7. Limitation on Suits.

     Subject to Section 5.8, no Holder of any Securities shall have any right to
institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture
or for the appointment of a custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator,
sequestrator (or other similar official) or for any other remedy hereunder,
unless:

     (a) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a
continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities;

     (b) the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount
of the Outstanding Securities shall have made written request to the Trustee to
institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as
Trustee hereunder;

     (c) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity
against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with
such request;

     (d) the Trustee after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of
indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding for sixty (60) days; and


                                       38

<PAGE>

     (e) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to
the Trustee during such sixty (60)-day period by the Holders of a majority in
aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities;

it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have
any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing itself of, any
provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any
other Holders of Securities, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or
preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this
Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable
benefit of all such Holders.

     SECTION 5.8. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium,
if any, and Interest; Direct Action by Holders of Preferred Securities.

     Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any
Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive
payment of the principal of and any premium on such Security at its Maturity and
payment of interest (including any Additional Interest) on such Security when
due and payable and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment,
and such right shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder. Any
registered holder of the Preferred Securities shall have the right, upon the
occurrence of an Event of Default described in Section 5.1(a) or Section 5.1(b),
to institute a suit directly against the Company for enforcement of payment to
such holder of principal of and any premium and interest (including any
Additional Interest) on the Securities having a principal amount equal to the
aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities held by such holder.

     SECTION 5.9. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.

     If the Trustee, any Holder or any holder of Preferred Securities has
instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture
and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has
been determined adversely to the Trustee, such Holder or such holder of
Preferred Securities, then and in every such case the Company, the Trustee, such
Holders and such holder of Preferred Securities shall, subject to any
determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to
their former positions hereunder, and thereafter all rights and remedies of the
Trustee, such Holder and such holder of Preferred Securities shall continue as
though no such proceeding had been instituted.

     SECTION 5.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.

     Except as otherwise provided in Section 3.6(f), no right or remedy herein
conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or the Holders is intended to be
exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the
extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and
remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or
otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or
otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other
appropriate right or remedy.


                                       39

<PAGE>

     SECTION 5.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver.

     No delay or omission of the Trustee, any Holder of any Securities or any
holder of any Preferred Security to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon
any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a
waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and
remedy given by this Article V or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders and
the right and remedy given to the holders of Preferred Securities by Section 5.8
may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by
the Trustee, the Holders or the holders of Preferred Securities, as the case may
be.

     SECTION 5.12. Control by Holders.

     The Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of
the Outstanding Securities (or, as the case may be, the holders of a majority in
aggregate Liquidation Amount of Preferred Securities) shall have the right to
direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy
available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the
Trustee; provided, that:

     (a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with
this Indenture,

     (b) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee that
is not inconsistent with such direction, and

     (c) subject to the provisions of Section 6.2, the Trustee shall have the
right to decline to follow such direction if a Responsible Officer or Officers
of the Trustee shall, in good faith, reasonably determine that the proceeding so
directed would be unjustly prejudicial to the Holders not joining in any such
direction or would involve the Trustee in personal liability.

     SECTION 5.13. Waiver of Past Defaults.

     (a) The Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount
of the Outstanding Securities or the holders of not less than a majority in
aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities may waive any past
Event of Default hereunder and its consequences except an Event of Default:

          (i) in the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest
     (including any Additional Interest) on any Security (unless such Event of
     Default has been cured and the Company has paid to or deposited with the
     Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all installments of interest (including any
     Additional Interest) due and past due and all principal of and any premium
     on all Securities due otherwise than by acceleration), or

          (ii) in respect of a covenant or provision hereof that under Article
     IX cannot be modified or amended without the consent of each Holder of any
     Outstanding Security.

     (b) Any such waiver shall be deemed to be on behalf of the Holders of all
the Securities or, in the case of a waiver by holders of Preferred Securities
issued by such Trust, by all holders of Preferred Securities.


                                       40

<PAGE>

     (c) Upon any such waiver, such Event of Default shall cease to exist and
any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for
every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any
subsequent or other Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

     SECTION 5.14. Undertaking for Costs.

     All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his
or her acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in
its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy
under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or
omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an
undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its
discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees and
expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the
merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but
the provisions of this Section 5.14 shall not apply to any suit instituted by
the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding
in the aggregate more than ten percent (10%) in aggregate principal amount of
the Outstanding Securities, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the
enforcement of the payment of the principal of or any premium on the Security
after the Stated Maturity or any interest (including any Additional Interest) on
any Security after it is due and payable.

     SECTION 5.15. Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws.

     The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it
will not at any time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or
take the benefit or advantage of, any usury, stay or extension law wherever
enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants
or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company (to the extent that it may
lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such
law, and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any
power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of
every such power as though no such law had been enacted.

                                   ARTICLE VI

                                   THE TRUSTEE

     SECTION 6.1. Corporate Trustee Required.

     There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder with respect to the
Securities. The Trustee shall be a corporation or national banking association
organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of any state
thereof, authorized to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined
capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000, subject to supervision or
examination by Federal or state authority and having an office within the United
States. If such corporation or national banking association publishes reports of
condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of such
supervising or examining authority, then, for the purposes of this Section 6.1,
the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its
combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition


                                       41

<PAGE>

so published. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in
accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.1, it shall resign immediately
in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article VI.

     SECTION 6.2. Certain Duties and Responsibilities.

     Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

          (i) the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties
     as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants
     or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

          (ii) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may
     conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of
     the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to
     the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; provided,
     that in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision
     hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the
     Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or
     not they substantially conform on their face to the requirements of this
     Indenture.

     (b) If an Event of Default known to the Trustee has occurred and is
continuing, the Trustee shall, prior to the receipt of directions, if any, from
the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
Outstanding Securities (or, if applicable, from the holders of at least a
majority in aggregate Liquidation Amount of Preferred Securities), exercise such
of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree
of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use
under the circumstances in the conduct of such person's own affairs.

     (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no provision of this Indenture shall
require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any
financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the
exercise of any of its rights or powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds for
believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk
or liability is not reasonably assured to it. Whether or not therein expressly
so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or
affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be
subject to the provisions of this Section 6.2. To the extent that, at law or in
equity, the Trustee has duties and liabilities relating to the Holders, the
Trustee shall not be liable to any Holder or any holder of Preferred Securities
for the Trustee's good faith reliance on the provisions of this Indenture. The
provisions of this Indenture, to the extent that they restrict the duties and
liabilities of the Trustee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by
the Company and the Holders and the holders of Preferred Securities to replace
such other duties and liabilities of the Trustee.

     (d) No provisions of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the
Trustee from liability with respect to matters that are within the authority of
the Trustee under this Indenture for its own negligent action, negligent failure
to act or willful misconduct, except that:


                                       42

<PAGE>

          (i) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error or judgment made in
     good faith by an authorized officer of the Trustee, unless it shall be
     proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;

          (ii) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken
     or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction
     of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
     Outstanding Securities (or, as the case may be, the holders of a majority
     in aggregate Liquidation Amount of Preferred Securities) relating to the
     time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy
     available to the Trustee under this Indenture; and

          (iii) the Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any
     money received by it hereunder and money held by the Trustee in trust
     hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent
     required by law.

     (e) If at any time the Trustee hereunder is not the same Person as the
Property Trustee under the Trust Agreement:

          (i) whenever a reference is made herein to the dissolution,
     termination or liquidation of the Trust, the Trustee shall be entitled to
     assume that no such dissolution, termination, or liquidation has occurred
     so long as the Securities are or continue to be registered in the name of
     such Property Trustee, and the Trustee shall be charged with notice or
     knowledge of such dissolution, termination or liquidation only upon written
     notice thereof given to the Trustee by the Depositor under the Trust
     Agreement; and

          (ii) the Trustee shall not be charged with notice or knowledge that
     any Person is a holder of Preferred Securities or Common Securities issued
     by the Trust or whether any group of holders of Preferred Securities
     constitutes any specified percentage of all outstanding Preferred
     Securities for any purpose under this Indenture, unless and until the
     Trustee is furnished with a list of holders by such Property Trustee and
     the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities then
     outstanding. The Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be protected in
     relying on such list.

     (f) Notwithstanding Section 1.10, the Trustee shall not, and shall not be
deemed to, owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of any of the Trust Securities
issued by the Trust and shall not be liable to any such holder (other than for
the willful misconduct or negligence of the Trustee) if the Trustee in good
faith (i) pays over or distributes to a registered Holder of the Securities or
to the Company or to any other Person, cash, property or securities to which
such holders of such Trust Securities shall be entitled or (ii) takes any action
or omits to take any action at the request of the Holder of such Securities.
Nothing in this paragraph shall affect the obligation of any other such Person
to hold such payment for the benefit of, and to pay such amount over to, such
holders of Preferred Securities or Common Securities or their representatives.


                                       43

<PAGE>

     SECTION 6.3. Notice of Defaults.

     Within ninety (90) days after the occurrence of any default actually known
to the Trustee, the Trustee shall give the Holders notice of such default unless
such default shall have been cured or waived; provided, that except in the case
of a default in the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on
any Securities, the Trustee shall be fully protected in withholding the notice
if and so long as the board of directors, the executive committee or a trust
committee of directors and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith
determines that withholding the notice is in the interest of holders of
Securities; and provided, further, that in the case of any default of the
character specified in Section 5.1(c), no such notice to Holders shall be given
until at least thirty (30) days after the occurrence thereof. For the purpose of
this Section 6.3, the term "default" means any event which is, or after notice
or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default.

     SECTION 6.4. Certain Rights of Trustee.

     Subject to the provisions of Section 6.2:

     (a) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in
acting or refraining from acting in good faith and in accordance with the terms
hereof upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report,
notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note or other paper
or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by
the proper party or parties;

     (b) if (i) in performing its duties under this Indenture the Trustee is
required to decide between alternative courses of action, (ii) in construing any
of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee finds ambiguous or inconsistent
with any other provisions contained herein or (iii) the Trustee is unsure of the
application of any provision of this Indenture, then, except as to any matter as
to which the Holders are entitled to decide under the terms of this Indenture,
the Trustee shall deliver a notice to the Company requesting the Company's
written instruction as to the course of action to be taken and the Trustee shall
take such action, or refrain from taking such action, as the Trustee shall be
instructed in writing to take, or to refrain from taking, by the Company;
provided, that if the Trustee does not receive such instructions from the
Company within ten Business Days after it has delivered such notice or such
reasonably shorter period of time set forth in such notice the Trustee may, but
shall be under no duty to, take such action, or refrain from taking such action,
as the Trustee shall deem advisable and in the best interests of the Holders, in
which event the Trustee shall have no liability except for its own negligence,
bad faith or willful misconduct;

     (c) any request or direction of the Company shall be sufficiently evidenced
by a Company Request or Company Order and any resolution of the Board of
Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;

     (d) the Trustee may consult with counsel (which counsel may be counsel to
the Trustee, the Company or any of its Affiliates, and may include any of its
employees) and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be
full and complete authorization and


                                       44

<PAGE>

protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder
in good faith and in reliance thereon;

     (e) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights
or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of
the Holders or any holder of Preferred Securities pursuant to this Indenture,
unless such Holders (or such holders of Preferred Securities) shall have offered
to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the
costs, expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) and
liabilities that might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or
direction, including reasonable advances as may be requested by the Trustee;

     (f) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts
or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument,
opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, indenture,
note or other paper or document, but the Trustee in its discretion may make such
inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if
the Trustee shall determine to make such inquiry or investigation, it shall be
entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Company, personally
or by agent or attorney;

     (g) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or
perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents, attorneys,
custodians or nominees and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any
misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent, attorney, custodian or
nominee appointed with due care by it hereunder;

     (h) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem
it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or
right or taking any other action with respect to enforcing any remedy or right
hereunder, the Trustees (i) may request instructions from the Holders (which
instructions may only be given by the Holders of the same aggregate principal
amount of Outstanding Securities as would be entitled to direct the Trustee
under this Indenture in respect of such remedy, right or action), (ii) may
refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such action until such
instructions are received and (iii) shall be protected in acting in accordance
with such instructions;

     (i) except as otherwise expressly provided by this Indenture, the Trustee
shall not be under any obligation to take any action that is discretionary under
the provisions of this Indenture;

     (j) without prejudice to any other rights available to the Trustee under
applicable law, when the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in
connection with any bankruptcy, insolvency or other proceeding referred to in
clauses (d) or (e) of the definition of Event of Default, such expenses
(including legal fees and expenses of its agents and counsel) and the
compensation for such services are intended to constitute expenses of
administration under any bankruptcy laws or law relating to creditors rights
generally;

     (k) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem
it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering
or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence be herein
specifically prescribed) may, in the


                                       45

<PAGE>

absence of bad faith on its part, conclusively rely upon an Officers'
Certificate addressing such matter, which, upon receipt of such request, shall
be promptly delivered by the Company;

     (l) the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any default or Event
of Default unless either (i) a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have
actual knowledge thereof or (ii) the Trustee shall have received written notice
thereof from the Company or a Holder; and

     (m) in the event that the Trustee is also acting as Paying Agent,
Authenticating Agent or Securities Registrar hereunder, the rights and
protections afforded to the Trustee pursuant to this Article VI shall also be
afforded such Paying Agent, Authenticating Agent, or Securities Registrar.

     SECTION 6.5. May Hold Securities.

     The Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any Securities
Registrar or any other agent of the Company, in its individual or any other
capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal
with the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee,
Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent, Securities Registrar or such other agent.

     SECTION 6.6. Compensation; Reimbursement; Indemnity.

     (a) The Company agrees:

          (i) to pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation
     for all services rendered by it hereunder in such amounts as the Company
     and the Trustee shall agree from time to time (which compensation shall not
     be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a
     trustee of an express trust);

          (ii) to reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable
     expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in
     accordance with any provision of this Indenture (including the reasonable
     compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel),
     except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to
     its negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct; and

          (iii) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to indemnify
     the Trustee (including in its individual capacity) and its Affiliates, and
     their officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives and
     employees for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, damage,
     liability, tax (other than income, franchise or other taxes imposed on
     amounts paid pursuant to (i) or (ii) hereof), penalty, expense or claim of
     any kind or nature whatsoever incurred without negligence, bad faith or
     willful misconduct on its part arising out of or in connection with the
     acceptance or administration of this trust or the performance of the
     Trustee's duties hereunder, including the advancement of funds to cover the
     costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in
     connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties
     hereunder.


                                       46

<PAGE>

     (b) To secure the Company's payment obligations in this Section 6.6, the
Company hereby grants and pledges to the Trustee and the Trustee shall have a
lien prior to the Securities on all money or property held or collected by the
Trustee, other than money or property held in trust to pay principal and
interest on particular Securities. Such lien shall survive the satisfaction and
discharge of this Indenture or the resignation or removal of the Trustee.

     (c) The obligations of the Company under this Section 6.6 shall survive the
satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture and the earlier resignation or
removal of the Trustee.

     (d) In no event shall the Trustee be liable for any indirect, special,
punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever, including, but
not limited to, lost profits, even if the Trustee has been advised of the
likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.

     (e) In no event shall the Trustee be liable for any failure or delay in the
performance of its obligations hereunder because of circumstances beyond its
control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, flood, war (whether
declared or undeclared), terrorism, fire, riot, embargo, government action,
including any laws, ordinances, regulations, governmental action or the like
which delay, restrict or prohibit the providing of the services contemplated by
this Indenture.

     SECTION 6.7. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.

     (a) No resignation or removal of the Trustee and no appointment of a
successor Trustee pursuant to this Article VI shall become effective until the
acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee under Section 6.8.

     (b) The Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to
the Company.

     (c) Unless an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the
Trustee may be removed at any time by the Company by a Board Resolution. If an
Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Trustee may be
removed by Act of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
Outstanding Securities, delivered to the Trustee and to the Company.

     (d) If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting,
or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any reason, at a time
when no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Company, by
a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee, and such
successor Trustee and the retiring Trustee shall comply with the applicable
requirements of Section 6.8. If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become
incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for
any reason, at a time when an Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing, the Holders, by Act of the Holders of a majority in aggregate
principal amount of the Outstanding Securities, shall promptly appoint a
successor Trustee, and such successor Trustee and the retiring Trustee shall
comply with the applicable requirements of Section 6.8. If no successor Trustee
shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders and accepted
appointment within sixty (60) days

                                       47

<PAGE>

after the giving of a notice of resignation by the Trustee or the removal of the
Trustee in the manner required by Section 6.8, any Holder who has been a bona
fide Holder of a Security for at least six months may, on behalf of such Holder
and all others similarly situated, and any resigning Trustee may, at the expense
of the Company, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment
of a successor Trustee.

     (e) The Company shall give notice to all Holders in the manner provided in
Section 1.6 of each resignation and each removal of the Trustee and each
appointment of a successor Trustee. Each notice shall include the name of the
successor Trustee and the address of its Corporate Trust Office.

     SECTION 6.8. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.

     (a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee, each
successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the
Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment,
and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become
effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or
conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties
of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor
Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of its charges, execute and
deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights,
powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and
deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring
Trustee hereunder.

     (b) Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute
any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming
to such successor Trustee all rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph
(a) of this Section 6.8.

     (c) No successor Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of
such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under
this Article VI.

     SECTION 6.9. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.

     Any Person into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which
it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or
consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to
all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall
be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, without the execution or filing of
any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, provided,
that such Person shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article
VI. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by
the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation
or as otherwise provided above in this Section 6.9 to such authenticating
Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so
authenticated, and in case any Securities shall not have been authenticated, any
successor to the Trustee may authenticate such Securities either in the name of
any predecessor Trustee or in the name of such successor Trustee, and in all
cases the certificate of authentication shall have the full force which it is
provided anywhere in the Securities or in this Indenture that the certificate of
the Trustee shall have.


                                       48

<PAGE>

     SECTION 6.10. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.

     The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustee's
certificates of authentication, shall be taken as the statements of the Company,
and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes any responsibility
for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity
or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities. Neither the Trustee nor
any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the
Company of the Securities or the proceeds thereof.

     SECTION 6.11. Appointment of Authenticating Agent.

     (a) The Trustee may appoint an Authenticating Agent or Agents with respect
to the Securities, which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to
authenticate Securities issued upon original issue and upon exchange,
registration of transfer or partial redemption thereof or pursuant to Section
3.6, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this
Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated
by the Trustee hereunder. Wherever reference is made in this Indenture to the
authentication and delivery of Securities by the Trustee or the Trustee's
certificate of authentication, such reference shall be deemed to include
authentication and delivery on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent.
Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall at all
times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United
States of America, or of any State or Territory thereof or the District of
Columbia, authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a
combined capital and surplus of not less than $50,000,000 and subject to
supervision or examination by Federal or state authority. If such Authenticating
Agent publishes reports of condition at least annually pursuant to law or to the
requirements of said supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes
of this Section 6.11 the combined capital and surplus of such Authenticating
Agent shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its
most recent report of condition so published. If at any time an Authenticating
Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 6.11, such Authenticating Agent shall resign immediately in the manner
and with the effect specified in this Section 6.11.

     (b) Any Person into which an Authenticating Agent may be merged or
converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any
merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Authenticating Agent shall be
a party, or any Person succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate
trust business of an Authenticating Agent shall be the successor Authenticating
Agent hereunder, provided such Person shall be otherwise eligible under this
Section 6.11, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on
the part of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent.

     (c) An Authenticating Agent may resign at any time by giving written notice
thereof to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate
the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice thereof to such
Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of
resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time such
Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the
provisions of this Section 6.11, the Trustee may appoint a successor
Authenticating Agent eligible under the provisions of this Section 6.11, which
shall be acceptable to the Company, and shall give notice


                                       49

<PAGE>

of such appointment to all Holders. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon
acceptance of its appointment hereunder shall become vested with all the rights,
powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if
originally named as an Authenticating Agent.

     (d) The Company agrees to pay to each Authenticating Agent from time to
time reasonable compensation for its services under this Section 6.11 in such
amounts as the Company and the Authenticating Agent shall agree from time to
time.

     (e) If an appointment of an Authenticating Agent is made pursuant to this
Section 6.11, the Securities may have endorsed thereon, in addition to the
Trustee's certificate of authentication, an alternative certificate of
authentication in the following form:

This represents Securities referred to in the within mentioned Indenture.

Dated:
       ------------

                                        LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
                                        as Trustee


                                        By:
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Authenticating Agent


                                        By:
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Authorized signatory

                                   ARTICLE VII

                      HOLDER'S LISTS AND REPORTS BY COMPANY

     SECTION 7.1. Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders.

     The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:

     (a) semiannually, on or before June 30 and December 31 of each year, a
list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and
addresses of the Holders as of a date not more than fifteen (15) days prior to
the delivery thereof, and

     (b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within
thirty (30) days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of
similar form and content as of a date not more than fifteen (15) days prior to
the time such list is furnished,

in each case to the extent such information is in the possession or control of
the Company and has not otherwise been received by the Trustee in its capacity
as Securities Registrar.


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<PAGE>

     SECTION 7.2. Preservation of Information, Communications to Holders.

     (a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably
practicable, the names and addresses of Holders contained in the most recent
list furnished to the Trustee as provided in Section 7.1 and the names and
addresses of Holders received by the Trustee in its capacity as Securities
Registrar. The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in
Section 7.1 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.

     (b) The rights of Holders to communicate with other Holders with respect to
their rights under this Indenture or under the Securities, and the corresponding
rights and privileges of the Trustee, shall be as provided in the Trust
Indenture Act.

     (c) Every Holder of Securities, by receiving and holding the same, agrees
with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee nor
any agent of either of them shall be held accountable by reason of the
disclosure of information as to the names and addresses of the Holders made
pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act.

     SECTION 7.3. Reports by Company.

     (a) The Company shall furnish to the Holders and to prospective purchasers
of Securities, upon their request, the information required to be furnished
pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act. The Company shall furnish
to the Trustee and, so long as the Property Trustee holds any of the Securities,
the Company shall furnish to the Property Trustee, Statutory Financial
Statements promptly following their filing with the Applicable Insurance
Regulatory Authority. The delivery requirement set forth in the preceding
sentence may be satisfied by compliance with Section 7.3(b) hereof.

     (b) The Company shall furnish to each of (i) the Trustee, (ii) the Holders
and to subsequent holders of Securities, (iii) Cohen Bros. Financial Management
LLC (at 1818 Market Street, 28th Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, Attn:
Matthew Mueller or such other address as designated by Cohen Bros. Financial
Management LLC) and (iv) any beneficial owner of the Securities reasonably
identified to the Company (which identification may be made either by such
beneficial owner or by Cohen Bros. Financial Management LLC), a duly completed
and executed certificate substantially and substantively in the form attached
hereto as Exhibit A, including the financial statements referenced in such
Exhibit, which certificate and financial statements shall be so furnished by the
Company not later than forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first
three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Company and not later than
ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company. The delivery
requirements under this Section 7.3(b) may be satisfied by compliance with
Section 8.16(b) of the Trust Agreement.

     (c) If the Company intends to file its annual and quarterly information
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") in electronic
form pursuant to Regulation S-T of the Commission using the Commission's
Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval ("EDGAR") system, the Company
shall notify the Trustee in the manner prescribed herein of each such annual and
quarterly filing. The Trustee is hereby authorized and directed to access the
EDGAR system for purposes of retrieving the financial information so filed.


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<PAGE>

Compliance with the foregoing shall constitute delivery by the Company of its
financial statements to the Trustee in compliance with the provisions of Section
314(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, if applicable. The Trustee shall have no duty
to search for or obtain any electronic or other filings that the Company makes
with the Commission, regardless of whether such filings are periodic,
supplemental or otherwise. Delivery of reports, information and documents to the
Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.3(c) shall be solely for purposes of
compliance with this Section 7.3(c) and, if applicable, with Section 314(a) of
the Trust Indenture Act. The Trustee's receipt of such reports, information and
documents shall not constitute notice to it of the content thereof or any matter
determinable from the content thereof, including the Company's compliance with
any of its covenants hereunder, as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely upon
Officers' Certificates.

                                  ARTICLE VIII

              CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, CONVEYANCE, TRANSFER OR LEASE

     SECTION 8.1. Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms.

     The Company shall not consolidate with or merge into any other Person or
convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety
to any Person, and no Person shall consolidate with or merge into the Company or
convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety
to the Company, unless:

     (a) if the Company shall consolidate with or merge into another Person or
convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety
to any Person, the entity formed by such consolidation or into which the Company
is merged or the Person that acquires by conveyance or transfer, or that leases,
the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety shall be
an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America
or any State or Territory thereof or the District of Columbia and shall
expressly assume, by an indenture supplemental hereto, executed and delivered to
the Trustee, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, the due and
punctual payment of the principal of and any premium and interest (including any
Additional Interest) on all the Securities and the performance of every covenant
of this Indenture on the part of the Company to be performed or observed;

     (b) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of
Default, and no event that, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would
constitute an Event of Default, shall have happened and be continuing; and

     (c) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate and
an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance,
transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection
with such transaction, any such supplemental indenture comply with this Article
VIII and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such
transaction have been complied with; and the Trustee may rely upon such
Officers' Certificate and Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that such
transaction complies with this Section 8.1.


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<PAGE>

     SECTION 8.2. Successor Company Substituted.

     (a) Upon any consolidation or merger by the Company with or into any other
Person, or any conveyance, transfer or lease by the Company of its properties
and assets substantially as an entirety to any Person in accordance with Section
8.1 and the execution and delivery to the Trustee of the supplemental indenture
described in Section 8.1(a), the successor entity formed by such consolidation
or into which the Company is merged or to which such conveyance, transfer or
lease is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every
right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if
such successor Person had been named as the Company herein; and in the event of
any such conveyance or transfer, following the execution and delivery of such
supplemental indenture, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations and
covenants under the Indenture and the Securities.

     (b) Such successor Person may cause to be executed, and may issue either in
its own name or in the name of the Company, any or all of the Securities
issuable hereunder that theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company
and delivered to the Trustee; and, upon the order of such successor Person
instead of the Company and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations
in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee shall authenticate and shall deliver
any Securities that previously shall have been signed and delivered by the
officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and any Securities
that such successor Person thereafter shall cause to be executed and delivered
to the Trustee on its behalf. All the Securities so issued shall in all respects
have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Securities
theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.

     (c) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance or lease,
such changes in phraseology and form may be made in the Securities thereafter to
be issued as may be appropriate to reflect such occurrence.

                                   ARTICLE IX

                             SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES

     SECTION 9.1. Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Holders.

     Without the consent of any Holders, the Company, when authorized by a Board
Resolution, and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into
one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in form reasonably satisfactory to
the Trustee, for any of the following purposes:

     (a) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, and the
assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company herein and in
the Securities; or

     (b) to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision herein
that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein, or to
make or amend any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising
under this Indenture, which shall not be inconsistent with the other provisions
of this Indenture, provided, that such action pursuant to


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<PAGE>

this clause (b) shall not adversely affect in any material respect the interests
of any Holders or the holders of the Preferred Securities; or

     (c) to add to the covenants, restrictions or obligations of the Company or
to add to the Events of Default, provided, that such action pursuant to this
clause (c) shall not adversely affect in any material respect the interests of
any Holders or the holders of the Preferred Securities; or

     (d) to modify, eliminate or add to any provisions of the Indenture or the
Securities to such extent as shall be necessary to ensure that the Securities
are treated as indebtedness of the Company for United States Federal income tax
purposes, provided, that such action pursuant to this clause (d) shall not
adversely affect in any material respect the interests of any Holders or the
holders of the Preferred Securities.

     SECTION 9.2. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders.

     (a) With the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in
aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities, by Act of said Holders
delivered to the Company and the Trustee, the Company, when authorized by a
Board Resolution, and the Trustee may enter into an indenture or indentures
supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in
any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of
modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of Securities under this
Indenture; provided, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the
consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security,

          (i) change the Stated Maturity of the principal or any premium of any
     Security or change the date of payment of any installment of interest
     (including any Additional Interest) on any Security, or reduce the
     principal amount thereof or the rate of interest thereon or any premium
     payable upon the redemption thereof or change the place of payment where,
     or the coin or currency in which, any Security or interest thereon is
     payable, or restrict or impair the right to institute suit for the
     enforcement of any such payment on or after such date, or

          (ii) reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of the
     Outstanding Securities, the consent of whose Holders is required for any
     such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required
     for any waiver of compliance with any provision of this Indenture or of
     defaults hereunder and their consequences provided for in this Indenture,
     or

          (iii) modify any of the provisions of this Section 9.2, Section 5.13
     or Section 10.7, except to increase any percentage in aggregate principal
     amount of the Outstanding Securities, the consent of whose Holders is
     required for any reason, or to provide that certain other provisions of
     this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the
     Holder of each Security;

provided, further, that, so long as any Preferred Securities remain outstanding,
no amendment under this Section 9.2 shall be effective until the holders of a
majority in Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities shall have consented
to such amendment; provided, further, that if the consent of the Holder of each
Outstanding Security is required for any amendment under this


                                       54

<PAGE>

Indenture, such amendment shall not be effective until the holder of each
Outstanding Preferred Security shall have consented to such amendment.

     (b) It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders under this Section 9.2
to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it
shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof.

     SECTION 9.3. Execution of Supplemental Indentures.

     In executing or accepting the additional trusts created by any supplemental
indenture permitted by this Article IX or the modifications thereby of the
trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and
shall be fully protected in conclusively relying upon, an Officers' Certificate
and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental
indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture, and that all conditions
precedent herein provided for relating to such action have been complied with.
The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental
indenture that affects the Trustee's own rights, duties, indemnities or
immunities under this Indenture or otherwise. Copies of the final form of each
supplemental indenture shall be delivered by the Trustee at the expense of the
Company to each Holder, and, if the Trustee is the Property Trustee, to each
holder of Preferred Securities, promptly after the execution thereof.

     SECTION 9.4. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.

     Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article IX,
this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental
indenture shall form a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder
of Securities and every holder of Preferred Securities theretofore or thereafter
authenticated and delivered hereunder shall be bound thereby.

     SECTION 9.5. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures.

     Securities authenticated and delivered after the execution of any
supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article IX may, and shall if required by
the Company, bear a notation in form approved by the Company as to any matter
provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine,
new Securities so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Company, to any
such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and
authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding
Securities.

                                    ARTICLE X

                                    COVENANTS

     SECTION 10.1. Payment of Principal, Premium, if any, and Interest.

     The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of the
Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of and any premium
and interest (including any Additional Interest) on the Securities in accordance
with the terms of the Securities and this


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<PAGE>

Indenture. As of the date of this Indenture, the Company represents that it has
no present intention to exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments
of interest on the Securities.

     SECTION 10.2. Money for Security Payments to be Held in Trust.

     (a) If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with
respect to the Securities, it will, on or before each due date of the principal
of and any premium or interest (including any Additional Interest) on the
Securities, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled
thereto a sum sufficient to pay the principal and any premium or interest
(including Additional Interest) so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to
such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided, and will promptly
notify the Trustee in writing of its failure so to act.

     (b) Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents, it will, on
the Business Day prior to each due date of the principal of or any premium or
interest (including any Additional Interest) on any Securities, deposit with a
Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay such amount, such sum to be held as
provided in the Trust Indenture Act and (unless such Paying Agent is the
Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of its failure so to act.

     (c) The Company will cause each Paying Agent for the Securities other than
the Trustee to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such
Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this
Section 10.2, that such Paying Agent will (i) comply with the provisions of this
Indenture and the Trust Indenture Act applicable to it as a Paying Agent and
(ii) during the continuance of any default by the Company (or any other obligor
upon the Securities) in the making of any payment in respect of the Securities,
upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums
held in trust by such Paying Agent for payment in respect of the Securities.

     (d) The Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the
satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or
by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in
trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee
upon the same trusts as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or
such Paying Agent; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee,
such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to
such money.

     (e) Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held
by the Company in trust for the payment of the principal of and any premium or
interest (including any Additional Interest) on any Security and remaining
unclaimed for two years after such principal and any premium or interest has
become due and payable shall (unless otherwise required by mandatory provision
of applicable escheat or abandoned or unclaimed property law) be paid on Company
Request to the Company, or (if then held by the Company) shall (unless otherwise
required by mandatory provision of applicable escheat or abandoned or unclaimed
property law) be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Security
shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for
payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with
respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee
thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent,
before being


                                       56

<PAGE>

required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to
be published once, in a newspaper published in the English language, customarily
published on each Business Day and of general circulation in the Borough of
Manhattan, The City of New York, notice that such money remains unclaimed and
that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than thirty (30)
days from the date of such publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then
remaining will be repaid to the Company.

     SECTION 10.3. Statement as to Compliance.

     The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within one hundred and twenty
(120) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company ending after the
date hereof, an Officers' Certificate (substantially in the form attached hereto
as Exhibit B) covering the preceding calendar year, stating whether or not to
the knowledge of the signers thereof the Company is in default in the
performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions of this
Indenture (without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice
provided hereunder), and if the Company shall be in default, specifying all such
defaults and the nature and status thereof of which they may have knowledge. The
delivery requirements of this Section 10.3 may be satisfied by compliance with
Section 8.16(a) of the Trust Agreement.

     SECTION 10.4. Calculation Agent.

     (a) The Company hereby agrees that for so long as any of the Securities
remain Outstanding, there will at all times be an agent appointed to calculate
LIBOR in respect of each Interest Payment Date in accordance with the terms of
Schedule A (the "Calculation Agent"). The Company has initially appointed the
Property Trustee as Calculation Agent for purposes of determining LIBOR for each
Interest Payment Date. The Calculation Agent may be removed by the Company at
any time. So long as the Property Trustee holds any of the Securities, the
Calculation Agent shall be the Property Trustee, except as described in the
immediately preceding sentence. If the Calculation Agent is unable or unwilling
to act as such or is removed by the Company, the Company will promptly appoint
as a replacement Calculation Agent the London office of a leading bank which is
engaged in transactions in Eurodollar deposits in the international Eurodollar
market and which does not control or is not controlled by or under common
control with the Company or its Affiliates. The Calculation Agent may not resign
its duties without a successor having been duly appointed.

     (b) The Calculation Agent shall be required to agree that, as soon as
possible after 11:00 a.m. (London time) on each LIBOR Determination Date (as
defined in Schedule A), but in no event later than 11:00 a.m. (London time) on
the Business Day immediately following each LIBOR Determination Date, the
Calculation Agent will calculate the interest rate (the Interest Payment shall
be rounded to the nearest cent, with half a cent being rounded upwards) for the
related Interest Payment Date, and will communicate such rate and amount to the
Company, the Trustee, each Paying Agent and the Depositary. The Calculation
Agent will also specify to the Company the quotations upon which the foregoing
rates and amounts are based and, in any event, the Calculation Agent shall
notify the Company before 5:00 p.m. (London time) on each LIBOR Determination
Date that either: (i) it has determined or is in the process of determining the
foregoing rates and amounts or (ii) it has not determined and is not in the
process of determining the foregoing rates and amounts, together with its
reasons therefor. The Calculation


                                       57

<PAGE>

Agent's determination of the foregoing rates and amounts for any Interest
Payment Date will (in the absence of manifest error) be final and binding upon
all parties. For the sole purpose of calculating the interest rate for the
Securities, "Business Day" shall be defined as any day on which dealings in
deposits in Dollars are transacted in the London interbank market.

     SECTION 10.5. Additional Tax Sums.

     So long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, if (a) the
Trust is the Holder of all of the Outstanding Securities and (b) a Tax Event
described in clause (i) or (iii) in the definition of Tax Event in Section 1.1
hereof has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall pay to the Trust (and
its permitted successors or assigns under the related Trust Agreement) for so
long as the Trust (or its permitted successor or assignee) is the registered
holder of the Outstanding Securities, such amounts as may be necessary in order
that the amount of Distributions (including any Additional Interest Amount (as
defined in the Trust Agreement)) then due and payable by the Trust on the
Preferred Securities and Common Securities that at any time remain outstanding
in accordance with the terms thereof shall not be reduced as a result of any
Additional Taxes arising from such Tax Event (additional such amounts payable by
the Company to the Trust, the "Additional Tax Sums"). Whenever in this Indenture
or the Securities there is a reference in any context to the payment of
principal of or interest on the Securities, such mention shall be deemed to
include mention of the payments of the Additional Tax Sums provided for in this
Section 10.5 to the extent that, in such context, Additional Tax Sums are, were
or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to the provisions of this
Section 10.5 and express mention of the payment of Additional Tax Sums (if
applicable) in any provisions hereof shall not be construed as excluding
Additional Tax Sums in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not
made; provided, that the deferral of the payment of interest pursuant to Section
3.9 on the Securities shall not defer the payment of any Additional Tax Sums
that may be due and payable.

     SECTION 10.6. Additional Covenants.

     (a) The Company covenants and agrees with each Holder of Securities that if
an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or the Company shall
have given notice of its election to begin an Extension Period with respect to
the Securities or such Extension Period, or any extension thereof, shall be
continuing, it shall not (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on,
or redeem, purchase, acquire or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any
shares of the Company's capital stock, or (ii) make any payment of principal of
or any interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt
securities of the Company that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in
interest to the Securities (other than (A) repurchases, redemptions or other
acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any
employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the
benefit of any one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in
connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in
connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities
convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an
acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period,
(B) as a result of an exchange or conversion of any class or series of the
Company's capital stock (or any capital stock of a Subsidiary of the Company)
for any class or series of the Company's capital stock or of any class or series
of the Company's indebtedness


                                       58

<PAGE>

for any class or series of the Company's capital stock, (C) the purchase of
fractional interests in shares of the Company's capital stock pursuant to the
conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being
converted or exchanged, (D) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any
Rights Plan, the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any Rights
Plan or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto or (E) any
dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the
dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or
other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or
ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock).

     (b) The Company also covenants with each Holder of Securities (i) to hold,
directly or indirectly, one hundred percent (100%) of the Common Securities of
the Trust, provided, that any permitted successor of the Company hereunder may
succeed to the Company's ownership of such Common Securities, (ii) as holder of
such Common Securities, not to voluntarily dissolve, wind-up or liquidate the
Trust other than (A) in connection with a distribution of the Securities to the
holders of the Preferred Securities in liquidation of the Trust or (B) in
connection with certain mergers, consolidations or amalgamations permitted by
the Trust Agreement and (iii) to use its reasonable commercial efforts,
consistent with the terms and provisions of the Trust Agreement, to cause the
Trust to continue to be taxable as a grantor trust and not as a corporation for
United States Federal income tax purposes.

     SECTION 10.7. Waiver of Covenants.

     The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any covenant
or condition contained in Section 10.6 if, before or after the time for such
compliance, the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of
the Outstanding Securities shall, by Act of such Holders, and at least a
majority of the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities then
outstanding, by consent of such holders, either waive such compliance in such
instance or generally waive compliance with such covenant or condition, but no
such waiver shall extend to or affect such covenant or condition except to the
extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the
obligations of the Company in respect of any such covenant or condition shall
remain in full force and effect.

     SECTION 10.8. Treatment of Securities.

     The Company will treat the Securities as indebtedness, and the amounts,
other than payments of principal, payable in respect of the principal amount of
such Securities as interest, for all U.S. federal income tax purposes. All
payments in respect of the Securities will be made free and clear of U.S.
withholding tax to any beneficial owner thereof that has provided an Internal
Revenue Service Form W-9 or W-8BEN (or any substitute or successor form)
establishing its U.S. or non-U.S. status for U.S. federal income tax purposes,
or any other applicable form establishing a complete exemption from U.S.
withholding tax.


                                       59

<PAGE>

                                   ARTICLE XI

                            REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES

     SECTION 11.1. Optional Redemption.

     The Company may, at its option, on any Interest Payment Date, on or after
March 15, 2011, redeem the Securities in whole at any time or in part from time
to time, at a Redemption Price equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the
principal amount thereof (or of the redeemed portion thereof, as applicable),
together, in the case of any such redemption, with accrued interest, including
any Additional Interest, through but excluding the date fixed as the Redemption
Date (the "Optional Redemption Price"); provided, that the Company shall have
received the prior approval of any Applicable Insurance Regulatory Authorities
with respect to such redemption if then required.

     SECTION 11.2. Special Event Redemption.

     Prior to June 15, 2011, upon the occurrence and during the continuation of
a Special Event, the Company may, at its option, redeem the Securities, in whole
but not in part, at a Redemption Price equal to one hundred seven and one half
percent (107.5%) of the principal amount thereof, together, in the case of any
such redemption, with accrued interest, including any Additional Interest,
through but excluding the date fixed as the Redemption Date (the "Special
Redemption Price"), provided, that the Company shall have received the prior
approval of any Applicable Insurance Regulatory Authority with respect to such
redemption if then required.

     SECTION 11.3. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee.

     The election of the Company to redeem any Securities, in whole or in part,
shall be evidenced by or pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any
redemption at the election of the Company, the Company shall, not less than
forty-five (45) days and not more than seventy-five (75) days prior to the
Redemption Date (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee),
notify the Trustee and the Property Trustee under the Trust Agreement in writing
of such date and of the principal amount of the Securities to be redeemed and
provide the additional information required to be included in the notice or
notices contemplated by Section 11.5. In the case of any redemption of
Securities, in whole or in part, (a) prior to the expiration of any restriction
on such redemption provided in this Indenture or the Securities or (b) pursuant
to an election of the Company which is subject to a condition specified in this
Indenture or the Securities, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an
Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel evidencing compliance with such
restriction or condition.

     SECTION 11.4. Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.

     (a) If less than all the Securities are to be redeemed, the particular
Securities to be redeemed shall be selected and redeemed on a pro rata basis not
more than sixty (60) days prior to the Redemption Date by the Trustee from the
Outstanding Securities not previously called for redemption, provided, that the
unredeemed portion of the principal amount of any Security shall


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<PAGE>

be in an authorized denomination (which shall not be less than the minimum
authorized denomination) for such Security.

     (b) The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the
Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected
for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. For all
purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all
provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of
any Security redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the
principal amount of such Security that has been or is to be redeemed.

     (c) The provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 11.4 shall not
apply with respect to any redemption affecting only a single Security, whether
such Security is to be redeemed in whole or in part. In the case of any such
redemption in part, the unredeemed portion of the principal amount of the
Security shall be in an authorized denomination (which shall not be less than
the minimum authorized denomination) for such Security.

     SECTION 11.5. Notice of Redemption.

     (a) Notice of redemption shall be given not later than the thirtieth (30th)
day, and not earlier than the sixtieth (60th) day, prior to the Redemption Date
to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed, in whole or in part, (unless a
shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Property Trustee under the related
Trust Agreement).

     (b) With respect to Securities to be redeemed, in whole or in part, each
notice of redemption shall state:

          (i) the Redemption Date;

          (ii) the Redemption Price or, if the Redemption Price cannot be
     calculated prior to the time the notice is required to be sent, the
     estimate of the Redemption Price, as calculated by the Company, together
     with a statement that it is an estimate and that the actual Redemption
     Price will be calculated on the fifth Business Day prior to the Redemption
     Date (and if an estimate is provided, a further notice shall be sent of the
     actual Redemption Price on the date that such Redemption Price is
     calculated);

          (iii) if less than all Outstanding Securities are to be redeemed, the
     identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the respective
     principal amounts) of the particular Securities to be redeemed;

          (iv) that on the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price will become due
     and payable upon each such Security or portion thereof, and that any
     interest (including any Additional Interest) on such Security or such
     portion, as the case may be, shall cease to accrue on and after said date;
     and

          (v) the place or places where such Securities are to be surrendered
     for payment of the Redemption Price.


                                       61

<PAGE>

     (c) Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed, in whole or in part,
at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, at the
Company's request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company
and shall be irrevocable. The notice if mailed in the manner provided above
shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the
Holder receives such notice. In any case, a failure to give such notice by mail
or any defect in the notice to the Holder of any Security designated for
redemption as a whole or in part shall not affect the validity of the
proceedings for the redemption of any other Security.

     SECTION 11.6. Deposit of Redemption Price.

     Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Redemption Date specified
in the notice of redemption given as provided in Section 11.5, the Company will
deposit with the Trustee or with one or more Paying Agents (or if the Company is
acting as its own Paying Agent, the Company will segregate and hold in trust as
provided in Section 10.2) an amount of money sufficient to pay the Redemption
Price of, and any accrued interest (including any Additional Interest) on, all
the Securities (or portions thereof) that are to be redeemed on that date.

     SECTION 11.7. Payment of Securities Called for Redemption.

     (a) If any notice of redemption has been given as provided in Section 11.5,
the Securities or portion of Securities with respect to which such notice has
been given shall become due and payable on the date and at the place or places
stated in such notice at the applicable Redemption Price, together with accrued
interest (including any Additional Interest) to the Redemption Date. On
presentation and surrender of such Securities at a Place of Payment specified in
such notice, the Securities or the specified portions thereof shall be paid and
redeemed by the Company at the applicable Redemption Price, together with
accrued interest (including any Additional Interest) to the Redemption Date.

     (b) Upon presentation of any Security redeemed in part only, the Company
shall execute and upon receipt thereof the Trustee shall authenticate and
deliver to the Holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Security or
Securities, of authorized denominations, in aggregate principal amount equal to
the unredeemed portion of the Security so presented and having the same Original
Issue Date, Stated Maturity and terms.

     (c) If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon
surrender thereof for redemption, the principal of and any premium on such
Security shall, until paid, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate
prescribed therefor in the Security.

                                   ARTICLE XII

                           SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES

     SECTION 12.1. Securities Subordinate to Senior Debt.

     The Company covenants and agrees, and each Holder of a Security, by its
acceptance thereof, likewise covenants and agrees, that, to the extent and in
the manner hereinafter set forth in this Article XII, the payment of the
principal of and any premium and interest (including any


                                       62

<PAGE>

Additional Interest) on each and all of the Securities are hereby expressly made
subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all
Senior Debt.

     SECTION 12.2. No Payment When Senior Debt in Default; Payment Over of
Proceeds Upon Dissolution, Etc.

     (a) In the event and during the continuation of any default by the Company
in the payment of any principal of or any premium or interest on any Senior Debt
(following any grace period, if applicable) when the same becomes due and
payable, whether at maturity or at a date fixed for prepayment or by declaration
of acceleration or otherwise, then, upon written notice of such default to the
Company by the holders of such Senior Debt or any trustee therefor, unless and
until such default shall have been cured or waived or shall have ceased to
exist, no direct or indirect payment (in cash, property, securities, by set-off
or otherwise) shall be made or agreed to be made on account of the principal of
or any premium or interest (including any Additional Interest) on any of the
Securities, or in respect of any redemption, repayment, retirement, purchase or
other acquisition of any of the Securities.

     (b) In the event of a bankruptcy, insolvency or other proceeding described
in clause (d) or (e) of the definition of Event of Default (each such event, if
any, herein sometimes referred to as a "Proceeding"), all Senior Debt (including
any interest thereon accruing after the commencement of any such proceedings)
shall first be paid in full before any payment or distribution, whether in cash,
securities or other property, shall be made to any Holder of any of the
Securities on account thereof. Any payment or distribution, whether in cash,
securities or other property (other than securities of the Company or any other
entity provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment the payment of
which is subordinate, at least to the extent provided in these subordination
provisions with respect to the indebtedness evidenced by the Securities, to the
payment of all Senior Debt at the time outstanding and to any securities issued
in respect thereof under any such plan of reorganization or readjustment), which
would otherwise (but for these subordination provisions) be payable or
deliverable in respect of the Securities shall be paid or delivered directly to
the holders of Senior Debt in accordance with the priorities then existing among
such holders until all Senior Debt (including any interest thereon accruing
after the commencement of any Proceeding) shall have been paid in full.

     (c) In the event of any Proceeding, after payment in full of all sums owing
with respect to Senior Debt, the Holders of the Securities, together with the
holders of any obligations of the Company ranking on a parity with the
Securities, shall be entitled to be paid from the remaining assets of the
Company the amounts at the time due and owing on account of unpaid principal of
and any premium and interest (including any Additional Interest) on the
Securities and such other obligations before any payment or other distribution,
whether in cash, property or otherwise, shall be made on account of any capital
stock or any obligations of the Company ranking junior to the Securities and
such other obligations. If, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or
distribution of any character or any security, whether in cash, securities or
other property (other than securities of the Company or any other entity
provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment the payment of which is
subordinate, at least to the extent provided in these subordination provisions
with respect to the indebtedness evidenced by the Securities, to the payment of
all Senior Debt at the time outstanding and to any securities issued in respect
thereof under any such plan of reorganization or readjustment) shall be received
by the


                                       63

<PAGE>

Trustee or any Holder in contravention of any of the terms hereof and before all
Senior Debt shall have been paid in full, such payment or distribution or
security shall be received in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over
or delivered and transferred to, the holders of the Senior Debt at the time
outstanding in accordance with the priorities then existing among such holders
for application to the payment of all Senior Debt remaining unpaid, to the
extent necessary to pay all such Senior Debt (including any interest thereon
accruing after the commencement of any Proceeding) in full. In the event of the
failure of the Trustee or any Holder to endorse or assign any such payment,
distribution or security, each holder of Senior Debt is hereby irrevocably
authorized to endorse or assign the same.

     (d) The Trustee and the Holders, at the expense of the Company, shall take
such reasonable action (including the delivery of this Indenture to an agent for
any holders of Senior Debt or consent to the filing of a financing statement
with respect hereto) as may, in the opinion of counsel designated by the holders
of a majority in principal amount of the Senior Debt at the time outstanding, be
necessary or appropriate to assure the effectiveness of the subordination
effected by these provisions.

     (e) The provisions of this Section 12.2 shall not impair any rights,
interests, remedies or powers of any secured creditor of the Company in respect
of any security interest the creation of which is not prohibited by the
provisions of this Indenture.

     (f) The securing of any obligations of the Company, otherwise ranking on a
parity with the Securities or ranking junior to the Securities, shall not be
deemed to prevent such obligations from constituting, respectively, obligations
ranking on a parity with the Securities or ranking junior to the Securities.

     SECTION 12.3. Payment Permitted If No Default.

     Nothing contained in this Article XII or elsewhere in this Indenture or in
any of the Securities shall prevent (a) the Company, at any time, except during
the pendency of the conditions described in paragraph (a) of Section 12.2 or of
any Proceeding referred to in Section 12.2, from making payments at any time of
principal of and any premium or interest (including any Additional Interest) on
the Securities or (b) the application by the Trustee of any moneys deposited
with it hereunder to the payment of or on account of the principal of and any
premium or interest (including any Additional Interest) on the Securities or the
retention of such payment by the Holders, if, at the time of such application by
the Trustee, it did not have knowledge (in accordance with Section 12.8) that
such payment would have been prohibited by the provisions of this Article XII,
except as provided in Section 12.8.

     SECTION 12.4. Subrogation to Rights of Holders of Senior Debt.

     Subject to the payment in full of all amounts due or to become due on all
Senior Debt, or the provision for such payment in cash or cash equivalents or
otherwise in a manner satisfactory to the holders of Senior Debt, the Holders of
the Securities shall be subrogated to the extent of the payments or
distributions made to the holders of such Senior Debt pursuant to the provisions
of this Article XII (equally and ratably with the holders of all indebtedness of
the Company that by its express terms is subordinated to Senior Debt of the
Company to substantially the same


                                       64

<PAGE>

extent as the Securities are subordinated to the Senior Debt and is entitled to
like rights of subrogation by reason of any payments or distributions made to
holders of such Senior Debt) to the rights of the holders of such Senior Debt to
receive payments and distributions of cash, property and securities applicable
to the Senior Debt until the principal of and any premium and interest
(including any Additional Interest) on the Securities shall be paid in full. For
purposes of such subrogation, no payments or distributions to the holders of the
Senior Debt of any cash, property or securities to which the Holders of the
Securities or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this
Article XII, and no payments made pursuant to the provisions of this Article XII
to the holders of Senior Debt by Holders of the Securities or the Trustee,
shall, as among the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Debt,
and the Holders of the Securities, be deemed to be a payment or distribution by
the Company to or on account of the Senior Debt.

     SECTION 12.5. Provisions Solely to Define Relative Rights.

     The provisions of this Article XII are and are intended solely for the
purpose of defining the relative rights of the Holders of the Securities on the
one hand and the holders of Senior Debt on the other hand. Nothing contained in
this Article XII or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Securities is intended
to or shall (a) impair, as between the Company and the Holders of the
Securities, the obligations of the Company, which are absolute and
unconditional, to pay to the Holders of the Securities the principal of and any
premium and interest (including any Additional Interest) on the Securities as
and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms,
(b) affect the relative rights against the Company of the Holders of the
Securities and creditors of the Company other than their rights in relation to
the holders of Senior Debt or (c) prevent the Trustee or the Holder of any
Security (or to the extent expressly provided herein, the holder of any
Preferred Security) from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by
applicable law upon default under this Indenture, including filing and voting
claims in any Proceeding, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article XII
of the holders of Senior Debt to receive cash, property and securities otherwise
payable or deliverable to the Trustee or such Holder.

     SECTION 12.6. Trustee to Effectuate Subordination.

     Each Holder of a Security by his or her acceptance thereof authorizes and
directs the Trustee on his or her behalf to take such action as may be necessary
or appropriate to acknowledge or effectuate the subordination provided in this
Article XII and appoints the Trustee his or her attorney-in-fact for any and all
such purposes.

     SECTION 12.7. No Waiver of Subordination Provisions.

     (a) No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Debt to enforce
subordination as herein provided shall at any time in any way be prejudiced or
impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company or by any act
or failure to act, in good faith, by any such holder, or by any noncompliance by
the Company with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture,
regardless of any knowledge thereof that any such holder may have or be
otherwise charged with.


                                       65

<PAGE>

     (b) Without in any way limiting the generality of paragraph (a) of this
Section 12.7, the holders of Senior Debt may, at any time and from to time,
without the consent of or notice to the Trustee or the Holders of the
Securities, without incurring responsibility to such Holders of the Securities
and without impairing or releasing the subordination provided in this Article
XII or the obligations hereunder of such Holders of the Securities to the
holders of Senior Debt, do any one or more of the following: (i) change the
manner, place or terms of payment or extend the time of payment of, or renew or
alter, Senior Debt, or otherwise amend or supplement in any manner Senior Debt
or any instrument evidencing the same or any agreement under which Senior Debt
is outstanding, (ii) sell, exchange, release or otherwise deal with any property
pledged, mortgaged or otherwise securing Senior Debt, (iii) release any Person
liable in any manner for the payment of Senior Debt and (iv) exercise or refrain
from exercising any rights against the Company and any other Person.

     SECTION 12.8. Notice to Trustee.

     (a) The Company shall give prompt written notice to a Responsible Officer
of the Trustee of any fact known to the Company that would prohibit the making
of any payment to or by the Trustee in respect of the Securities.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XII or any other provision of
this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence
of any facts that would prohibit the making of any payment to or by the Trustee
in respect of the Securities, unless and until a Responsible Officer of the
Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or a holder
of Senior Debt or from any trustee, agent or representative therefor; provided,
that if the Trustee shall not have received the notice provided for in this
Section 12.8 at least two Business Days prior to the date upon which by the
terms hereof any monies may become payable for any purpose (including, the
payment of the principal of and any premium on or interest (including any
Additional Interest) on any Security), then, anything herein contained to the
contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to
receive such monies and to apply the same to the purpose for which they were
received and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary that may be
received by it within two Business Days prior to such date.

     (b) The Trustee shall be entitled to rely on the delivery to it of a
written notice by a Person representing himself or herself to be a holder of
Senior Debt (or a trustee, agent, representative or attorney-in-fact therefor)
to establish that such notice has been given by a holder of Senior Debt (or a
trustee, agent, representative or attorney-in-fact therefor). In the event that
the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with
respect to the right of any Person as a holder of Senior Debt to participate in
any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article XII, the Trustee may
request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the
Trustee as to the amount of Senior Debt held by such Person, the extent to which
such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any
other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article XII, and
if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such
Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive
such payment.


                                       66

<PAGE>

     SECTION 12.9. Reliance on Judicial Order or Certificate of Liquidating
Agent.

     Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in
this Article XII, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities shall be
entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree entered by any court of
competent jurisdiction in which such Proceeding is pending, or a certificate of
the trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, liquidating trustee, custodian, assignee
for the benefit of creditors, agent or other Person making such payment or
distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities, for the
purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such payment or
distribution, the holders of the Senior Debt and other indebtedness of the
Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or
distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article
XII.

     SECTION 12.10. Trustee Not Fiduciary for Holders of Senior Debt.

     The Trustee, in its capacity as trustee under this Indenture, shall not owe
or be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of Senior Debt and shall
not be liable to any such holders if it shall in good faith mistakenly pay over
or distribute to Holders of Securities or to the Company or to any other Person
cash, property or securities to which any holders of Senior Debt shall be
entitled by virtue of this Article XII or otherwise.

     SECTION 12.11. Rights of Trustee as Holder of Senior Debt; Preservation of
Trustee's Rights.

     The Trustee in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights
set forth in this Article XII with respect to any Senior Debt that may at any
time be held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Debt, and
nothing in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such
holder. With respect to the holders of Senior Debt of the Company, the Trustee
undertakes to perform only such of its obligations as are specifically set forth
in this Article XII, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the
holders of such Senior Debt shall be read into this Indenture against the
Trustee. Nothing in this Article XII shall apply to claims of, or payments to,
the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.6.

     SECTION 12.12. Article Applicable to Paying Agents.

     If at any time any Paying Agent other than the Trustee shall have been
appointed by the Company and be then acting hereunder, the term "Trustee" as
used in this Article XII shall in such case (unless the context otherwise
requires) be construed as extending to and including such Paying Agent within
its meaning as fully for all intents and purposes as if such Paying Agent were
named in this Article XII in addition to or in place of the Trustee; provided,
that Sections 12.8 and 12.11 shall not apply to the Company or any Affiliate of
the Company if the Company or such Affiliate acts as Paying Agent.

                                     * * * *

     This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts
shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.


                                       67

<PAGE>

                                     * * * *


                                       68

<PAGE>

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly
executed as of the day and year first above written.

                                        NORTH POINTE HOLDINGS CORPORATION


                                        By: /s/ James G. Petcoff
                                            ------------------------------------
                                        Name: James G. Petcoff
                                        Title: Chairman, President &
                                               Chief Executive Officer


                                        LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION as
                                        Trustee


                                        By: /s/ Koren E. Sumser
                                            ------------------------------------
                                        Name: Koren E. Sumser
                                        Title: First Vice President


                                       69

<PAGE>

                                                                      SCHEDULE A

                             DETERMINATION OF LIBOR

     With respect to the Securities, the London interbank offered rate ("LIBOR")
shall be determined by the Calculation Agent in accordance with the following
provisions (in each case rounded to the nearest .000001%):

(1) On the second LIBOR Business Day (as defined below) prior to an Interest
Payment Date (each such day, a "LIBOR Determination Date"), LIBOR for any given
security shall for the following interest payment period equal the rate, as
obtained by the Calculation Agent from Bloomberg Financial Markets Commodities
News, for three-month Eurodollar deposits that appears on Dow Jones Telerate
Page 3750 (as defined in the International Swaps and Derivatives Association,
Inc. 1991 Interest Rate and Currency Exchange Definitions), or such other page
as may replace such Page 3750, as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such LIBOR
Determination Date.

(2) If, on any LIBOR Determination Date, such rate does not appear on Dow Jones
Telerate Page 3750 or such other page as may replace such Page 3750, the
Calculation Agent shall determine the arithmetic mean of the offered quotations
of the Reference Banks (as defined below) to leading banks in the London
interbank market for three-month Eurodollar deposits in an amount determined by
the Calculation Agent by reference to requests for quotations as of
approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the LIBOR Determination Date made by
the Calculation Agent to the Reference Banks. If, on any LIBOR Determination
Date, at least two of the Reference Banks provide such quotations, LIBOR shall
equal such arithmetic mean of such quotations. If, on any LIBOR Determination
Date, only one or none of the Reference Banks provide such quotations, LIBOR
shall be deemed to be the arithmetic mean of the offered quotations that leading
banks in the City of New York selected by the Calculation Agent are quoting on
the relevant LIBOR Determination Date for three-month Eurodollar deposits in an
amount determined by the Calculation Agent by reference to the principal London
offices of leading banks in the London interbank market; provided that, if the
Calculation Agent is required but is unable to determine a rate in accordance
with at least one of the procedures provided above, LIBOR shall be LIBOR as
determined on the previous LIBOR Determination Date.

(3) As used herein: "Reference Banks" means four major banks in the London
interbank market selected by the Calculation Agent; and "LIBOR Business Day"
means a day on which commercial banks are open for business (including dealings
in foreign exchange and foreign currency deposits) in London.


                                  Schedule A-1

<PAGE>

                                                                       EXHIBIT A

                     FORM OF OFFICER'S FINANCIAL CERTIFICATE

     The undersigned, the [Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer/Assistant
Treasurer/ Secretary/ Assistant Secretary, Chairman/ViceChairman/Chief Executive
Officer/President/Vice President] hereby certifies, pursuant to Section 7.3(b)
of the Junior Subordinated Indenture, dated as of February 22, 2006 (the
"Indenture"), among North Pointe Holdings Corporation (the "Company") and
LaSalle Bank National Association, as trustee, that, as of [date], [20__], the
Company, if applicable, and its Subsidiary Insurance Companies (as defined
below) had the following ratios and balances:

[For the Company, if applicable, and each Subsidiary Insurance Company (as
defined below) provide:]

[INSURANCE COMPANY]
As of [Quarterly/Annual Financial Date], 20__

<TABLE>
<S>                                                                    <C>
NAIC Risk Based Capital Ratio (authorized control level)                _____%
Total Policyholders' Surplus                                           $_____
Consolidated Debt to Total Policyholders' Surplus                       _____%
Total Assets                                                           $_____
NAIC Class 1 & 2 Rated Investments to Total Fixed Income Investments    _____%
NAIC Class 1 & 2 Rated Investments to Total Investments                 _____%
Return on Policyholders' Surplus                                        _____%
[FOR PROPERTY & CASUALTY COMPANIES, ALSO PROVIDE:]
Expense Ratio                                                           _____%
Loss and LAE Ratio                                                      _____%
Combined Ratio                                                          _____%
Net Premiums Written (annualized) to Policyholders' Surplus             _____%]
</TABLE>

-    A table describing the quarterly report calculation procedures is provided
     on page 3 hereof

The following is a complete list as of [Quarterly/Annual Financial Date] of the
Company's companies which are authorized to write insurance business or
otherwise conduct insurance or reinsurance business (the "Subsidiary Insurance
Companies"):

<PAGE>

     [List of subsidiary insurance companies]

[FOR FISCAL YEAR END: Attached hereto are the audited consolidated financial
statements (including the balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash
flows, and notes thereto, together with the report of the independent
accountants thereon) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the
three years ended [date], 20__ and the Statutory Financial Statements (as
defined in the Indenture) for the one year ended [date] 200_.]

[FOR FISCAL QUARTER END: Attached hereto are the unaudited consolidated and
consolidating financial statements (including the balance sheet and income
statement) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and the Statutory
Financial Statements (as defined in the Indenture) for the fiscal quarter ended
[date], 20__.]

     The financial statements fairly present in all material respects, in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), the
financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, and the
results of operations and changes in financial condition as of the date, and for
the [quarter] [annual] period ended [date], 20__, and such financial statements
have been prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the
period involved (expect as otherwise noted therein).

     The Statutory Financial Statements fairly present in all material respects
in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles, as defined in the
Indenture, the financial position of the subject insurance company and have been
prepared in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Officer's Financial
Certificate as of this _____ day of _____________, 20__

                                        North Pointe Holdings Corporation


                                        By:
                                            ------------------------------------
                                        Name:
                                              ----------------------------------

                                        28819 Franklin Road
                                        Southfield, MI 48034
                                        (248) 359-9945

<PAGE>

                              FINANCIAL DEFINITIONS

                                INSURANCE COMPANY

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
           REPORT ITEM                     DESCRIPTION OF CALCULATION
           -----------                     --------------------------
<S>                                 <C>
NAIC RISK BASED CAPITAL RATIO-P&C   Total Adjusted Capital/Authorized
                                    Control Level Risk-Based Capital

NAICRISK BASED CAPITAL RATIO-LIFE   (Total Adjusted Capital-Asset Valuation
                                    Reserve)/Authorized Control Level
                                    Risk-Based Capital

TOTAL CAPITAL AND SURPLUS-LIFE      Common Capital Stock + Preferred
                                    Capital Stock + Aggregate Write-Ins for
                                    other than special surplus funds +
                                    Surplus Notes + Gross Paid-In and
                                    Contributed Surplus + Aggregate
                                    Write-Ins for Special Surplus Funds +
                                    Unassigned Funds (Surplus) - Treasury
                                    Stock

TOTAL CAPITAL AND SURPLUS-P&C       Aggregate Write-Ins for Special Surplus
                                    Funds + Common Capital Stock +
                                    Preferred Capital Stock + Aggregate
                                    Write Ins for other than special
                                    surplus funds + Surplus Notes + Gross
                                    Paid-In and Contributed Surplus +
                                    Unassigned Funds (Surplus) - Treasury
                                    Stock

TOTAL CLASS 1 & 2 RATED             (Total Class 1 + Total Class 2 Rated
INVESTMENTS TO TOTAL FIXED INCOME   Investments)/Total Fixed Income
INVESTMENTS                         Investments

TOTAL CLASS 1 & 2 RATED             (Total Class 1 + Total Class 2 Rated
INVESTMENTS TO TOTAL INVESTMENTS    Investments)/Total Investments

TOTAL ASSETS                        Total Assets

RETURN ON POLICYHOLDERS' SURPLUS    Net Income/Policyholders' Surplus

EXPENSE RATIO                       Other Underwriting Expenses
                                    Incurred/Net premiums Earned

LOSS AND LAE RATIO                  (Losses Incurred + Loss Expenses
                                    Incurred)/Net Premiums Earned

COMBINED RATIO                      Expense Ratio + Loss and LAE Ratio

NET PREMIUMS WRITTEN (ANNUALIZED)   Net Premiums Written/Policyholders'
TO POLICYHOLDERS' SURPLUS           Surplus
</TABLE>

<PAGE>

                                                                       EXHIBIT B

                                     FORM OF

                     OFFICERS' CERTIFICATE UNDER SECTION 10.3

     Pursuant to Section 10.3 of the Indenture, dated as of February 22, 2006
(as amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Indenture"), between North
Pointe Holdings Corporation, as issuer (the "Company"), and LaSalle Bank
National Association, as trustee, each of the undersigned hereby certifies that,
to the knowledge of the undersigned, the Company is not in default in the
performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions or conditions
contained in the Indenture (without regard to any period of grace or requirement
of notice provided under the Indenture), for the calendar year ending on
________, 20__ [, except as follows: specify each such default and the nature
and status thereof].

     Capitalized terms used herein, and not otherwise defined herein, have the
respective meanings assigned thereto in the Indenture.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Officer's
Certificate as of ________, 20__.


                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        Name:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                        Title: [Must be the Chairman of the
                                               Board, a Vice Chairman of the
                                               Board, the Chief Executive
                                               Officer, the President or a Vice
                                               President of Company]


                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        Name:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                        Title: [Must be the Chief Financial
                                               Officer, the Treasurer, an
                                               Assistant Treasurer, the
                                               Secretary or an Assistant
                                               Secretary of Company]