Exhibit






Exhibit 4.1




CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of
June 27, 2019
among
NW NATURAL WATER COMPANY, LLC, as Borrower
NORTHWEST NATURAL HOLDING COMPANY, as Guarantor
The Lenders Party Hereto
BANK OF MONTREAL, 
as Administrative Agent
_______________________________
BMO CAPITAL MARKETS, 
as Bookrunner and Lead Arranger










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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page



	
			
	ARTICLE I
	Definitions
	1

	SECTION 1.01
	Defined Terms
	1

	SECTION 1.02
	Classification of Loans and Borrowings
	14

	SECTION 1.03
	Terms Generally
	14

	SECTION 1.04
	Accounting Terms; GAAP; Pro Forma Calculations
	14

	SECTION 1.05
	Interest Rates
	15

	ARTICLE II
	The Credits
	15

	SECTION 2.01
	Commitments
	15

	SECTION 2.02
	Loans and Borrowings
	16

	SECTION 2.03
	Requests for Borrowings
	16

	SECTION 2.04
	Intentionally Omitted
	16

	SECTION 2.05
	Intentionally Omitted
	16

	SECTION 2.06
	Intentionally Omitted
	16

	SECTION 2.07
	Funding of Borrowings
	16

	SECTION 2.08
	Interest Elections
	17

	SECTION 2.09
	Termination of Commitments
	18

	SECTION 2.10
	Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt
	18

	SECTION 2.11
	Prepayment of Loans
	18

	SECTION 2.12
	Fees
	18

	SECTION 2.13
	Interest
	19

	SECTION 2.14
	Alternate Rate of Interest
	19

	SECTION 2.15
	Increased Costs
	20

	SECTION 2.16
	Break Funding Payments
	21

	SECTION 2.17
	Withholding of Taxes; Gross-Up
	22

	SECTION 2.18
	Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs
	25

	SECTION 2.19
	Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders
	26

	ARTICLE III
	Representations and Warranties
	27

	SECTION 3.01
	Corporate Existence; Authorization
	27

	SECTION 3.02
	Enforceability
	27

	SECTION 3.03
	Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change
	27

	SECTION 3.04
	Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations
	28

	SECTION 3.05
	No Material Litigation
	28

	SECTION 3.06
	Ownership of Property
	28

	SECTION 3.07
	Taxes
	28

	SECTION 3.08
	Subsidiaries
	28

	SECTION 3.09
	Investment Company Act; No Consents
	28

	SECTION 3.10
	ERISA
	29

	SECTION 3.11
	Environmental
	29

	SECTION 3.12
	Margin Regulations
	29

	SECTION 3.13
	Disclosure
	29

	SECTION 3.14
	Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions
	30

	SECTION 3.15
	EEA Financial Institutions
	30

	SECTION 3.16
	Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions
	30






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Table of Contents 
(continued)
Page



	
			
	ARTICLE IV
	Conditions
	30

	SECTION 4.01
	Effective Date
	30

	ARTICLE V
	Affirmative Covenants
	32

	SECTION 5.01
	Financial Statements and Other Information
	32

	SECTION 5.02
	Certificates; Other Information
	32

	SECTION 5.03
	Payment of Taxes
	33

	SECTION 5.04
	Conduct of Business
	33

	SECTION 5.05
	Maintenance of Property; Insurance
	33

	SECTION 5.06
	Inspection of Property; Books and Records; Discussions
	33

	SECTION 5.07
	Notices
	33

	SECTION 5.08
	Use of Proceeds
	34

	SECTION 5.09
	Debt Rating
	34

	ARTICLE VI
	Negative Covenants
	34

	SECTION 6.01
	Fundamental Changes
	34

	SECTION 6.02
	Financial Covenants
	35

	ARTICLE VII
	Events of Default
	35

	SECTION 7.01
	Events of Default
	35

	SECTION 7.02
	Application of Payments
	36

	ARTICLE VIII
	The Administrative Agent
	37

	SECTION 8.01
	Authorization and Action
	37

	SECTION 8.02
	Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Indemnification, Etc
	39

	SECTION 8.03
	Posting of Communications
	40

	SECTION 8.04
	The Administrative Agent Individually
	41

	SECTION 8.05
	Successor Administrative Agent
	41

	SECTION 8.06
	Acknowledgments of Lenders
	42

	SECTION 8.07
	Certain ERISA Matters
	42

	ARTICLE IX
	Miscellaneous
	43

	SECTION 9.01
	Notices
	43

	SECTION 9.02
	Waivers; Amendments
	44

	SECTION 9.03
	Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver
	45

	SECTION 9.04
	Successors and Assigns
	47

	SECTION 9.05
	Survival
	50

	SECTION 9.06
	Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution
	50

	SECTION 9.07
	Severability
	51

	SECTION 9.08
	Right of Setoff
	51

	SECTION 9.09
	Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process
	51

	SECTION 9.10
	WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL
	52

	SECTION 9.11
	Headings
	52

	SECTION 9.12
	Confidentiality
	52

	SECTION 9.13
	Material Non-Public Information
	53

	SECTION 9.14
	USA PATRIOT Act
	53

	SECTION 9.15
	Intentionally Omitted
	53

	SECTION 9.16
	Interest Rate Limitation
	53






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Table of Contents 
(continued)
Page



	
			
	SECTION 9.17
	No Fiduciary Duty, etc
	54

	SECTION 9.18
	Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of EEA Financial Institutions
	54

	ARTICLE X
	 
	55

	SECTION 10.01
	Guaranty
	55

	SECTION 10.02
	Guaranty Unconditional
	55

	SECTION 10.03
	Discharge Only Upon Payment in Full; Reinstatement in Certain Circumstances
	56

	SECTION 10.04
	General Waivers
	57

	SECTION 10.05
	Subordination of Subrogation; Subordination of Intercompany Indebtedness
	57

	SECTION 10.06
	Stay of Acceleration Waivers
	58

	SECTION 10.07
	Taxes, Expenses of Enforcement, etc
	58

	SECTION 10.08
	Financial Information
	59

	SECTION 10.09
	Setoff
	59

	SECTION 10.10
	Enforcement of Guaranty
	59








iii




Table of Contents 
(continued)
Page





	
	
	SCHEDULES:

	 

	Schedule 2.01 – Commitments

	Schedule 3.08 – Subsidiaries

	 

	EXHIBITS:

	 

	Exhibit A – Form of Assignment and Assumption

	Exhibit B – Reserved

	Exhibit C – Reserved

	Exhibit D – List of Closing Documents

	Exhibit E-1 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Lenders That Are Not Partnerships)

	Exhibit E-2 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Participants That Are Not Partnerships)

	Exhibit E-3 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Participants That Are Partnerships)

	Exhibit E-4 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Lenders That Are Partnerships)

	Exhibit F-1 – Form of Borrowing Request

	Exhibit F-2 – Form of Interest Election Request

	 












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CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated as of June 27, 2019 among NW NATURAL WATER COMPANY, LLC, NORTHWEST NATURAL HOLDING COMPANY, the LENDERS from time to time party hereto and BANK OF MONTREAL, as Administrative Agent.
The parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I 
 
                                                                                   Definitions
SECTION 1.01    Defined Terms.  As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
“ABR”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, bears interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate. 
“Adjusted LIBO Rate” means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to (a) the LIBO Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate.
“Administrative Agent” means Bank of Montreal (including its branches and affiliates), in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder, and any successor appointed in accordance with Article VIII.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.
“Agent Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(c).
“Aggregate Commitment” means the aggregate of the Commitments of all of the Lenders, as reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to the terms and conditions hereof.  As of the Effective Date, the Aggregate Commitment is $35,000,000.
“Alternate Base Rate” means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the NYFRB Rate in effect on such day plus 1⁄2 of 1% and (c) the Adjusted LIBO Rate for a one month Interest Period on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day) plus 1%, provided that for the purpose of this definition, the Adjusted LIBO Rate for any day shall be based on the LIBO Screen Rate (or if the LIBO Screen Rate is not available for such one month Interest Period, the Interpolated Rate) at approximately 11:00 a.m. London time on such day.  Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Adjusted LIBO Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Adjusted LIBO Rate, respectively. If the Alternate Base Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section 2.14 hereof, then the Alternate Base Rate shall be the greater of clauses (a) and (b) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (c) above. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Alternate Base Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means all laws, rules, and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries from time to time concerning or relating to money laundering, bribery or corruption.
“Applicable Party” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03(c).











 “Applicable Rate” means (a) with respect to any Eurodollar Loan, a per annum rate equal to 0.55% and (b) with respect to any ABR Loan, a per annum rate equal to 0.00%. 
“Approved Electronic Platform” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03(a). 
“Approved Fund” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Arranger” means BMO Capital Markets, in its respective capacities as bookrunner and lead arranger hereunder.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form (including electronic records generated by the use of an electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.
 “Authorized Officer” means the chief executive officer, the president, any vice president, the treasurer or any assistant treasurer of the Borrower or Guarantor, as applicable.
 “Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable EEA Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an EEA Financial Institution.
“Bail-In Legislation” means, with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule.
“Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person, such Person becomes the subject of a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, or has had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with the reorganization or liquidation of its business appointed for it, or, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, has taken any action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any such proceeding or appointment or has had any order for relief in such proceeding entered in respect thereof, provided that a Bankruptcy Event shall not result solely by virtue of any ownership interest, or the acquisition of any ownership interest, in such Person by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality thereof, unless such ownership interest results in or provides such Person with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permits such Person (or such Governmental Authority or instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made by such Person.
“Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership as required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
“Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.
“Benefit Plan” means any of (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a “plan” as defined in Section 4975 of the Code to which Section 4975 of the Code applies, and (c) any Person whose assets include (for purposes of the Plan Asset Regulations or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan”. 
“Borrower” means NW Natural Water Company, LLC, an Oregon limited liability company.
“Borrowing” means Loans of the same Type, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect.


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 “Borrowing Request” means a request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03, which shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F-1 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
 “Business Day” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided that, when used in connection with a Eurodollar Loan, the term “Business Day” shall also exclude any day on which banks are not open for dealings in dollar deposits in the London interbank market.
 “Change in Control” means that (a)(i) either (x) a person or group (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) has acquired more than 50% of the voting stock of the Guarantor or (y) a majority of the board of directors of the Guarantor shall cease to be composed of individuals who were members of such board on the Effective Date (“Existing Directors”) or were approved by a majority of the Existing Directors and previously approved directors; and (ii) at the time of, or at any time during the one-year period following, an event described in the preceding clause (a)(i), the Guarantor either (x) has a rating that is not an Investment Grade Rating from any one of S&P, Fitch or Moody’s or (y) does not have a credit rating from at least one of S&P, Fitch or Moody’s or (b) the Guarantor shall cease to own, directly or indirectly 100% of Equity Interests of the Borrower, free and clear of any lien, pledge, charge or other security interest.
“Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement (or, with respect to any Lender, such later date on which such Lender becomes a party to this Agreement), of:  (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority, or (c) compliance by any Lender (or, for purposes of Section 2.15(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lender’s holding company, if any) with any request, rules, guideline, requirement or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or issued after the date of this Agreement; provided that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements or directives thereunder, or issued in connection therewith or in the implementation thereof, and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements and directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law” regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.
“Charges” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.16. 
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
 “Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment of such Lender to make Loans hereunder on the Effective Date pursuant to Section 2.01.  Each Lender’s Commitment is set forth on Schedule 2.01.
 “Communications” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(c).
“Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are gross receipts or franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.
 “Consolidated Indebtedness” means, at a particular date, all Indebtedness, calculated for the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise.  “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.


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“Credit Exposure” means, with respect to any Lender at any time, the sum of the outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s Loans.
“Credit Party” means the Administrative Agent or any other Lender.
“Debt Rating” means the rating assigned by S&P or Moody’s, as applicable, to the Guarantor’s senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt; provided that, (a) if the Guarantor’s senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt is not rated by S&P, “Debt Rating” for S&P shall mean the (i) the corporate credit rating assigned by S&P to the Guarantor; or (ii) if the rating described in clause (a)(i) shall not exist with respect to S&P, the rating for S&P that is one level below the rating assigned by S&P to senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt of NW Natural; or (iii) if the ratings described in clause (a)(i) and (a)(ii) shall not exist with respect to S&P, the rating that is two levels below the rating assigned by S&P to the senior, secured long-term debt of NW Natural; and (b) if the Guarantor’s senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt is not rated by Moody’s, “Debt Rating” for Moody’s shall mean (i) the corporate credit rating assigned by Moody’s to the Guarantor; or (ii) if the rating described in clause (b)(i) shall not exist with respect to Moody’s, the rating for Moody’s that is one level below the rating assigned by Moody’s to senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt of NW Natural; or (iii) if the ratings described in clause (b)(i) and (b)(ii) shall not exist with respect to Moody’s, the rating that is two levels below the rating assigned by Moody’s to the senior, secured long-term debt of NW Natural.
“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Dollars” or “$” refers to lawful money of the United States of America.
 “EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any institution established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.
“EEA Member Country” means any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any Person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.
 “Effective Date” means the date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).
“Electronic Signature” means an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to, or associated with, a contract or other record and adopted by a Person with the intent to sign, authenticate or accept such contract or record.
“Environmental Laws” means all laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental Authority, relating in any way to (i) the environment, (ii) preservation or reclamation of natural resources, (iii) the management, release or threatened release of any Hazardous Material or (iv) health and safety matters.
“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure 


4









to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
“Equity Interests” means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any such equity interest, but excluding any debt securities convertible into any of the foregoing.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with the Guarantor, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or Section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA or, solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code.
“ERISA Event” means (a) any Reportable Event; (b) the failure to satisfy the “minimum funding standard” (as defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not waived; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by the Guarantor or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (e) the receipt by the Guarantor or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (f) the incurrence by the Guarantor or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal of the Guarantor or any of its ERISA Affiliates from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by the Guarantor or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from the Guarantor or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition upon the Guarantor or any of its ERISA Affiliates of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor Person), as in effect from time to time. 
 “Eurodollar” when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, bear interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate.
“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.01.
“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), gross receipts, franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its applicable lending office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. Federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 2.19(b)) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 2.17, amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender acquired the applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 2.17(f) and (d) any withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.


5









 “FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code and any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement, treaty or convention among Governmental Authorities and implementing such Sections of the Code.
“Federal Funds Effective Rate” means, for any day, the rate calculated by the NYFRB based on such day’s federal funds transactions by depositary institutions, as determined in such manner as the NYFRB shall set forth on its public website from time to time, and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as the effective federal funds rate, provided that, if the Federal Funds Effective Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Federal Reserve Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America.
“Financial Officer” means the chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower or Guarantor, as applicable.
 “Fitch” means Fitch, Inc., doing business as Fitch Ratings.
“Foreign Lender” means (a) if the Borrower is a U.S. Person, a Lender that is not a U.S. Person, and (b) if the Borrower is not a U.S. Person, a Lender that is resident or organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America in effect from time to time.
“Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States of America, any other nation or any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government.
“Guaranteed Obligations” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.01.
 “Guarantor” means Northwest Natural Holding Company, an Oregon corporation.
“Guarantor Materials” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.02.
 “Hazardous Materials” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
 “Hybrid Securities” means debt or equity securities that meet the following requirements: (a) such securities are issued by (i) the Guarantor or (ii) a Subsidiary or an independent trust (a “Hybrid Securities Subsidiary”) that engages in no business other than the issuance of such securities and lending the proceeds thereof to the Guarantor; (b) each of such securities of the Guarantor and the loans, if any, made to the Guarantor by the applicable Hybrid Securities Subsidiary with the proceeds of such securities (i) are subordinated to the payment by the Guarantor of its obligations hereunder in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and (ii) require no repayment, prepayment, mandatory redemption or mandatory repurchase prior to the date that is at least 91 days after the scheduled Maturity Date; and (c) such securities are classified as possessing a minimum of at least one of the following:  (x) “intermediate equity content” by S&P, (y) “Basket C equity credit” by Moody’s and (z) “50% equity credit” by Fitch. 


6









“Impacted Interest Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of “LIBO Rate”.
“Indebtedness” of a Person means, at a particular date, the sum (without duplication) at such date of (a) indebtedness for borrowed money or for the deferred purchase price of property, goods or services, excluding (i) trade accounts payable arising in the ordinary course of business, (ii) pension liabilities that are not then due and payable and (iii) obligations in respect of Hybrid Securities that are not then due and payable, (b) obligations of such Person under capitalized leases and synthetic leases, (c) debts of third persons guaranteed by such Person or secured by property of such Person (provided that the amount of Indebtedness secured by property of such Person shall be the lesser of (x) the fair market value of such property as of the date of determination and (y) the amount of the Indebtedness as of the date of determination) and (d) any non-contingent reimbursement obligations of such Person in respect of letters of credit, acceptances or similar obligations issued or created for the account of such Person.
“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in clause (a) hereof, Other Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.03(b). 
“Ineligible Institution” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Information” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.12. 
 “Insolvency Event” has the meaning specified in Section 10.05(b).
“Intercompany Indebtedness” has the meaning specified in Section 10.05(b). 
“Interest Election Request” means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.08, which shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F-2 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Interest Payment Date” means  (a) with respect to any ABR Loan, the second Business Day following the last day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date and (b) with respect to any Eurodollar Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three months’ duration after the first day of such Interest Period and the Maturity Date.
“Interest Period” means with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing, the period commencing on the date of such Borrowing and ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, two, three or six months thereafter, as the Borrower may elect; provided, that (i) if any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day and (ii) any Interest Period pertaining to a Eurodollar Borrowing that commences on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period.  For purposes hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such Borrowing is made and thereafter shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Borrowing.
“Interpolated Rate” means, at any time, for any Interest Period, the rate per annum (rounded to the same number of decimal places as the LIBO Screen Rate) determined by the Administrative Agent (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) to be equal to the rate that results from 


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interpolating on a linear basis between: (a) the LIBO Screen Rate for the longest period (for which the LIBO Screen Rate is available for the applicable currency) that is shorter than the Impacted Interest Period and (b) the LIBO Screen Rate for the shortest period (for which that LIBO Screen Rate is available for the applicable currency) that exceeds the Impacted Interest Period, in each case, at such time.
“Investment Grade Rating” means, for S&P, Fitch or Moody’s, as applicable, (a) if such rating agency has a rating assigned to the Guarantor’s senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt of BBB- or higher by S&P or Fitch and Baa3 or higher by Moody’s; and (b) if such rating agency does not have a rating assigned to the Guarantor’s senior, unsecured, non-credit enhanced long-term debt but has a rating assigned to the Guarantor’s senior, secured long-term debt, BBB or higher by S&P or Fitch and Baa2 or higher by Moody’s. 
“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
 “Lenders” means the Persons listed on Schedule 2.01 and any other Person that shall have become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption or otherwise, other than any such Person that ceases to be a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption or otherwise.  
“LIBO Rate” means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing and for any applicable Interest Period, the LIBO Screen Rate at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two (2) Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period; provided that, if the LIBO Screen Rate shall not be available at such time for such Interest Period (the “Impacted Interest Period”), then the LIBO Rate for such Interest Period shall be the Interpolated Rate. It is understood and agreed that all of the terms and conditions of this definition of “LIBO Rate” shall be subject to Section 2.14.
“LIBO Screen Rate” means, for any day and time, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing and for any Interest Period, the London interbank offered rate as administered by ICE Benchmark Administration (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate) for Dollars for a period equal in length to such Interest Period as displayed on such day and time on pages LIBOR01 or LIBOR02 of the Reuters screen that displays such rate (or, in the event such rate does not appear on a Reuters page or screen, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion); provided that if the LIBO Screen Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement. 
 “Loan Documents” means this Agreement, including schedules and exhibits hereto, and any agreements entered into in connection herewith by the Borrower or the Guarantor with or in favor of the Administrative Agent and/or the Lenders, including any promissory notes issued pursuant to Section 2.10(e), any amendments, modifications or supplements thereto or waivers thereof, UCC filings, letter of credit applications and any agreements between the Borrower and any other documents instruments or certificates delivered by the Borrower or Guarantor pursuant to the terms of any other Loan Document. Any reference in this Agreement or any other Loan Document to a Loan Document shall include all appendices, exhibits or schedules thereto, and all amendments, restatements, supplements or other modifications thereto, and shall refer to this Agreement or such Loan Document as the same may be in effect at any and all times such reference becomes operative.
“Loans” means the loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement.
“Margin Stock” means margin stock within the meaning of Regulations T, U and X, as applicable. 
“Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on (a) the operations, the business or financial condition of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) the ability of the Borrower to perform any of its Obligations or the Guarantor to perform any of the Guaranteed Obligations or (c) the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any and all other Loan Documents or the rights or remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders thereunder.


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 “Maturity Date” means June 27, 2021.
“Maximum Rate” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.16.
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
“Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
“NW Natural” means Northwest Natural Gas Company, an Oregon corporation.
“NYFRB” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
“NYFRB Rate” means, for any day, the greater of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day and (b) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate in effect on such day (or for any day that is not a Business Day, for the immediately preceding Business Day); provided that if none of such rates are published for any day that is a Business Day, the term “NYFRB Rate” means the rate for a federal funds transaction quoted at 11:00 a.m. on such day received by the Administrative Agent from a federal funds broker of recognized standing selected by it; provided, further, that if any of the aforesaid rates as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Obligations” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, the Borrower and its Subsidiaries arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against the Borrower or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any debtor relief laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed or allowable claims in such proceeding. Without limiting the foregoing, the Obligations include (a) the obligation to pay principal, interest, charges, expenses, fees, indemnities and other amounts payable by the Borrower under any Loan Document and (b) the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse any amount in respect of any of the foregoing that the Administrative Agent or any Lender, in each case in its sole discretion, may elect to pay or advance on behalf of the Borrower.
“Obligor” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.05(b).
“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 2.19).
“Overnight Bank Funding Rate” means, for any day, the rate comprised of both overnight federal funds and overnight Eurodollar borrowings by U.S.–managed banking offices of depository institutions, as such composite rate shall be determined by the NYFRB as set forth on its public website from time to time, and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as an overnight bank funding rate.
“Participant” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
“Participant Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).


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“Patriot Act” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.14.
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the Guarantor or any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“Plan Asset Regulations” means 29 CFR § 2510.3-101 et seq., as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA. 
“Platform” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.02.
“Prime Rate” means the rate of interest last quoted by The Wall Street Journal as the “Prime Rate” in the U.S. or, if The Wall Street Journal ceases to quote such rate, the highest per annum interest rate published by the Federal Reserve Board in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519) (Selected Interest Rates) as the “bank prime loan” rate or, if such rate is no longer quoted therein, any similar rate quoted therein (as determined by the Administrative Agent) or any similar release by the Federal Reserve Board (as determined by the Administrative Agent). Each change in the Prime Rate shall be effective from and including the date such change is publicly announced or quoted as being effective.
“PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.
“Public Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.02.
 “Recipient” means (a) the Administrative Agent and (b) any Lender, as applicable.
“Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Regulation D” means Regulation D of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation T” means Regulation T of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation U” means Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation X” means Regulation X of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof. 
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors and representatives of such Person and such Person’s Affiliates.
“Reportable Event” means a reportable event, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA and the regulations issued under such section, with respect to a Plan, excluding any event as to which the PBGC by regulation waived the requirements of Section 4043(a) of ERISA that it be notified within 30 days of the occurrence of such event, provided that a failure to meet the minimum funding standard of Section 412 of the Code and of 


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Section 302 of ERISA shall be a Reportable Event regardless of the issuance of any such waiver of the notice requirement in accordance with either Section 4043(a) of ERISA or Section 412(c) of the Code.
 “Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having Credit Exposures and representing more than 50% of the sum of the Total Credit Exposure.
“Requirement of Law” means, as to any Person, the certificate of incorporation and bylaws or other organizational or governing documents of such Person, and any law, treaty, rule or regulation or order or determination of an arbitrator or a court or other Governmental Authority, in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
“Responsible Officer” means the chief executive officer, the president, any senior vice president, the chief financial officer, the chief accounting officer, the treasurer or the general counsel of the Borrower or Guarantor, as applicable.
“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC business.
 “Sanctioned Country” means, at any time, a country, region or territory (other than the United States or any region or territory therein) which is itself the subject or target of any Sanctions (at the time of this Agreement, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
“Sanctioned Person” means, at any time, (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanction authority, (b) any Person operating, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country, (c) any Person owned or controlled by any such Person or Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) or (b) or (d) any Person otherwise the subject of any Sanctions.
“Sanctions” means all economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by OFAC or the U.S. Department of State or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America.
“Securities Act” means the United States Securities Act of 1933.
“Significant Subsidiary” means (a) the Borrower and (b) any other Subsidiary that is a “significant subsidiary” as that term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC (as in effect on the Effective Date).
 “Statutory Reserve Rate” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentage (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Federal Reserve Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject with respect to the Adjusted LIBO Rate, for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities” in Regulation D).  Such reserve percentage shall include those imposed pursuant to Regulation D.  Eurodollar Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under Regulation D or any comparable regulation.  The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.


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 “subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person (the “parent”) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, Controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled, by the parent and/or one or more subsidiaries of the parent.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Guarantor.
 “Swap Agreement” means any agreement with respect to any swap, forward, future or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of the Guarantor or the Subsidiaries shall be a Swap Agreement.
 “Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), value added taxes, or any other goods and services, use or sales taxes, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Total Capitalization” means the sum of Indebtedness, Equity Interests, additional paid-in capital and retained earnings of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries, taken on a consolidated basis after eliminating all intercompany items.
“Total Credit Exposure” means the sum of the outstanding principal amount of all Lenders’ Loans. 
“Transactions” means the execution and delivery by the Borrower and the Guarantor of, and the performance by the Borrower and the Guarantor of its respective obligations under, this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans and other credit extensions, the use of the proceeds thereof.
“Type”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the Alternate Base Rate.
“U.S. Person” means a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(B)(3).
“Withdrawal Liability” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part 1 of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means, with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule.
SECTION 1.02    Classification of Loans and Borrowings.  For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Type (e.g., a “Eurodollar Borrowing” or an “ABR Loan”).


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SECTION 1.03    Terms Generally.  The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined.  Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms.  The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”.  The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”.  The word “law” shall be construed as referring to all statutes, rules, regulations, codes and other laws (including official rulings and interpretations thereunder having the force of law or with which affected Persons customarily comply), and all judgments, orders and decrees, of all Governmental Authorities.  Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, restatements, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns (subject to any restrictions on assignment set forth herein) and, in the case of any Governmental Authority, any other Governmental Authority that shall have succeeded to any or all functions thereof, (c) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement, (e) any reference to any law, rule or regulation herein shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law, rule or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time and (f) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
SECTION 1.04    Accounting Terms; GAAP; Pro Forma Calculations.  (a)  Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided that, if the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any change occurring after the date hereof in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision  amended in accordance herewith.  Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made without giving effect to (i) any election under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 825 (or any other Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary at “fair value”, as defined therein and (ii) any treatment of Indebtedness in respect of convertible debt instruments under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any such Indebtedness in a reduced or bifurcated manner as described therein, and such Indebtedness shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof.
(b)    All pro forma computations required to be made hereunder giving effect to any acquisition or disposition, or issuance, incurrence or assumption of Indebtedness, or other transaction shall in each case be calculated giving pro forma effect thereto (and, in the case of any pro forma computation made hereunder to determine whether such acquisition or disposition, or issuance, incurrence or assumption of Indebtedness, or other transaction is permitted to be consummated hereunder, to any other such transaction consummated since the first day of the period covered by any component of such pro forma computation and on or prior to the date of such computation) as if such transaction had occurred on the first day of the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending with the most recent fiscal quarter for which financial statements shall have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or 5.01(b) (or, prior to the delivery of any such financial statements, ending with the last fiscal quarter included in the financial statements referred to in Section 3.03(a)), and, to the extent applicable, to the historical earnings and cash flows associated with the assets acquired or disposed of (but without giving effect to any synergies or cost savings) and any related incurrence or reduction of Indebtedness, 


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all in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act.  If any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest and is being given pro forma effect, the interest on such Indebtedness shall be calculated as if the rate in effect on the date of determination had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Swap Agreement applicable to such Indebtedness). 
(c)    Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 1.04(a) in the event Accounting Standard Codification 842 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect (and related interpretations)(collectively, “ASC 842”) requires all leases to be capitalized, only those leases (assuming for purposes hereof that such leases were in existence on the date hereof) that would constitute capital leases in conformity with GAAP prior to the effectiveness of ASC 842 shall be considered capital leases, and all calculations and deliverables under this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be made or delivered, as applicable, in accordance therewith.
SECTION 1.05    Interest Rates.  The Administrative Agent does not warrant or accept responsibility for, and shall not have any liability with respect to, the administration, submission or any other matter related to the rates in the definition of “LIBO Rate” or with respect to any comparable or successor rate thereto, or replacement rate therefor.
ARTICLE II    
  The Credits
SECTION 2.01    Commitments.  Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender (severally and not jointly) agrees to make a Loan to the Borrower in Dollars on the Effective Date, in an amount equal to such Lender’s Commitment by making immediately available funds available to the Administrative Agent’s designated account, not later than the time specified by the Administrative Agent.  Amounts repaid or prepaid in respect of Loans may not be reborrowed.


SECTION 2.02    Loans and Borrowings.  (a)  Each Loan shall be made as part of the Borrowing consisting of Loans made by the Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Commitments on the Effective Date.  The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as required.
(b)    Each Borrowing shall be comprised entirely of ABR Loans or Eurodollar Loans as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith. Each Lender at its option may make any Eurodollar Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan (and in the case of an Affiliate, the provisions of Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 shall apply to such Affiliate to the same extent as to such Lender); provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. 
(c)    At the commencement of each Interest Period for any Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 thereof.  At the time that each ABR Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000. Borrowings of more than one Type may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than a total of ten (10) Eurodollar Borrowings outstanding.
(d)    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after the Maturity Date.


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SECTION 2.03    Requests for the initial Borrowing.  To request the initial Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by submitting a Borrowing Request (a) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three (3) Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing or (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 1:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing.  Each such Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable and shall be signed by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower.  Each such Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i)    the aggregate principal amount of the requested Borrowing;
(ii)    the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii)    whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing;
(iv)    in the case of a Eurodollar Borrower, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”; and
(v)    the location and number of the Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.07.
If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested Eurodollar Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.  Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the amount of such Lender’s Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.
SECTION 2.04    Intentionally Omitted.
SECTION 2.05    Intentionally Omitted.  
SECTION 2.06    Intentionally Omitted.  
SECTION 2.07    Funding of Borrowings.  (a)  Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by it hereunder on the proposed date thereof solely by wire transfer of immediately available funds by 12:00 noon, New York City time (or, with respect to any ABR Borrowing, the Borrowing Request for which shall have been received after 10:00 a.m. but at or before 1:00 p.m., New York City time, by 3:00 p.m., New York City time), to the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders.  The Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly making available the funds so received in the aforesaid account of the Administrative Agent by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account of the Borrower designated by the Borrower in the applicable Borrowing Request.
(b)    Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount.  In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at, (i) in the case of such Lender, the greater of the NYFRB Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to ABR Loans. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing.


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SECTION 2.08    Interest Elections.  (a)  The initial Borrowing on the Effective Date shall be of the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request in accordance with Section 2.03 and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request.  Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as provided in this Section.  The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing. 
(b)    To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting the initial Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election.  Each such Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable and shall be signed by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein, this Section shall not be construed to permit the Borrower to elect an Interest Period for Eurodollar Loans that does not comply with Section 2.02(d).
(c)    Each Interest Election Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i)    the Borrowing to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii)    the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day; 
(iii)    whether the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing; and
(iv)    if the resulting Borrowing is a Eurodollar Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after giving effect to such election, which Interest Period shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.
(d)    Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each resulting Borrowing.
(e)    If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a Eurodollar Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period such Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent, at the request of the Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid, each Eurodollar Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto.
SECTION 2.09    Termination of Commitments.  Unless previously terminated, the Commitments shall terminate at the earlier of (a) upon funding the Loans on the Effective Date and (b) 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Effective Date.
SECTION 2.10    Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt.  (a)  The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Loan on the Maturity Date.


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(b)    Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.
(c)    The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Type thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.
(d)    The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(e)    Any Lender may request that Loans made by it be evidenced by a promissory note.  In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note payable to such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more promissory notes in such form.
SECTION 2.11    Prepayment of Loans.  The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part, subject to prior notice in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.11.  The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent by telephone (confirmed by telecopy or electronic mail) of any prepayment hereunder in the case of prepayment of a Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three (3) Business Days before the date of prepayment or (ii) in the case of prepayment of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, one (1) Business Day before the date of prepayment.  Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid.  Promptly following receipt of any such notice relating to a Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof.  Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02.  Each prepayment of a Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing.  Prepayments shall be accompanied by (i) accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.13 and (ii) break funding payments pursuant to Section 2.16.
SECTION 2.12    Fees.  
All fees payable hereunder shall be paid on the dates due, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent for distribution, in the case of facility fees and participation fees, to the Lenders.  Fees paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
SECTION 2.13    Interest.
(a)    The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(b)    The Loans comprising each Eurodollar Borrowing shall bear interest at the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus the Applicable Rate.
(c)    Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any principal of or interest on any Loan or any fee or other amount payable by the Borrower hereunder is not paid when due, whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, such overdue amount shall bear interest, after as well as before judgment, at a rate per annum equal 


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to (i) in the case of overdue principal of any Loan, 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loan as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount, 2% plus the rate applicable to ABR Loans as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section. 
(d)    Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan, accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any Eurodollar Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.
(e)    All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, except that interest computed by reference to the Alternate Base Rate at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), and in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).  The applicable Alternate Base Rate, Adjusted LIBO Rate or LIBO Rate shall be determined by the Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
SECTION 2.14    Alternate Rate of Interest.  
(a)    If prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Borrowing:
(i)    the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the LIBO Rate, as applicable (including, without limitation, because the LIBO Screen Rate is not available or published on a current basis), for such Interest Period; or
(ii)    the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the LIBO Rate, as applicable, for such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of making or maintaining their Loans included in such Borrowing for such Interest Period; 


then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders by telephone, telecopy or electronic mail as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist, (i) any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a Eurodollar Borrowing shall be ineffective and any such Eurodollar Borrowing shall be repaid or converted into an ABR Borrowing on the last day of the then current Interest Period applicable thereto and (ii) if any Borrowing Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be made as an ABR Borrowing.
(b)    If at any time the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that (i) the circumstances set forth in clause (a)(i) have arisen and such circumstances are unlikely to be temporary or (ii) the circumstances set forth in clause (a)(i) have not arisen but either (w) the supervisor for the administrator of the LIBO Screen Rate has made a public statement that the administrator of the LIBO Screen Rate is insolvent (and there is no successor administrator that will continue publication of the LIBO Screen Rate), (x) the administrator of the LIBO Screen Rate has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which the LIBO Screen Rate will permanently or indefinitely cease to be published by it (and there is no successor administrator that will continue publication of the LIBO Screen Rate), (y) the supervisor for the administrator of the LIBO Screen Rate has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which the LIBO Screen Rate will permanently or indefinitely cease to be published or (z) the supervisor for the administrator of the LIBO Screen Rate or a Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Administrative Agent has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which the LIBO Screen Rate may no longer be used for determining interest rates for loans, then the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall endeavor to establish an alternate rate of interest to the LIBO Rate that gives due consideration to the then prevailing market convention for determining a rate of interest for syndicated loans in the United States at such time, and shall enter 


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into an amendment to this Agreement to reflect such alternate rate of interest and such other related changes to this Agreement as may be applicable (but for the avoidance of doubt, such related changes shall not include a reduction of the Applicable Rate); provided that, if such alternate rate of interest as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 9.02, such amendment shall become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement so long as the Administrative Agent shall not have received, within five Business Days of the date notice of such alternate rate of interest is provided to the Lenders, a written notice from the Required Lenders stating that such Required Lenders object to such amendment. Until an alternate rate of interest shall be determined in accordance with this clause (b) (but, in the case of the circumstances described in clause (ii) of the first sentence of this Section 2.14(b), only to the extent the LIBO Screen Rate for such Interest Period is not available or published at such time on a current basis), (x) any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a Eurodollar Borrowing shall be ineffective and any such Eurodollar Borrowing shall be repaid or converted into an ABR Borrowing on the last day of the then current Interest Period applicable thereto, and (y) if any Borrowing Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be made as an ABR Borrowing.
SECTION 2.15    Increased Costs.  (a)  If any Change in Law shall:
(i)    impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, liquidity or similar requirement (including any compulsory loan requirement, insurance charge or other assessment) against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted LIBO Rate);
(ii)    impose on any Lender or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Loans made by such Lender or participation therein; or
(iii)    subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender or such other Recipient of making, continuing, converting into or maintaining any Loan or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan or to increase the cost to such Lender or such other Recipient of participating in, issuing or maintaining or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or such other Recipient hereunder, whether of principal, interest or otherwise, then the Borrower will pay to such Lender or such other Recipient, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such other Recipient, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b)    If any Lender determines that any Change in Law regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement or the Loans made by, such Lender or such Lender’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy and liquidity), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Lender’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c)    A certificate of a Lender setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error.  The Borrower shall pay such Lender, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.


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(d)    Failure or delay on the part of any Lender to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 270 days prior to the date that such Lender, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor; provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 270-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
SECTION 2.16    Break Funding Payments.  In the event of (a) the payment of any principal of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or as a result of any prepayment pursuant to Section 2.11), (b) the conversion of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (c) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Eurodollar Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.11 and is revoked in accordance therewith) or (d) the assignment of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event.  Such loss, cost or expense to any Lender shall be deemed to include an amount determined by such Lender to be the excess, if any, of (i) the amount of interest which would have accrued on the principal amount of such Loan had such event not occurred, at the Adjusted LIBO Rate that would have been applicable to such Loan, for the period from the date of such event to the last day of the then current Interest Period therefor (or, in the case of a failure to borrow, convert or continue, for the period that would have been the Interest Period for such Loan), over (ii) the amount of interest which would accrue on such principal amount for such period at the interest rate which such Lender would bid were it to bid, at the commencement of such period, for deposits in Dollars of a comparable amount and period from other banks in the eurodollar market.  A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error.  The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.


SECTION 2.17    Withholding of Taxes; Gross-Up.  (a)  Payments Free of Taxes.  Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable law.  If any applicable law (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable withholding agent) requires the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by a withholding agent, then the applicable withholding agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by the Borrower shall be increased as necessary so that after such deduction or withholding has been made (including such deductions and withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 2.17) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deduction or withholding been made.
(b)    Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower.  The Borrower shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for, Other Taxes.
(c)    Evidence of Payments.  As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by the Borrower to a Governmental Authority pursuant to this Section 2.17, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.


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(d)    Indemnification by the Borrower.  The Borrower shall indemnify each Recipient, within 10 days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority.  A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(e)    Indemnification by the Lenders.  Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, within 10 days after demand therefor, for (i) any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that the Borrower has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Borrower to do so), (ii) any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 9.04(c) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (iii) any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority.  A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error.  Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under any Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to the Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this paragraph (e).
(f)    Status of Lenders.  (i)  Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding.  In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii)    Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person:
(A)    any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), an executed copy of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(B)    any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:




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(1)    in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. Federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(2)    in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming that its extension of credit will generate U.S. effectively connected income, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(3)    in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit E-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN; or
(4)    to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, an executed  copy of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit E-2 or Exhibit E-3, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit E-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;
(C)    any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed copies of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. Federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D)    if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment.  Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.


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Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(g)    Treatment of Certain Refunds.  If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.17 (including by the payment of additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.17), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section 2.17 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund).  Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid over pursuant to this paragraph (g) (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event that such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this paragraph (g), in no event will the indemnified party be required to pay any amount to an indemnifying party pursuant to this paragraph (g) the payment of which would place the indemnified party in a less favorable net after-Tax position than the indemnified party would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts with respect to such Tax had never been paid.  This paragraph shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.
(h)    Survival.  Each party’s obligations under this Section 2.17 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all obligations under any Loan Document.
(i)    Defined Terms.  For purposes of this Section 2.17, the term “applicable law” includes FATCA.
SECTION 2.18    Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs.  (a) The Borrower shall make each payment required to be made by it hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees, or of amounts payable under Section 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17, or otherwise) prior to 12:00 noon, New York City time on the date when due, in immediately available funds, without set-off, recoupment or counterclaim.  Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon.  All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent at its offices as specified in Section 9.01(a)(ii).  The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments received by it for the account of any other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof.  If any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension.  All payments hereunder shall be made in Dollars.
(b)    If at any time insufficient funds are received by and available to the Administrative Agent to pay fully all amounts of principal, interest and fees then due hereunder, such funds shall be applied (i) first, towards payment of interest and fees then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of interest and fees then due to such parties, and (ii) second, towards payment of principal then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of principal then due to such parties.
(c)    If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of set-off or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Loans resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Loans and accrued interest thereon than the proportion received by any other Lender, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face 


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value) participations in the Loans of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply).  The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of set-off and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
(d)    Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders, as the case may be, the amount due.  In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the NYFRB Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
SECTION 2.19    Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.  (a)  If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or Affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender.  The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b)    If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17 or if any Lender does not consent to any proposed amendment, supplement, modification, consent or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that requires the consent of each of the Lenders or each of the Lenders affected thereby (so long as the consent of the Required Lenders (with the percentage in such definition being deemed to be 50% for this purpose) has been obtained), then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 9.04), all its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Sections 2.15 or 2.17) and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.17, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments.  A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances 


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entitling the Borrower to require such  assignment and delegation cease to apply. Each party hereto agrees that (a) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (b) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to an be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
ARTICLE III     
 
Representations and Warranties
Each of the Guarantor and the Borrower represents and warrants to the Lenders that:
SECTION 3.01    Corporate Existence; Authorization.  Each of the Guarantor and Borrower (a) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation or limited liability company, as applicable, under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, (b) has the requisite corporate power and authority to consummate the Transactions and (c) has duly taken all necessary corporate action to authorize the Transactions.
SECTION 3.02    Enforceability.  This Agreement and each note delivered hereunder has been duly executed and delivered by the Borrower and Guarantor is a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Borrower and Guarantor, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, and any other instrument or agreement required hereunder, when executed and delivered, will be similarly valid, binding and enforceable, except (in each case) to the extent that the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws generally affecting creditors’ rights and by general principles of equity.
SECTION 3.03    Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change.  (a)  All fiscal year-end financial statements furnished by the Guarantor to the Administrative Agent or any Lender have been prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, except as noted therein, and fairly present the consolidated financial position and the consolidated results of operations of the Guarantor as of the dates and for the periods presented.  Financial statements and other information and data furnished to the Administrative Agent or any Lender other than fiscal year-end statements of the Guarantor are in reasonable detail and present fairly the consolidated financial position and consolidated results of operations of the Guarantor as of the dates and for the periods presented, subject to year-end audit adjustments.
(b)    As of the Effective Date, there has been no material adverse change in the business or financial condition of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as disclosed in the Guarantor’s periodic reports filed with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on or before the Effective Date.
SECTION 3.04    Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations.  The operations of the Guarantor and its Significant Subsidiaries are in compliance with (i) all Requirements of Law and (ii) its obligations under material agreements to which it is a party, (a) except to the extent that the failure to comply therewith could not, in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (b) except as disclosed in the Guarantor’s periodic reports filed prior to the date of this Agreement with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement, nor the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated, will violate (a) any Requirement of Law, (b) violate or result in a default under any indenture or other material agreement or other material instrument binding upon the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries or its assets, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any material payment to be made by the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries or (c) result in the creation or imposition of, or the requirement to create, any lien or security interest on any asset of the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries. 
SECTION 3.05    No Material Litigation.  No litigation, investigation or proceeding of or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority is pending or, to the knowledge of the Guarantor, threatened by or against the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of its or their respective properties or revenues (a) 


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with respect to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (b) which could, insofar as the Guarantor may reasonably foresee, have a Material Adverse Effect, except as disclosed in the Guarantor’s periodic reports filed with the SEC prior to the date of this Agreement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
SECTION 3.06    Ownership of Property.  Each of the Guarantor and each of its Significant Subsidiaries has title in fee simple to or valid leasehold interests in all its real property material to the operation of its business, and title to or valid leasehold interests in all its other property useful and necessary in its business.
SECTION 3.07    Taxes.  Each of the Guarantor and each of its Significant Subsidiaries has filed or caused to be filed all Tax returns which to the knowledge of the Guarantor are required to be filed and has paid all material taxes shown to be due and payable on said returns or on any assessments made against it or any of its property and all other material Taxes, fees or other charges imposed on it or any of its property by any Governmental Authority (other than those the amount or validity of which is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and with respect to which reserves in conformity with GAAP have been provided on the books of the Guarantor or the applicable Subsidiary, as the case may be); and no material Tax liens have been filed and, to the knowledge of the Guarantor, no material claims are being asserted with respect to any such Taxes, fees or other charges.
SECTION 3.08    Subsidiaries.  Schedule 3.08 contains an accurate list of all of the presently existing Subsidiaries of the Guarantor, setting forth their respective jurisdictions of incorporation and the percentage of their respective Equity Interests owned by the Guarantor and/or other Subsidiaries.  All of the issued and outstanding shares of Equity Interests of such Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable.
SECTION 3.09    Investment Company Act; No Consents.  Neither the Guarantor nor any Subsidiary is an “Investment Company”, as defined in, or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.  No authorizations, approvals or consents of, no filings or registrations with, any Governmental Authority are necessary for the consummation of the Transactions or for the validity or enforceability hereof or the notes delivered hereunder.
SECTION 3.10    ERISA.  The Guarantor is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable provisions of ERISA.  The Guarantor has not violated any provision of any Plan maintained or contributed to by the Guarantor which could, insofar as the Guarantor may reasonably foresee, have a Material Adverse Effect.  No Reportable Event has occurred and is continuing with respect to any Plan initiated by the Guarantor.  The Guarantor has met its minimum funding requirements under ERISA with respect to each Plan.  Each Plan will be able to fulfill its benefit obligations as they come due in accordance with the Plan documents and under GAAP.
SECTION 3.11    Environmental.  In the ordinary course of its business, the Guarantor conducts an ongoing review of the effect of Environmental Laws on the business, operations, and properties of the Guarantor, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated liabilities and costs (including any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up or closure of properties presently or previously owned or operated, any capital or operating expenditures required to achieve or maintain compliance with environmental protection standards imposed by law or as a condition of any license, permit or contract, any related constraints on operating activities, including any periodic or permanent shutdown of any facility or reduction in the level of or change in the nature of operations conducted thereat and any actual or potential liabilities to third parties, including employees, and any related costs and expenses).  On the basis of these reviews, the Guarantor has reasonably concluded that Environmental Laws are unlikely to have a Material Adverse Effect.  The Guarantor hereby represents and warrants that its business and assets and those of its Subsidiaries are operated, and covenants that its and its Subsidiaries’ business and assets will continue to be operated, in compliance with applicable Environmental Laws and that no enforcement action in respect thereof is threatened or pending that could, in the case of any failure to so comply or any such enforcement action, insofar as the Guarantor may reasonably foresee, have a Material Adverse Effect, except as disclosed in the Guarantor’s periodic reports filed with the SEC on or prior to the date of this Agreement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.




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SECTION 3.12    Margin Regulations.  The Guarantor is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, and no part of the proceeds of any Borrowing hereunder will be used to buy or carry any Margin Stock.  Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of the Guarantor only or of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) will be Margin Stock.
SECTION 3.13    Disclosure.  (a)  As of the Effective Date, no reports, financial statements, certificates or other information furnished by or on behalf of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Guarantor represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
(b)    As of the Effective Date, to the best knowledge of the Guarantor, the information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification provided on or prior to the Effective Date to any Lender in connection with this Agreement is true and correct in all respects.
SECTION 3.14    Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions.  Each of the Borrower and the Guarantor has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Guarantor, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions, and the Guarantor, its Subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors and to the knowledge of the Guarantor its employees and agents, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects.  None of (a) the Guarantor, any Subsidiary, any of their respective directors or officers, or employees, or (b) to the knowledge of the Guarantor, any agent of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person.  No Borrowing, use of proceeds or other Transactions will violate any Anti-Corruption Law or applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 3.15    EEA Financial Institutions.  Neither the Borrower nor the Guarantor is an EEA Financial Institution.
SECTION 3.16    Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions.  None of the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries is an entity deemed to hold “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations), and neither the execution, delivery  or  performance of the Transactions, including the making of any Loan hereunder, will give rise to a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
    ARTICLE IV     
 
Conditions
SECTION 4.01    Effective Date.  The obligations of the Lenders to make Loans hereunder shall not become effective until the date on which each of the following conditions is satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02):
(a)    The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received (i) from each party hereto either (A) a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party or (B) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (which may include telecopy or electronic transmission of a signed signature page of this Agreement) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Agreement and (ii) duly executed copies of the Loan Documents and such other legal opinions, certificates, documents, instruments and agreements as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request in connection with the Transactions, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel and as further described in the list of closing documents attached as Exhibit D.


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(b)    The Administrative Agent shall have received a favorable written opinion (addressed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and dated the Effective Date) of  Stoel Rives LLP, counsel for the Borrower and Guarantor, covering such matters relating to the Borrower and Guarantor, the Loan Documents or the Transactions as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request.  Each of the Borrower and Guarantor hereby requests such counsel to deliver such opinion.
(c)    The Administrative Agent shall have received such documents and certificates as the Administrative Agent or its counsel may reasonably request relating to the organization, existence and good standing of the Borrower and Guarantor, the authorization of the Transactions and any other legal matters relating to the Borrower and the Guarantor, the Loan Documents or the Transactions, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel and as further described in the list of closing documents attached as Exhibit D.
(d)    The Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate, dated the Effective Date and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower and Guarantor, certifying (i) that the representations and warranties contained in Article III are true and correct as of such date and (ii) that no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing as of such date.
(e)    The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that each credit facility, if any, currently in effect for the Borrower shall have been terminated and cancelled (except for provisions thereof that by their terms survive termination) and all indebtedness thereunder shall have been fully repaid (except to the extent being so repaid with the Loans) and any and all liens thereunder shall have been terminated. 
(f)    [Reserved].
(g)    The Administrative Agent shall have received all fees and other amounts due and payable on or prior to the Effective Date, including, to the extent invoiced, reimbursement or payment of all out-of-pocket expenses required to be reimbursed or paid by the Borrower hereunder.
(h)    The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) satisfactory audited consolidated financial statements of Guarantor for the two most recent fiscal years ended prior to the Effective Date as to which such financial statements are available and (ii) satisfactory unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Guarantor for each quarterly period ended subsequent to the date of the latest financial statements delivered pursuant to clause (i) as to which such financial statements are available.  The parties acknowledge that consolidated financial statements of the Guarantor will reflect the reorganization of the Guarantor into a holding company structure, which was completed October 1, 2018.
(i)    (i) The Administrative Agent shall have received, at least five days prior to the Effective Date (or such shorter period agreed to by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), all documentation and other information regarding the Borrower and Guarantor requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act, to the extent requested in writing of the Borrower or Guarantor at least 10 days prior to the Effective Date and (ii) to the extent the Borrower or Guarantor qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, at least five days prior to the Effective Date, any Lender that has requested, in a written notice to the Borrower at least 10 days prior to the Effective Date, a Beneficial Ownership Certification in relation to the Borrower and Guarantor shall have received such Beneficial Ownership Certification (provided that, upon the execution and delivery by such Lender of its signature page to this Agreement, the condition set forth in this clause (ii) shall be deemed to be satisfied).
(j)    [Reserved].
(k)    The Administrative Agent shall have received such other documents as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (through the Administrative Agent) may reasonably request.


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The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower, the Guarantor and the Lenders of the Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the obligations of the Lenders to make Loans hereunder shall not become effective unless each of the foregoing conditions is satisfied (or waived pursuant to Section 9.02) at or prior to 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 27, 2019 (and, in the event such conditions are not so satisfied or waived, the Commitments shall terminate at such time).
ARTICLE V     
 
Affirmative Covenants
Until the Commitments have expired or been terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder shall have been paid in full, each of the Borrower and Guarantor covenants and agrees with the Lenders that:
SECTION 5.01    Financial Statements and Other Information.  The Guarantor will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a)    as soon as practicable, but in any event within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Guarantor, a copy of the consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its audited consolidated Subsidiaries as at the end of such year and the related consolidated statements of income, of shareholders’ equity and comprehensive income and of cash flows for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous year, audited by independent certified public accountants of nationally recognized standing (without any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit) to the effect that such consolidated financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Guarantor and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied;
(b)    as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 60 days after the end of each of the first three quarterly periods of each fiscal year of the Guarantor (commencing with the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2019), the Form 10-Q as filed by the Guarantor with the SEC for each such fiscal quarter, certified by an Authorized Officer as being complete and correct (subject to normal year-end audit adjustments); and
(c)    together with the financial statements required hereunder, a compliance certificate in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent signed by its chief financial officer or chief accounting officer showing the calculations necessary to determine compliance with this Agreement, including its calculation of maintenance of Consolidated Indebtedness to Total Capitalization, and stating that no Default exists, or if any Default exists, stating the nature and status thereof.
All such financial statements shall be prepared in reasonable detail and in accordance with GAAP applied consistently throughout the periods reflected therein (except as approved by such accountants or officer, as the case may be, and disclosed therein).
SECTION 5.02    Certificates; Other Information.  The Guarantor shall furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender as soon as practicable, but in any event within ten days after the same are sent, copies of all financial statements and reports which the Guarantor sends to its shareholders, and within ten days after the same are filed, copies of all financial statements and reports which the Guarantor may make to, or file with, the SEC or any successor or analogous Governmental Authority.  Promptly following any request therefor, the Guarantor shall furnish (x) such other information regarding the  operations, business affairs and financial condition of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may reasonably request and (y) information and documentation reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender for purposes of compliance with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation; and the Guarantor shall furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender prompt written notice of any change in the information provided in the Beneficial Ownership Certification delivered to such Lender that would result in a change to the list of beneficial owners identified in such certification. The Guarantor hereby 


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acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or Arranger will make available to the Lenders materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Guarantor hereunder (collectively, “Guarantor Materials”) by posting the Guarantor Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the “Platform”) and (b) certain of the Lenders may be “public-side” Lenders (i.e., Lenders that do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Guarantor or its securities) (each, a “Public Lender”).  The Guarantor hereby agrees that (w) all Guarantor Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Guarantor Materials “PUBLIC,” the Guarantor shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and the Lenders to treat such Guarantor Materials as either publicly available information or not material information (although it may be sensitive and proprietary) with respect to the Guarantor or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws; (y) all Guarantor Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Investor;” and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arranger shall be entitled to treat any Guarantor Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated “Public Investor.”
SECTION 5.03    Payment of Taxes.  The Guarantor shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, pay, discharge or otherwise satisfy at or before maturity or before they become delinquent, as the case may be, all taxes, except when (a) the amount or validity thereof is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or (b) reserves in conformity with GAAP with respect thereto have been provided on the books of the Guarantor or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.
SECTION 5.04    Conduct of Business.  Each of the Borrower and the Guarantor shall (a) carry on and conduct its business in substantially the same manner and in substantially the same fields of enterprise as it is presently conducted and to do all things necessary to remain duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing as a domestic corporation in its jurisdiction of incorporation and maintain all requisite authority to conduct its business in each jurisdiction in which its business is conducted, and (b) comply with all Requirements of Law, except to the extent that failure to comply therewith could not, in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Guarantor will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Guarantor, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with  Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 5.05    Maintenance of Property; Insurance.  The Guarantor shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, (a) keep all property useful and necessary in its business in good working order and condition; (b) maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies insurance on such property in at least such amounts and against at least such risks as are usually insured against in the same general area by companies engaged in the same or a similar business; and (c) furnish to the Administrative Agent or any Lender, upon written request, full information as to the insurance carried.
SECTION 5.06    Inspection of Property; Books and Records; Discussions.  The Guarantor shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries that have business operations to, (a) keep proper books of records and accounts in which entries in conformity with GAAP shall be made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities and (b) permit representatives of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, at such Person’s expense, to visit and inspect any of its properties and examine and make abstracts from any of its books and records upon reasonable notice and during regular working hours, and to discuss the business, operations, properties and financial and other condition of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries with officers and employees of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries.
SECTION 5.07    Notices.  Each of the Borrower and Guarantor shall promptly give notice to the Administrative Agent and each Lender of (a) the occurrence of any Default; (b) any litigation, investigation or proceeding involving the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries which, if not cured or if adversely determined, as the case may be, would have a Material Adverse Effect and (c) of any change in any Debt Rating.  Each notice pursuant to this Section 5.07 shall be accompanied by a statement of an Authorized Officer setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the Guarantor proposes to take with respect thereto.


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SECTION 5.08    Use of Proceeds.  The proceeds of the Loans will be used by the Borrower to make a distribution to the Guarantor.  No part of the proceeds of any Loan will be used, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose that entails a violation of any of the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, including Regulations T, U and X.
SECTION 5.09    Debt Rating.  The Guarantor shall maintain at all times a Debt Rating from both Moody’s and S&P.
ARTICLE VI     
 
Negative Covenants
Until the Commitments have expired or terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder have been paid in full, each of the Guarantor and the Borrower covenants and agrees with the Lenders that it will not:
SECTION 6.01    Fundamental Changes.  
(1) With respect to the Guarantor or any Significant Subsidiary, without the consent of the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders enter into any transaction of merger or consolidation or amalgamation, or liquidate, wind up or dissolve (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution), convey, sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of, in one transaction or a series of transactions, all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except (a) for sales, leases or rentals of property or assets in the ordinary course of business, (b) that any consolidated Subsidiary of the Guarantor (other than the Borrower) may be merged or consolidated with or into the Borrower or Guarantor (provided that the Borrower or Guarantor shall be the continuing or surviving corporation) or with any one or more Subsidiaries of the Guarantor (provided that if any such transaction shall be between a Subsidiary and a wholly-owned Subsidiary, the wholly-owned Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving corporation), (c) any Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) may sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Guarantor or another wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Guarantor and (d) the Borrower or Guarantor may be merged with any other Person if (i) the Borrower or Guarantor is the surviving corporation, (ii) immediately after giving effect to such merger, there shall exist no condition or event which constitutes an Event of Default or which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, and (iii) all representations and warranties contained in Article III hereof are true and correct in all material respects (except for any such representation and warranty that is qualified by materiality or reference to Material Adverse Effect, which representation shall be true and correct in all respects) on and as of the date of the consummation of such merger, and after giving effect thereto, as though restated on and as of such date (except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects (except for any such representation and warranty that is qualified by materiality or reference to Material Adverse Effect, which representation shall be true and correct in all respects) as of such earlier date).
(2) With respect to the Guarantor, without the consent of the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, cease to own, directly or indirectly, 100% of the Equity Interests of NW Natural (other than a single share of the junior preferred capital stock of NW Natural held by an independent third party), free and clear of any lien, pledge, charge or other security interest.
SECTION 6.02    Financial Covenants.  
(a)    Maintenance of Consolidated Indebtedness to Total Capitalization.  As at the end of any fiscal quarter of the Guarantor, permit Consolidated Indebtedness to be greater than 70% of Total Capitalization.




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ARTICLE VII     
 
Events of Default
SECTION 7.01    Events of Default.  If any of the following events (“Events of Default”) shall occur:
(a)    The Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of the Loans when due in accordance with the terms hereof; or 
(b)    The Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on the Loans, or any other amount payable by the Borrower hereunder, within five days after any such amount becomes due in accordance with the terms hereof; or 
(c)    Any representation or warranty made or deemed made by the Borrower or Guarantor herein shall prove to have been incorrect in any material respect on or as of the date made; or 
(d)    The Borrower or Guarantor shall default in the observance or performance of any covenant described in Sections 5.08, 6.01 or 6.02; or the Borrower or Guarantor shall default in the observance or performance of any other agreement or covenant contained in this Agreement, and such default shall continue unremedied for a period of 30 days after the earlier of (i) the date a Responsible Officer has knowledge of such default or (ii) written notice of such default shall have been given to the Borrower or Guarantor by the Administrative Agent or any Lender; or 
(e)    The Guarantor or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor shall fail to make any payment in respect of any Indebtedness having singly or in the aggregate an outstanding amount in excess of $50 million when due or within any applicable grace period; or
(f)    A final judgment for the payment of money exceeding an aggregate of $15 million shall be rendered or entered against the Guarantor and/or any Significant Subsidiary and the same shall remain undischarged for a period of 60 days during which execution shall not be effectively stayed or contested in good faith; or
(g)    An involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or other relief in respect of the Guarantor or any Significant Subsidiary or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for the Guarantor or any Significant Subsidiary or for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed for 60 days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered; or
(h)    The Guarantor or any Significant Subsidiary shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (g) above, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for the Guarantor or any Significant Subsidiary or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, (vi) become unable, admit in writing its inability or fail generally to pay its debts as they become due or (vii) take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing; 
(i)    a Change in Control shall occur;


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(j)    an ERISA Event shall have occurred (other than the NW Natural’s December 22, 2013 withdrawal from the Western States Office and Professional Employees International Union Pension Fund) that, in the opinion of the Required Lenders, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; or
(k)    any material provision of any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or the Guarantor or any Subsidiary contests in writing the validity or enforceability of any provision of any Loan Document; or, prior to satisfaction in full of all Obligations, the Borrower or Guarantor denies in writing that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document, or the Borrower or Guarantor purports in writing to revoke, terminate or rescind any Loan Document other than in compliance with Section 9.02;
then, and in every such event (other than an event with respect to the Guarantor or the Borrower, described in clause (g) or (h) above), and at any time thereafter during the continuance of such event, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrower, take either or both of the following actions, at the same or different times: (i) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and payable in whole (or in part, in which case any principal not so declared to be due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), and thereupon the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder, shall become due and payable immediately, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower and Guarantor and (ii) exercise on behalf of itself, the Lenders all rights and remedies available to it, the Lenders under the Loan Documents and applicable law; and in case of any event with respect to the Guarantor or Borrower described in clause (g) or (h) of this Section, the principal of the Loans then outstanding, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Obligations accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall automatically become due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower and Guarantor.  Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, exercise any rights and remedies provided to the Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents or at law or equity.
SECTION 7.02    Application of Payments.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, following the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, and notice thereof to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower or the Required Lenders, all payments received on account of the Obligations shall be applied by the Administrative Agent as follows:
(i)    first, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts payable to the Administrative Agent (including fees and disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Administrative Agent payable under Section 9.03 and amounts pursuant to Section 2.12(a) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such);
(ii)    second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, expenses, indemnities and other amounts payable to the Lenders (including fees and disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Lenders payable under Section 9.03) arising under the Loan Documents, ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause (ii) payable to them;
(iii)    third, (A) to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans;
(iv)    fourth, to the payment in full of all other Obligations, in each case ratably among the Administrative Agent, the Lenders based upon the respective aggregate amounts of all such Obligations owing to them in accordance with the respective amounts thereof then due and payable; and
(v)    finally, the balance, if any, after all Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by law.


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ARTICLE VIII     
 
The Administrative Agent
SECTION 8.01    Authorization and Action.  (a)  Each Lender hereby irrevocably appoints the entity named as Administrative Agent in the heading of this Agreement and its successors and assigns to serve as the administrative agent under the Loan Documents and each Lender authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to the Administrative Agent under such agreements and to exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Without limiting the foregoing, each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to execute and deliver, and to perform its obligations under, each of the Loan Documents to which the Administrative Agent is a party, to exercise all rights, powers and remedies that the Administrative Agent may have under such Loan Documents. 
(b)    As to any matters not expressly provided for herein and in the other Loan Documents (including enforcement or collection), the Administrative Agent shall not be required to exercise any discretion or take any action, but shall be required to act or to refrain from acting (and shall be fully protected in so acting or refraining from acting) upon the written instructions of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, pursuant to the terms in the Loan Documents), and, unless and until revoked in writing, such instructions shall be binding upon each Lender; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that the Administrative Agent in good faith believes exposes it to liability unless the Administrative Agent receives an indemnification satisfactory to it from the Lenders with respect to such action; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent may seek clarification or direction from the Required Lenders prior to the exercise of any such instructed action and may refrain from acting until such clarification or direction has been provided. Except as expressly set forth in the Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Guarantor, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the Administrative Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it. 
(c)    In performing its functions and duties hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent is acting solely on behalf of the Lenders (except in limited circumstances expressly provided for herein relating to the maintenance of the Register), and its duties are entirely mechanical and administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
		
	(i)
	the Administrative Agent does not assume and shall not be deemed to have assumed any obligation or duty or any other relationship as the agent, fiduciary or trustee of or for any Lender or holder of any other obligation other than as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, regardless of whether a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing (and it is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” (or any similar term) herein or in any other Loan Document with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary duty or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law, and that such term is used as a matter of market custom and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties); additionally, each Lender agrees that it will not assert any claim against the Administrative Agent based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by the Administrative Agent in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby;




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	(ii)
	nothing in this Agreement or any Loan Document shall require the Administrative Agent to account to any Lender for any sum or the profit element of any sum received by the Administrative Agent for its own account;


(d)    The Administrative Agent may perform any of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any of their respective duties and exercise their respective rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities pursuant to this Agreement. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agent except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and nonappealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agent.
(e)    The Arranger shall have no obligations or duties whatsoever in such capacity under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and shall incur no liability hereunder or thereunder in such capacity, but all such Persons shall have the benefit of the indemnities provided for hereunder.
(f)    In case of the pendency of any proceeding with respect to the Borrower under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or any other obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered (but not obligated) by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:
		
	(i)
	to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent (including any claim under Sections 2.12, 2.13, 2.15, 2.17 and 9.03) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and


		
	(ii)
	to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same; 


and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due to it, in its capacity as the Administrative Agent, under the Loan Documents (including under Section 9.03). Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.
(g)    The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, and, except solely to the extent of the Borrower’s rights to consent pursuant to and subject to the conditions set forth in this Article, none of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary, or any of their respective Affiliates, shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary under any such provisions. 
SECTION 8.02    Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Indemnification, Etc.  (a)  Neither the Administrative Agent nor any of its Related Parties shall be (i) liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it under or in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (x) with the consent of or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith to be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in the 


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Loan Documents) or (y) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct (such absence to be presumed unless otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment) or (ii) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by the Guarantor or Borrower or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for any failure of the Guarantor or Borrower to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder.
(b)    The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until written notice thereof (stating that it is a “notice of default”) is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender, and the Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with any Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered thereunder or in connection therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth in any Loan Document or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the sufficiency, validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere in any Loan Document, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or satisfaction of any condition that expressly refers to the matters described therein being acceptable or satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(c)    Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrative Agent (i) may treat the payee of any promissory note as its holder until such promissory note has been assigned in accordance with Section 9.04, (ii) may rely on the Register to the extent set forth in Section 9.04(b), (iii) may consult with legal counsel (including counsel to the Guarantor or Borrower), independent public accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken in good faith by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel, accountants or experts, (iv) makes no warranty or representation to any Lender and shall not be responsible to any Lender or for any statements, warranties or representations made by or on behalf of the Guarantor or Borrower in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (v) in determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender, may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender sufficiently in advance of the making of such Loan and (vi) shall be entitled to rely on, and shall incur no liability under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by acting upon, any notice, consent, certificate or other instrument or writing (which writing may be a fax, any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) or any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be genuine and signed or sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper party or parties (whether or not such Person in fact meets the requirements set forth in the Loan Documents for being the maker thereof).
SECTION 8.03    Posting of Communications.  (a)  Each of Borrower and Guarantor agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Communications available to the Lenders by posting the Communications on IntraLinksTM, DebtDomain, SyndTrak, ClearPar or any other electronic platform chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system (the “Approved Electronic Platform”).
(b)    Although the Approved Electronic Platform and its primary web portal are secured with generally-applicable security procedures and policies implemented or modified by the Administrative Agent from time to time (including, as of the Effective Date, a user ID/password authorization system) and the Approved Electronic Platform is secured through a per-deal authorization method whereby each user may access the Approved Electronic Platform only on a deal-by-deal basis, each of the Lenders and each of Guarantor and Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure, that the Administrative Agent is not responsible for approving or vetting the representatives or contacts of any Lender that are added to the Approved Electronic Platform, and that there are confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution. Each of the Lenders and each of the Guarantor and Borrower hereby 


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approves distribution of the Communications through the Approved Electronic Platform and understands and assumes the risks of such distribution.
(c)    THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THE APPLICABLE PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY THE APPLICABLE PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT OR ANY OF ITS RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES (COLLECTIVELY, “APPLICABLE PARTIES”) HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO THE GUARANTOR, THE BORROWER, ANY LENDER OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR EXPENSES (WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF THE GUARANTOR’S, THE BORROWER’S OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT’S TRANSMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM. 
“Communications” means, collectively, any notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of the Guarantor or Borrower pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Administrative Agent, any Lender by means of electronic communications pursuant to this Section, including through an Approved Electronic Platform.
(d)    Each Lender agrees that notice to it (as provided in the next sentence) specifying that Communications have been posted to the Approved Electronic Platform shall constitute effective delivery of the Communications to such Lender for purposes of the Loan Documents. Each Lender agrees (i) to notify the Administrative Agent in writing (which could be in the form of electronic communication) from time to time of such Lender’s (as applicable) email address to which the foregoing notice may be sent by electronic transmission and (ii) that the foregoing notice may be sent to such email address.
(e)    Each of the Lenders and the Guarantor and the Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but (except as may be required by applicable law) shall not be obligated to, store the Communications on the Approved Electronic Platform in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s generally applicable document retention procedures and policies.
(f)    Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to give any notice or other communication pursuant to any Loan Document in any other manner specified in such Loan Document.
SECTION 8.04    The Administrative Agent Individually.  With respect to its Commitment, Loans, the Person serving as the Administrative Agent shall have and may exercise the same rights and powers hereunder and is subject to the same obligations and liabilities as and to the extent set forth herein for any other Lender, as the case may be. The terms “Lenders”, “Required Lenders” and any similar terms shall, unless the context clearly otherwise indicates, include the Administrative Agent in its individual capacity as a Lender or as one of the Required Lenders, as applicable. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with, the Guarantor, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing as if such Person was not acting as the Administrative Agent and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.


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SECTION 8.05    Successor Administrative Agent.  Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Administrative Agent as provided in this paragraph, the Administrative Agent may resign at any time by notifying the Lenders and the Borrower.  Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor.  If no successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Administrative Agent which shall be a bank with an office in New York, New York, or an Affiliate of any such bank.  Upon the acceptance of its appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder.  The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor.  After the Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder, the provisions of this Article and Section 9.03, as well as any exculpatory, reimbursement and indemnification provisions set forth in any other Loan Document, shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while it was acting as Administrative Agent.
SECTION 8.06    Acknowledgments of Lenders.  (a)  Each Lender represents that it is engaged in making, acquiring or holding commercial loans in the ordinary course of its business and that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement as a Lender, and to make, acquire or hold Loans hereunder. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information (which may contain material, non-public information within the meaning of the United States securities laws concerning the Guarantor and its Affiliates) as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
(b)    Each Lender, by delivering its signature page to this Agreement on the Effective Date, or delivering its signature page to an Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall become a Lender hereunder, shall be deemed to have acknowledged receipt of, and consented to and approved, each Loan Document and each other document required to be delivered to, or be approved by or satisfactory to, the Administrative Agent or the Lenders on the Effective Date.
SECTION 8.07    Certain ERISA Matters.  (a)  Each Lender (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and its respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower, that at least one of the following is and will be true:
(i)    such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations) of one or more Benefit Plans in connection with the Loans or the Commitments, 
(ii)    the transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement, and the conditions for exemptive relief thereunder are and will continue to be satisfied in connection therewith, 


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(iii)    (A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Part VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) of Part I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Part I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement, or
(iv)    such other representation, warranty and covenant as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender.
(b)    In addition, unless either (1) sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or (2) a Lender has provided another representation, warranty and covenant in accordance with sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or the Guarantor, that the Administrative Agent is not a fiduciary with respect to the assets of such Lender involved in such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement (including in connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related hereto or thereto). 
(c)    The Administrative Agent hereby informs the Lenders that each such Person is not undertaking to provide impartial investment advice, or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity, in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, and that such Person has a financial interest in the transactions contemplated hereby in that such Person or an Affiliate thereof (i) may receive interest or other payments with respect to the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement, (ii) may recognize a gain if it extended the Loans or the Commitments for an amount less than the amount being paid for an interest in the Loans or the Commitments by such Lender or (iii) may receive fees or other payments in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, the Loan Documents or otherwise, including structuring fees, commitment fees, arrangement fees, facility fees, upfront fees, underwriting fees, ticking fees, agency fees, administrative agent or collateral agent fees, utilization fees, minimum usage fees, letter of credit fees, fronting fees, deal-away or alternate transaction fees, amendment fees, processing fees, term out premiums, banker’s acceptance fees, breakage or other early termination fees or fees similar to the foregoing.
ARTICLE IX     
Miscellaneous
SECTION 9.01    Notices.  (a)  Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and subject to paragraph (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopy, as follows:
(i)    if to the Borrower or Guarantor, to it at 220 N.W. Second Avenue, Portland, OR   97209, Attention of Brody J. Wilson, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (Telecopy No. (503) 220-2584; Telephone No. (503) 721-2524; Email Address: brody.wilson@nwnatural.com;
(ii)    if to the Administrative Agent, to Bank of Montreal, 115 S. LaSalle - 17th Floor West, Chicago, IL 60603, sevan.hagopian@bmo.com; and


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(iii)    if to any other Lender, to it at its address (or telecopy number) set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.
Notices sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices sent by facsimile shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient).  Notices delivered through Approved Electronic Platforms, to the extent provided in paragraph (b) below, shall be effective as provided in said paragraph (b).
(b)    Notices and other communications to the Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by using Approved Electronic Platforms pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender.  The Administrative Agent, the Guarantor or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.
Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgment from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgment), and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient, at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i), of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses (i) and (ii) above, if such notice, email or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient.
(c)    Any party hereto may change its address or telecopy number for notices and other communications hereunder by written notice to the other parties hereto.
SECTION 9.02    Waivers; Amendments.  (a)  No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power.  The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have.  No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or consent to any departure by the Borrower or Guarantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.
(b)    Subject to Section 2.14(b) and clauses (c) and (d) below, neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower, the Guarantor and the Required Lenders or by the Borrower, the Guarantor and the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided that no such agreement shall (i) increase or reinstate the Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender, (ii) reduce the principal amount of any Loan or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce any fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby, (iii) postpone the scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of any Loan or any interest thereon, or any fees payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby, (iv) change Section 2.18(b) or (d) in a manner that would alter the ratable reduction of Commitments or Loans or pro rata sharing of payments required thereby, 


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without the written consent of each Lender, (v) change the payment waterfall provisions of 7.02 without the written consent of each Lender or (vi) change any of the provisions of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend or modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender; provided further that no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, as the case may be.
(c)    Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement and any other Loan Document may be amended (or amended and restated) with the written consent of the Required Lenders, the Administrative Agent, the Guarantor and the Borrower (x) to add one or more credit facilities to this Agreement and to permit extensions of credit from time to time outstanding thereunder and the accrued interest and fees in respect thereof to share ratably in the benefits of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents with the Loans and the accrued interest and fees in respect thereof and (y) to include appropriately the Lenders holding such credit facilities in any determination of the Required Lenders and Lenders.
(d)    If the Administrative Agent, the Guarantor and the Borrower acting together identify any ambiguity, omission, mistake, typographical error or other defect in any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, then the Administrative Agent, the Guarantor and the Borrower shall be permitted to amend, modify or supplement such provision to cure such ambiguity, omission, mistake, typographical error or other defect, and such amendment shall become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement.
SECTION 9.03    Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.  (a)  The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its respective Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel and other advisors and professionals for such Persons, in connection with the syndication and distribution (including, without limitation, via the internet or through a service such as Intralinks) of the credit facilities provided for herein, the investigation, preparation, negotiation, documentation, collection and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated) and (ii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent or any Lender, in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights in connection with this Agreement and any other Loan Document, including its rights under this Section, or in connection with the Loans made hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during  any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans.
(b)    The Guarantor and Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent and each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan or the use of the proceeds therefrom, (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation, arbitration or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether or not such claim, litigation, investigation, arbitration or proceeding is brought by the Guarantor or its respective equity holders, Affiliates, creditors or any other third Person and whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (A) result from a claim brought by the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries against such Indemnitee for material breach of such Indemnitee’s or any of its Related Parties’ obligations under any 


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Loan Document if the Guarantor or such Subsidiary has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction or (B) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee.  This Section 9.03(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims or damages arising from any non-Tax claim.
(c)    Each Lender severally agrees to pay any amount required to be paid by the Guarantor under paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 9.03 to the Administrative Agent and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each, an “Agent Indemnitee”) (to the extent not reimbursed by the Guarantor and without limiting the obligation of the Guarantor to do so), ratably according to their respective Credit Exposure in effect on the date on which indemnification is sought under this Section (or, if indemnification is sought after the date upon which the Commitments shall have terminated and the Loans shall have been paid in full, ratably in accordance with such Credit Exposure immediately prior to such date), from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any kind whatsoever that may at any time (whether before or after the payment of the Loans) be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Agent Indemnitee in any way relating to or arising out of the Commitments, this Agreement, any of the other Loan Documents or any documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or any action taken or omitted by such Agent Indemnitee under or in connection with any of the foregoing; provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against such Agent Indemnitee in its capacity as such; provided further that no Lender shall be liable for the payment of any portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements that are found by a final and nonappealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from such Agent Indemnitee’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.  The agreements in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.
(d)    To the extent permitted by applicable law, (i) neither of the Guarantor or the Borrower shall assert, and each of the Guarantor and Borrower hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee for any damages arising from the use by others of information or other materials obtained through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems (including the Internet), and (ii) no party hereto shall assert, and each such party hereby waives, any claim against any other party hereto, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the Transactions, any Loan or the use of the proceeds thereof; provided that, nothing in this clause (d)(ii) shall relieve either the Guarantor or the Borrower of any obligation it may have to indemnify an Indemnitee against special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages asserted against such Indemnitee by a third party.
(e)    All amounts due under this Section shall be payable promptly after written demand therefor.
SECTION 9.04    Successors and Assigns.  (a)  The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that (i) neither the Guarantor or the Borrower may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Guarantor or the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section.  Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby,  Participants (to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this Section) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b)    (i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (b)(ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more Persons (other than an Ineligible Institution) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this 


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Agreement (including all or a portion of its Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) of:
(A)    the Borrower and Guarantor (provided that the Borrower and Guarantor shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within ten (10)  Business Days after having received notice thereof);  provided, further, that no consent of the Borrower or Guarantor shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee; and
(B)    the Administrative Agent; provided, that no consent of the Administrative Agent shall be required for an assignment of any portion of the Loans to an assignee that is a Lender with a portion of the Loans immediately prior to giving effect to such assignment.
(ii)    Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:
(A)    except in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Loans, the amount of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower, the Guarantor and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent to a lesser amount, provided that no such consent of the Borrower or Guarantor shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;
(B)    each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement;
(C)    the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent (x) an Assignment and Assumption or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500, such fee to be paid by either the assigning Lender or the assignee Lender or shared between such Lenders; and
(D)    the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire in which the assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the Guarantor and its Affiliates and their Related Parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including Federal and state securities laws.
For the purposes of this Section 9.04(b), the terms “Approved Fund” and “Ineligible Institution” have the following meanings:
“Approved Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
“Ineligible Institution” means (a) a natural person, (b) a holding company, investment vehicle or trust for, or owned and operated for the primary benefit of, a natural person or relative(s) thereof or (c)  the Guarantor or any of its Affiliates; provided that, with respect to clause (c), such holding company, investment vehicle or trust shall not constitute an Ineligible Institution if it (x) has not been established for the primary purpose 


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of acquiring any Loans or Commitments, (y) is managed by a professional advisor, who is not such natural person or a relative thereof, having significant experience in the business of making or purchasing commercial loans, and (z) has assets greater than $25,000,000 and a significant part of its activities consist of making or purchasing commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business.
(iii)    Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03).  Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 9.04 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section.
(iv)    The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower and Guarantor, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitment of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”).  The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary.  The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(v)    Upon its receipt of (x) a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register; provided that if either the assigning Lender or the assignee shall have failed to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant 2.07(b), 2.18(e) or 9.03(c), the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information therein in the Register unless and until such payment shall have been made in full, together with all accrued interest thereon.  No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(c)    Any Lender may, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Guarantor, the Administrative Agent, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “Participant”), other than an Ineligible Institution, in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Loans owing to it); provided that (A) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged; (B) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations; and (C) the Borrower, the Guarantor, the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement.  Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant.  Each of the 


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Borrower and Guarantor agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Section 2.17(f) (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 2.17(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender)) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.18 and 2.19 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section; and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections 2.15 or 2.17, with respect to any participation, than its participating Lender would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. Each Lender that sells a participation agrees, at the Borrower’s request and expense, to use reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Borrower to effectuate the provisions of Section 2.19(b) with respect to any Participant. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender, provided that such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.18(c) as though it were a Lender.  Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower and the Guarantor, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any Loans or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such Loan or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations.  The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary.  For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
(d)    Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
SECTION 9.05    Survival.  All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Borrower and Guarantor in the Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and the making of any Loans, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid is outstanding and so long as the Commitments have not expired or terminated.  The provisions of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any provision hereof or thereof.
SECTION 9.06    Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.  (a)  This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract.  This Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Administrative Agent constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof.  Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which, 


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when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.  
(b)    Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy, e-mailed .pdf or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of the actual executed signature page shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.  The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery,” and words of like import in or relating to any  document to be signed in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be deemed to include Electronic Signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act; provided that nothing herein shall require the Administrative Agent to accept electronic signatures in any form or format without its prior written consent.
SECTION 9.07    Severability.  Any provision of any Loan Document held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions thereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.
SECTION 9.08    Right of Setoff.  If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final and in whatever currency denominated) at any time held, and other obligations at any time owing, by such Lender or any such Affiliate, to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower or the Guarantor against any and all of the Obligations now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender or its respective Affiliates, irrespective of whether or not such Lender or Affiliate shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch office or Affiliate of such Lender different from the branch office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness.  The rights of each Lender and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender or their respective Affiliates may have.  Each Lender agrees to notify the Borrower, the Guarantor and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.
SECTION 9.09    Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process.  (a) This Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(a)    Each of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that, notwithstanding the governing law provisions of any applicable Loan Document, any claims brought against the Administrative Agent by any Lender relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document or the consummation or administration of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(b)    Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan (or if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in the  Borough of Manhattan), and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the transactions relating hereto or thereto, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may (and any 


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such claims brought against the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties may only) be heard and determined in such Federal (to the extent permitted by law) or New York State court.  Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law.  Nothing in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against the Borrower, Guarantor or their properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(c)    Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document in any court referred to in paragraph (c) of this Section.  Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(d)    Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01.  Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 9.10    WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL.  EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY).  EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 9.11    Headings.  Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 9.12    Confidentiality.  Each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its and its Affiliates’ directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any Governmental Authority (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party to this Agreement, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies under this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any suit, action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (1) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (2) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Borrower and its obligations, (g) on a confidential basis to (1) any rating agency in connection with rating the Guarantor or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided for herein or (2) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of identification numbers with respect to the credit facilities provided for herein, (h) with the consent of the Borrower or (i) to the extent such Information (1) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (2) becomes available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower or Guarantor.  For the purposes 


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of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower or Guarantor relating to the Borrower, Guarantor or its respective business, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or Guarantor and other than information pertaining to this Agreement routinely provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry; provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower or Guarantor after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential.  Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
SECTION 9.13    Material Non-Public Information.  (a)  EACH LENDER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 9.12 FURNISHED TO IT PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY INCLUDE MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION CONCERNING THE GUARANTOR, THE BORROWER AND  ITS RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES, AND CONFIRMS THAT IT HAS DEVELOPED COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES REGARDING THE USE OF MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THAT IT WILL HANDLE SUCH MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THOSE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
(a)    ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING REQUESTS FOR WAIVERS AND AMENDMENTS, FURNISHED BY THE GUARANTOR, THE BORROWER OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT PURSUANT TO, OR IN THE COURSE OF ADMINISTERING, THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE SYNDICATE-LEVEL INFORMATION, WHICH MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE GUARANTOR, THE BORROWER AND ITS RELATED PARTIES OR ITS RESPECTIVE SECURITIES.  ACCORDINGLY, EACH LENDER REPRESENTS TO THE GUARANTOR, THE BORROWER AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT THAT IT HAS IDENTIFIED IN ITS ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE A CREDIT CONTACT WHO MAY RECEIVE INFORMATION THAT MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW.
SECTION 9.14    USA PATRIOT Act.  Each Lender that is subject to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “Patriot Act”) hereby notifies the Borrower and Guarantor that pursuant to the requirements of the Patriot Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower and Guarantor, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and the Guarantor and other information that will allow such Lender to identify the Borrower and the Guarantor in accordance with the Patriot Act.
SECTION 9.15    Intentionally Omitted.  
SECTION 9.16    Interest Rate Limitation.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if at any time the interest rate applicable to any Loan, together with all fees, charges and other amounts which are treated as interest on such Loan under applicable law (collectively the “Charges”), shall exceed the maximum lawful rate (the “Maximum Rate”) which may be contracted for, charged, taken, received or reserved by the Lender holding such Loan in accordance with applicable law, the rate of interest payable in respect of such Loan hereunder, together with all Charges payable in respect thereof, shall be limited to the Maximum Rate and, to the extent lawful, the interest and Charges that would have been payable in respect of such Loan but were not payable as a result of the operation of this Section shall be cumulated and the interest and Charges payable to such Lender in respect of other Loans or periods shall be increased (but not above the Maximum Rate therefor) until such cumulated amount, together with interest thereon at the NYFRB Rate to the date of repayment, shall have been received by such Lender.


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SECTION 9.17    No Fiduciary Duty, etc.  Each of the Guarantor and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that no Credit Party will have any obligations except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents and each Credit Party is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Borrower with respect to the Loan Documents and the transactions contemplated therein and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Guarantor, the Borrower or any other person.  Each of the Guarantor and the Borrower agrees that it will not assert any claim against any Credit Party based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by such Credit Party in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.  Additionally, each of the Guarantor and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that no Credit Party is advising the Guarantor or the Borrower as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting, regulatory or any other matters in any jurisdiction.  Each of the Guarantor and the Borrower shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Credit Parties shall have no responsibility or liability to the Guarantor or the Borrower with respect thereto.
Each of the Guarantor and the Borrower further acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party, together with its Affiliates, is a full service securities or banking firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities as well as providing investment banking and other financial services.  In the ordinary course of business, any Credit Party may provide investment banking and other financial services to, and/or acquire, hold or sell, for its own accounts and the accounts of customers, equity, debt and other securities and financial instruments (including bank loans and other obligations) of, the Guarantor or Borrower and other companies with which it may have commercial or other relationships.  With respect to any securities and/or financial instruments so held by any Credit Party or any of its customers, all rights in respect of such securities and financial instruments, including any voting rights, will be exercised by the holder of the rights, in its sole discretion.
In addition, each of the Guarantor and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party and its affiliates may be providing debt financing, equity capital or other services (including financial advisory services) to other companies in respect of which the Guarantor or its Subsidiaries may have conflicting interests regarding the transactions described herein and otherwise.  No Credit Party will use confidential information obtained from the Borrower or Guarantor by virtue of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents or its other relationships with the Borrower in connection with the performance by such Credit Party of services for other companies, and no Credit Party will furnish any such information to other companies.  Each of the Guarantor and the Borrower also acknowledges that no Credit Party has any obligation to use in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, or to furnish to the Borrower or the Guarantor, confidential information obtained from other companies.
SECTION 9.18    Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of EEA Financial Institutions.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any EEA Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of an EEA Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:
(a)    the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by an EEA Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any party hereto that is an EEA Financial Institution; and
(b)    the effects of any Bail-In Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:
(i)    a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;
(ii)    a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such EEA Financial Institution, its parent entity, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted 


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by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or
(iii)    the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of any EEA Resolution Authority.
ARTICLE X    
SECTION 10.01    Guaranty.  The Guarantor hereby unconditionally guarantees the full and punctual payment when due (whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise) of the Obligations, including, without limitation, (i) the principal of and interest on the Loan made to, and each note issued by, the Borrower hereunder and (ii) all other amounts payable by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (all of the foregoing being referred to collectively as the “Guaranteed Obligations”).  Upon the failure by the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any other Person obligated for all or any part of the Obligations to pay punctually any such amount, the Guarantor agrees that it shall forthwith on demand pay such amount at the place and in the manner specified herein or the relevant Loan Document, as the case may be.  The Guarantor hereby agrees that this guaranty is an absolute, irrevocable and unconditional guaranty of payment and is not a guaranty of collection.
SECTION 10.02    Guaranty Unconditional.  Subject to applicable laws, the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall be unconditional and absolute and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, shall not be released, discharged or otherwise affected by:
(a)    except as otherwise provided in Section 10.03, any extension, renewal, settlement, indulgence, compromise, waiver or release of, or with respect to, the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof or any agreement relating thereto, or with respect to any obligation of any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, whether (in any such case) by operation of law or otherwise, or any failure or omission to enforce any right, power or remedy with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof or any agreement relating thereto, or with respect to any obligation of any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations;
(b)    any modification or amendment of or supplement to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, including, without limitation, any such amendment which may increase the amount of the Obligations guaranteed hereby;
(c)    except as otherwise provided in Section 10.03, any release, surrender, compromise, settlement, waiver, subordination or modification, with or without consideration, of any collateral securing the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof, any other guaranties with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof, or any other obligation of any person or entity with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof, or any nonperfection or invalidity of any direct or indirect security for the Guaranteed Obligations;
(d)    any change in the corporate, partnership, limited liability company or other existence, structure or ownership of the Borrower or any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other similar proceeding affecting the Borrower or any other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any of their respective assets or any resulting release or discharge of any obligation of the Borrower or any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations;
(e)    the existence of any claim, setoff or other rights which the Guarantor may have at any time against the Borrower, any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any other Person, whether in connection herewith or in connection with any unrelated transactions (other than a claim of payment in full of the Guaranteed Obligations), provided that nothing herein shall prevent the assertion of any such claim by separate suit or compulsory counterclaim;
(f)    the enforceability or validity of the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof or the genuineness, enforceability or validity of any agreement relating thereto or with respect to any collateral securing 


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the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof, or any other invalidity or unenforceability relating to or against the Borrower or any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, for any reason related to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any provision of applicable law, decree, order or regulation purporting to prohibit the payment by the Borrower or any other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations of any of the Guaranteed Obligations;
(g)    any borrowing or grant of a security interest by the Borrower, as debtor-in-possession, under Section 364 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code;
(h)    the disallowance, under Section 502 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, of all or any portion of the claims of any of the Lenders or the Administrative Agent for repayment of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; or
(i)    any other act or omission to act or delay of any kind by the Borrower, any other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations, the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any other Person or any other circumstance whatsoever (other than a claim of payment in full of the Guaranteed Obligations), which might, but for the provisions of this Section 10.02, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of the Guarantor’s obligations hereunder or otherwise reduce, release, prejudice or extinguish its liability under this guaranty.
SECTION 10.03    Discharge Only Upon Payment in Full; Reinstatement in Certain Circumstances.  The Guarantor’s obligations hereunder shall remain in full force and effect until all Guaranteed Obligations shall have been paid in full in cash (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time) at which time, subject to all the foregoing conditions, the guarantees made hereunder shall automatically terminate, and this guaranty shall be of no further force and effect as against the Guarantor.  If at any time any payment of the principal of or interest on the Loan or any other amount payable by the Borrower or any other party hereunder or under any other Loan Document is rescinded or must be otherwise restored or returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower or otherwise, the Guarantor’s obligations hereunder with respect to such payment shall be reinstated as though such payment had been due but not made at such time.
SECTION 10.04    General Waivers.  The Guarantor irrevocably waives acceptance hereof, presentment, demand or action on delinquency, protest, the benefit of any statutes of limitations and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any notice not provided for herein, as well as any requirement that at any time any action be taken by the Borrower, any other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any other Person.
SECTION 10.05    Subordination of Subrogation; Subordination of Intercompany Indebtedness.
(a)    Until the Guaranteed Obligations have been paid in full in cash (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time), the Guarantor (i) shall have no right of subrogation with respect to such Guaranteed Obligations and (ii) waives any right to enforce any remedy which any of the Lenders or the Administrative Agent now have or may hereafter have against the Borrower, any endorser or any guarantor of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or any other Person, and until such time the Guarantor waives any benefit of, and any right to participate in, any security or collateral given to the Lenders and the Administrative Agent to secure the payment or performance of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or any other liability of the Borrower to the Lenders or the Administrative Agent.  Should the Guarantor have the right, notwithstanding the foregoing, to exercise its subrogation rights, the Guarantor hereby expressly and irrevocably (A) subordinates any and all rights at law or in equity to subrogation, reimbursement, exoneration, contribution, indemnification or set off that the Guarantor may have to the payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations until the Guaranteed Obligations are paid in full in cash (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time) and (B) waives any and all defenses available to a surety, guarantor or accommodation co-obligor until the Guaranteed Obligations are paid in full in cash (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time and that has not yet arisen).  The Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that this subordination is intended to benefit the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and shall not limit or otherwise affect the Guarantor’s liability hereunder or the enforceability of this guaranty, and that the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and their respective successors and assigns are intended third party beneficiaries of the waivers and agreements set forth in this Section 10.05(a).


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(b)    The Guarantor agrees that any and all claims of the Guarantor against the Borrower or any other guarantor (each an “Obligor”) with respect to any “Intercompany Indebtedness” (as hereinafter defined), any endorser, obligor or any other guarantor of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations, or against any of its properties shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment, in full and in cash, of all Guaranteed Obligations (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time); provided that, as long as (i) no unmatured Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and (ii) the Administrative Agent has not notified the Guarantor otherwise, the Guarantor may make loans to and receive payments of principal and interest from any Obligor with respect to Intercompany Indebtedness in the ordinary course of business to the extent permitted by the terms of this guaranty and the other Loan Documents.  Notwithstanding any right of the Guarantor to ask, demand, sue for, take or receive any payment from any Obligor, all rights, liens and security interests of the Guarantor, whether now or hereafter arising and howsoever existing, in any assets of any other Obligor (whether constituting part of collateral given to any Lender or the Administrative Agent to secure payment of all or any part of the Obligations or otherwise) shall be and are subordinated to the rights of the Lenders and the Agent in those assets. The Guarantor shall not have any right to possession of any such asset or to foreclose upon any such asset, whether by judicial action or otherwise, unless and until (i) all of the Guaranteed Obligations (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time) shall have been fully paid and satisfied (in cash) and all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document among the Borrower and the Lenders have been terminated, or (ii) this guaranty has otherwise terminated with respect to the Guarantor in accordance with Section 10.03.  If all or any part of the assets of any Obligor, or the proceeds thereof, are subject to any distribution, division or application to the creditors of such Obligor, whether partial or complete, voluntary or involuntary, and whether by reason of liquidation, bankruptcy, arrangement, receivership, assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other action or proceeding, or if the business of any such Obligor is dissolved or if substantially all of the assets of any such Obligor are sold, then, and in any such event (such events being herein referred to as an “Insolvency Event”), any payment or distribution of any kind or character, either in cash, securities or other property, which shall be payable or deliverable upon or with respect to any indebtedness of any Obligor to the Guarantor (“Intercompany Indebtedness”) shall be paid or delivered directly to the Administrative Agent for application on any of the Guaranteed Obligations, due or to become due, until (i) such Guaranteed Obligations (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time) shall have first been fully paid and satisfied (in cash) or (ii) this guaranty has otherwise terminated with respect to the Guarantor in accordance with Section 10.03.  Should any payment, distribution, security or instrument or proceeds thereof be received by the Guarantor upon or with respect to the Intercompany Indebtedness after any Insolvency Event and prior to (i) the satisfaction of all of the Guaranteed Obligations (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time) and the termination of all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document among the Borrower and the Lenders, or (ii) any other termination of this guaranty with respect to the Guarantor in accordance with Section 10.03, the Guarantor shall receive and hold the same in trust, as trustee, for the benefit of the Lenders and shall forthwith deliver the same to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, in precisely the form received (except for the endorsement or assignment of the Guarantor where necessary), for application to any of the Guaranteed Obligations, due or not due, and, until so delivered, the same shall be held in trust by the Guarantor as the property of the Lenders.  If the Guarantor fails to make any such endorsement or assignment to the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent or any of its officers or employees is irrevocably authorized to make the same.  The Guarantor agrees that until (i) the Guaranteed Obligations (other than any obligation that is contingent in nature at such time) have been paid in full (in cash) and satisfied and all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document among the Borrower and the Lenders have been terminated, the Guarantor will not assign or transfer to any Person (other than the Administrative Agent) any claim the Guarantor has or may have against any Obligor.
SECTION 10.06    Stay of Acceleration Waivers.  To the fullest extent permitted by law, if acceleration of the time for payment of any amount payable by the Borrower under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is stayed upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, all such amounts otherwise subject to acceleration under the terms of this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall nonetheless be payable by the Guarantor hereunder forthwith on demand by the Administrative Agent.






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SECTION 10.07    Taxes, Expenses of Enforcement, etc.
(a)    The Guarantor agrees to be bound by the terms and provisions of Section 2.17 (including, without limitation, the promises made and the obligations accepted by the Borrower therein), as if each reference in such Section to a “Borrower” were a reference to the Guarantor.
(b)    After the occurrence of an Event of Default, the Required Lenders shall have the right at any time during the continuance thereof to direct the Administrative Agent to commence enforcement proceedings with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations.  The Guarantor agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent and the Lenders for any reasonable costs and reasonable out of pocket expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses for the Administrative Agent and the Lenders; provided that the Guarantor shall have no obligation to pay for fees charges and disbursements for more than one firm of counsel acting for the Administrative Agent in each applicable jurisdiction, and one firm of counsel acting for the Lenders in each applicable jurisdiction and, in the case of an actual or perceived conflict of interest, one additional counsel in each relevant jurisdiction to the affected Lender selected and retained by such Lender) paid or incurred by the Administrative Agent or any Lenders in connection with the collection and enforcement of amounts due under the Loan Documents, including without limitation this guaranty. The Lenders agree that this guaranty may be enforced only by the action of the Administrative Agent acting upon the instructions of the Required Lenders and that no Lender shall have any right individually to seek to enforce or to enforce this guaranty, it being understood and agreed that such rights and remedies may be exercised by the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders under the terms of this Agreement.
SECTION 10.08    Financial Information.  The Guarantor hereby assumes responsibility for keeping itself informed of the financial condition of the Borrower and any and all endorsers and/or other guarantors of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any part thereof, that diligent inquiry would reveal, and the Guarantor hereby agrees that none of the Lenders or the Administrative Agent shall have any duty to advise the Guarantor of information known to any of them regarding such condition or any such circumstances.  In the event any Lender or the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, undertakes at any time or from time to time to provide any such information to the Guarantor, such Lender or the Administrative Agent shall be under no obligation (i) to undertake any investigation not a part of its regular business routine, (ii) to disclose any information which such Lender or the Administrative Agent, pursuant to accepted or reasonable commercial finance or banking practices, wishes to maintain confidential or (iii) to make any other or future disclosures of such information or any other information to the Guarantor.
SECTION 10.09    Setoff.  In addition to, and without limitation of, any rights of any Lender or the Administrative Agent under applicable law, if any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, any debt from any Lender to the Guarantor (including all account balances, whether provisional or final and whether or not collected or available) may be offset and applied toward the payment of the Guaranteed Obligations owing to such Lender, whether or not the Guaranteed Obligations, or any part thereof, shall then be due.
SECTION 10.10    Enforcement of Guaranty.  The Lenders agree that this guaranty may be enforced only by the action of the Administrative Agent acting upon the instructions of the Required Lenders and that no Lender shall have any right individually to seek to enforce or to enforce this guaranty, it being understood and agreed that such rights and remedies may be exercised by the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders under the terms of this Agreement.














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SCHEDULE 2.01
COMMITMENTS
	
		
	LENDER
	COMMITMENT

	 
	 

	BANK OF MONTREAL, CHICAGO BRANCH
	$35,000,000

	AGGREGATE COMMITMENT
	$35,000,000

	 
	 






[Signature Pages Follow]




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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.
NW NATURAL WATER COMPANY, LLC 
as the Borrower
By     /s/ Brody J. Wilson         
          Name: Brody J. Wilson 
          Title: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
NORTHWEST NATURAL HOLDING COMPANY, 
as the Guarantor
By     /s/ Brody J. Wilson         
          Name: Brody J. Wilson 
          Title: Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, 
         Treasurer and Controller




Signature Page to Credit Agreement
(NW Natural Water Company, LLC) 











BANK OF MONTREAL, individually as Administrative Agent
By     /s/ Rahul D. Shah         
    Name: Rahul D. Shah 
    Title: Managing Director


BANK OF MONTREAL, CHICAGO BRANCH, individually as a Lender 
By     /s/ Rahul D. Shah         
    Name: Rahul D. Shah 
    Title: Managing Director


Signature Page to Credit Agreement
(NW Natural Water Company, LLC)