“NIC Material Adverse Effect” means any Effect that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, business or operations of NIC and the NIC Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; provided, however, that no Effects to the extent resulting or arising from or relating to any of the following shall be deemed to constitute a NIC Material Adverse Effect or shall be taken into account when determining whether a NIC Material Adverse Effect exists or has occurred: (a) any changes or developments in United States, regional, global, or international economic conditions, including any changes or developments affecting financial, credit, foreign exchange, or capital market conditions; (b) any changes or developments in conditions in the industries in which NIC and the NIC Subsidiaries operate and any seasonal fluctuations in the business of NIC and the NIC Subsidiaries; (c) any changes or developments in political, geopolitical, regulatory, or legislative conditions in the United States or any other country or region of the world; (d) any changes or developments in GAAP or the interpretation thereof; (e) any changes or developments in applicable Law or the interpretation thereof; (f) any failure by NIC to meet any internal or published projections, estimates, forecasts or expectations of NIC’s revenue, earnings, or other financial performance or results of operations for any period, in and of itself, or any failure by NIC to meet its internal budgets, plans, guidance, estimates or forecasts of its revenues, earnings, or other financial performance or results of operations, in and of itself (it being understood that the facts or occurrences giving rise or contributing to such failure that are not otherwise excluded from this definition of a “NIC Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account); (g) any acts of terrorism or sabotage, war (whether or not declared), the commencement, continuation, or escalation of a war, acts of armed hostility, weather conditions, natural disasters, or other force majeure events, including any material worsening of such conditions threatened or existing as of the date hereof; (h) any epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak (including COVID-19) and any political or social conditions, including civil unrest, protests and public demonstrations or any other law, directive, pronouncement or guideline issued by a Governmental Authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization, “sheltering in place,” curfews or other restrictions that relate to, or arise out of, an epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak (including COVID-19) or any change in such law (including COVID-19 Measures), directive, pronouncement or guideline or interpretation thereof, or the action of any Third Party arising out of or relating to any of the foregoing, in each case, following the date hereof or any material improvement or worsening of such conditions threatened or existing as of the date hereof; (i) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the identity of Tyler or any Tyler Subsidiary or any communication by Tyler or its Subsidiaries regarding the plans or intentions of Tyler with respect to the conduct of the business of the Surviving Corporation or its Subsidiaries, the pendency or consummation of this Agreement, the Merger and the other Transactions, including the effect thereof on the relationships with current or prospective customers, suppliers, distributors, partners, financing sources, employees, or sales representatives, or the public announcement of this Agreement or the Transactions, including any litigation arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Transactions (provided that this clause (i) shall not apply to any representation or warranty to the extent the purpose of such representation or warranty is to address, as applicable, the consequences resulting from the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the pendency or consummation of this Agreement, the Merger, and the other Transactions); (j) any action or failure to take any action which action or failure to act is requested in writing by Tyler or otherwise expressly required by this Agreement (other than pursuant to Section 6.1(a)), (k) any change in the price or trading volume of the NIC Common Stock (it being understood that the facts or occurrences giving rise or contributing to such change that are not otherwise excluded from this definition of a “NIC Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account), or (l) the loss or non-renewal of any customer, the termination or expiration of any Contract with any customer, or the failure to enter into any Contract with any prospective customer (it being understood that the facts or occurrences giving rise or contributing to such loss or non-renewal that are not otherwise excluded from this definition of a “NIC Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account, as well as the aggregate loss or non-renewal of multiple Contracts); provided that with respect to the exceptions set forth in clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g) and (h), if such Effect has had a disproportionate adverse effect on NIC or any NIC Subsidiary relative to other companies operating in the industries in which NIC and the NIC Subsidiaries operate, then only the incremental disproportionate adverse effect of such Effect shall be taken into account for the purpose of determining whether a NIC Material Adverse Effect exists or has occurred.  (Page 63)

Question: MAE Definition
Category: Material Adverse Effect
Answer: "Could" (reasonably) be expected to