VECTREN CORPORATION
(an Indiana corporation)
Common Stock
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
Dated: February ____, 2001
<PAGE>
Table of Contents
Page
Section 1. Representations and Warranties.....................................3
(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company........................3
(i) Compliance with Registration Requirements..................3
(ii) Incorporated Documents.....................................4
(iii) Independent Accountants....................................4
(iv) Financial Statements.......................................4
(v) Capitalization.............................................4
(vi) No Material Adverse Changes................................5
(vii) Due Incorporation and Good Standing........................5
(viii) Good Standing of Subsidiaries..............................5
(ix) Authorization of Agreement.................................6
(x) Authorization and Description of Securities................6
(xi) The Shareholder Rights Plan................................6
(xii) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts..........................6
(xiii) Absence of Labor Dispute...................................7
(xiv) Absence of Proceedings.....................................7
(xv) Accuracy of Exhibits.......................................7
(xvi) Possession of Intellectual Property........................7
(xvii) Absence of Further Requirements............................8
(xviii) Possession of Licenses and Permits.........................8
(xix) Title to Property..........................................8
(xx) Environmental Laws.........................................9
(xxi) Registration Rights.........................................9
(xxii) Investment Company Act.....................................9
(xxiii) Exemption from Public Utility Holding Company Act..........9
(b) Officer's Certificates...............................................9
Section 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing........................10
(a) Initial Securities..................................................10
(b) Option Securities...................................................10
(c) Payment.............................................................10
(d) Denominations; Registration.........................................11
Section 3. Covenants of the Company..........................................11
(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests......11
(b) Filing of Amendments................................................11
(c) Delivery of Registration Statements.................................12
(d) Delivery of Prospectuses............................................12
(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws...........................12
(f) Blue Sky Qualifications.............................................12
(g) Rule 158............................................................13
(h) Use of Proceeds.....................................................13
(i) Listing.............................................................13
(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities...................................13
(k) Reporting Requirements..............................................13
Section 4. Payment of Expenses...............................................13
(a) Expenses............................................................13
(b) Termination of Agreement............................................14
Section 5. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations...........................14
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement.............................14
(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company......................................14
(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.................................15
(d) Officers' Certificate...............................................15
(e) Accountant's Comfort Letter.........................................15
(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter...........................................15
(g) Consent Letter......................................................15
(h) Approval of Listing.................................................16
(i) Lock-up Agreements..................................................16
(j) Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities.........................16
(i) Officers' Certificate.....................................16
(ii) Opinion of Counsel for Company............................16
(iii) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.......................16
(iv) Bring-down Comfort Letter.................................16
(k) Additional Documents................................................16
(l) Termination of Agreement............................................17
Section 6. Indemnification...................................................17
(a) Indemnification of Underwriters.....................................17
(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers..................18
(c) Actions against Parties; Notification...............................18
(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse..................19
Section 7. Contribution......................................................19
Section 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery....20
Section 9. Termination of Agreement..........................................20
(a) Termination; General.........................................20
(b) Liabilities..................................................21
Section 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters.......................21
Section 11. Notices..........................................................22
Section 12. Parties..........................................................22
Section 13. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME...........................................22
Section 14. Effect of Headings...............................................22
SCHEDULES
Schedule A - List of Underwriters...............................Sch A-1
Schedule B - Pricing Information................................Sch B-1
Schedule C - List of Persons subject to Lock-up.................Sch C-1
EXHIBITS
Exhibit A- Form of Opinion of Company's Counsel...................A-1
Exhibit B- Form of Lock-up Letter................................. B-1
<PAGE>
VECTREN CORPORATION
(an Indiana corporation)
Common Stock
(No Par Value Per Share)
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
February ___, 2001
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
as Representative of the several Underwriters
c/o Merrill Lynch & Co.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
North Tower
World Financial Center
New York, New York 10281-1209
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Vectren Corporation, an Indiana corporation (the "Company"), confirms
its agreement with Merrill Lynch & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated ("Merrill Lynch") and each of the other Underwriters named in
Schedule A hereto (collectively, the "Underwriters", which term shall also
include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10
hereof), for whom Merrill Lynch is acting as Representative (in such capacity,
the "Representative"), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company and the
purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the
respective numbers of shares of Common Stock, no par value per share, of the
Company ("Common Stock") set forth in said Schedule A, and with respect to the
grant by the Company to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of
the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of ____
additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The
aggregate ____ shares of Common Stock (the "Initial Securities") to be purchased
by the Underwriters and all or any part of the ___ shares of Common Stock
subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the "Option Securities")
are herein called, collectively, the "Securities".
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public
offering of the Securities as soon as the Representative deems advisable after
this Agreement has been executed and delivered.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-___) covering the
registration of the Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"1933 Act"), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses.
Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will either
(i) prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A
("Rule 430A") of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act
(the "1933 Act Regulations") and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 ("Rule 424(b)") of
the 1933 Act Regulations or (ii) if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule
434 ("Rule 434") of the 1933 Act Regulations, prepare and file a term sheet (a
"Term Sheet") in accordance with the provisions of Rule 434 and Rule 424(b). The
information included in such prospectus or in such Term Sheet, as the case may
be, that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became
effective but that is deemed to be part of such registration statement at the
time it became effective pursuant to (a) paragraph (b) of Rule 430A is referred
to as "Rule 430A Information" or (b) paragraph (d) of Rule 434 is referred to as
"Rule 434 Information." Each prospectus used before such registration statement
became effective, and any prospectus that omitted, as applicable, the Rule 430A
Information or the Rule 434 Information, that was used after such effectiveness
and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, is herein called a
"preliminary prospectus." Such registration statement, including the exhibits
thereto, and schedules thereto at the time it became effective and including the
Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, as applicable, is herein
called the "Registration Statement." Any registration statement filed pursuant
to Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations is herein referred to as the "Rule
462(b) Registration Statement," and after such filing the term "Registration
Statement" shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The final
prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, in the
form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering
of the Securities, is herein called the "Prospectus." If Rule 434 is relied on,
the term "Prospectus" shall refer to the preliminary prospectus dated _____,
2001 and the Term Sheet, and all references in this Agreement to the date of the
Prospectus shall mean the date of the Term Sheet. For purposes of this
Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus, the Prospectus or any Term Sheet or any amendment or supplement to
any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the
Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval
system ("EDGAR").
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules
and other information which is "contained," "included" or "stated" in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or other
references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such
financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated
by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus, as the case may be, prior to the delivery of the Prospectus to the
Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities; and all
references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration
Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean
and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), which is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the
case may be, subsequent to the delivery of the Prospectus to the Underwriters
for use in connection with the offering of the Securities.
Section 1. Representations and Warranties.
(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company The Company
represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the
Closing Time referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Date of Delivery
(if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter,
as follows:
(i) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Company
meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act. The
Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement, has become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been
issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are
contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the
Commission for additional information has been complied with.
At the respective times the Registration Statement, including
any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, and any post-effective
amendments thereto (including the filing of the Company's most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Commission) became effective, at
the date of this Agreement and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option
Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), the Registration
Statement and any amendments thereto complied and will comply in all
material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933
Act Regulations and did not, do not and will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements
thereto, at the date of this Agreement, at the time the Prospectus or
any such amendment or supplement thereto is issued or at the Closing
Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of
Delivery), included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If Rule 434
is used, the Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 434 and
the Prospectus shall not be "materially different", as such term is
used in Rule 434, from the prospectus included in the Registration
Statement at the time it became effective. The representations and
warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or
omissions from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the
Company in writing by any Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly
for use in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
Each preliminary prospectus and the prospectus filed as part
of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any
amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act,
complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act
Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus
delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering
was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed
with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted
by Regulation S-T.
(ii) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or
deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with
the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with
the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder (the "1934 Act Regulations"), and, when read
together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the time the
Registration Statement or any amendment thereto became effective, at
the date of this Agreement, at the time the Prospectus or any amendment
or supplement thereto was issued and at the Closing Time and at the
Date of Delivery, did not, do not and will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading.
(iii) Independent Accountants. The accountants who have
certified certain consolidated financial statements and supporting
schedules included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are
independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933
Act Regulations.
(iv) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial
statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus,
together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly the
financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries
and, if applicable, such other entities, as the case may be, at the
dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders' equity
and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and, if
applicable, such other entities, as the case may be, for the periods
specified; said consolidated financial statements have been prepared in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP")
applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The
supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information
required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the
summary financial information included in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and
have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited
consolidated financial statements included in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus. The pro forma financial statements and
the related notes thereto included in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein, have been
prepared in accordance with the Commission's rules and guidelines with
respect to pro forma financial statements and have been properly
compiled on the bases described therein, and the assumptions used in
the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein
are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances
referred to therein.
(v) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding
capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Prospectus in the
column entitled "Actual" under the caption "Capitalization" (except for
subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement or pursuant to
the exercise of options referred to in the Prospectus). All of the
issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been
duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar
rights of any securityholder of the Company.
(vi) No Material Adverse Changes. Since the respective dates
as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no
material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in
the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and
its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising
in the ordinary course of business (a "Material Adverse Effect"), (B)
there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of
its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business,
which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise, and (C) except for regular quarterly
dividends on the Common Stock in amounts per share that are consistent
with past practice, there has been no dividend or distribution of any
kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital
stock.
(vii) Due Incorporation and Good Standing. The Company has
been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation under
the laws of the State of Indiana and has power and authority (corporate
and other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its
business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform
its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified
as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing
in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required,
whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the
conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in
good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(viii) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each "significant
subsidiary" of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of
Regulation S-X) (each a "Subsidiary" and, collectively, the
"Subsidiaries") has been duly organized and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, has power and authority (corporate and other) to own,
lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as
described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign
corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason
of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business,
except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would
not result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed
in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, all of the issued and
outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary have been duly
authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and
are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and
clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance,
claim or equity. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any
Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights
of any securityholder of such Subsidiary. The only subsidiaries of the
Company are (a) the subsidiaries listed in the Registration Statement
and (b) certain other subsidiaries which, considered in the aggregate
as a single Subsidiary, do not constitute a "significant subsidiary"
(as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X).
(ix) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(x) Authorization and Description of Securities. The
Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the
Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered
by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the
consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid
and non-assessable. No holder of the Securities will be subject to
personal liability by reason of being such a holder. The issuance of
the Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights
of any securityholder of the Company. The Common Stock conforms to all
statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and such
description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments
defining the same.
(xi) The Shareholders Rights Plan. The Shareholders Rights
Agreement dated as of October 21, 1999 between the Company and
Equiserve Trust Company, N.A., as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agreement")
has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and
constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement, enforceable against
the Company in accordance with its terms, subject, as to
enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other
laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors'
rights and to general equity principles, and the rights under the
Rights Agreement to which holders of the Securities will be entitled
have been duly authorized and validly issued.
(xii) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company
nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws
(or other organizational documents) or in default in the performance or
observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or
credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any
of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the
Company or any subsidiary is subject (collectively, "Agreements and
Instruments"), except for such defaults that would not result in a
Material Adverse Effect. The execution, delivery and performance of
this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
herein and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including
the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds
from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under
the caption "Use of Proceeds") and compliance by the Company with its
obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the
giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or
constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined
below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien,
charge or encumbrance upon any assets, properties or operations of the
Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments,
nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the
charter or by-laws (or other organizational documents) of the Company
or any subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation,
judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government
instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over
the Company or any subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or
operations. As used herein, a "Repayment Event" means any event or
condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other
evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder's behalf)
the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or
a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any subsidiary.
(xiii) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the
employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge
of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any
existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its
or any subsidiary's principal suppliers, customers or contractors,
which, in either case, may reasonably be expected to result in a
Material Adverse Effect.
(xiv) Absence of Proceedings. Except as otherwise disclosed in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there is no action,
suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any
court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending,
or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting
the Company or any subsidiary, (A) which is required to be disclosed in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than as disclosed
therein), or (B) which may reasonably be expected to result in a
Material Adverse Effect, or (C) which may reasonably be expected to
materially and adversely affect the assets, properties or operations
thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this
Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations
hereunder. The aggregate of all pending legal or governmental
proceedings to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or of
which any of their respective assets, properties or operations is the
subject which are not described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the
business, would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xv) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents
which are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference therein or to be
filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as
required.
(xvi) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its
subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms,
adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights,
know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or
unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or
procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other
intellectual property (collectively, "Intellectual Property") necessary
to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company
nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise
aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others
with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or
circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or
inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the
subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity
or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, may reasonably be expected
to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xvii) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or
authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration,
qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or
agency, domestic (whether federal, state or local) or foreign, is
necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its
obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or
sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been
already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933
Act Regulations or state securities laws.
(xviii) Possession of Licenses and Permits. Except as
otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus,
the Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses,
approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively,
"Governmental Licenses") issued by the appropriate federal, state or
local regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business
now operated by them. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries are in
compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental
Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in
the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise
disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, all of the
Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except
when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of
such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not
result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor
any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating
to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses
which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xix) Title to Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have
good and marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and
its subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them,
in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security
interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind, except
such as (a) are described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus or (b) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect
the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and
proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its
subsidiaries. All of the leases and subleases material to the business
of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and
under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, are in full
force and effect, and neither the Company nor any subsidiary has any
notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by
anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any subsidiary under any
of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning
the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued
possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or
sublease.
(xx) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus and except as would not,
singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A)
neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any
federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation,
ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or
administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or
administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to
pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including,
without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land
surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without
limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened
release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic
substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products
(collectively, "Hazardous Materials") or to the manufacture,
processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport
or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, "Environmental
Laws"), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits,
authorizations and approvals required under any applicable
Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements,
(C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or
judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens,
notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings
relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its
subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that might
reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or
remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or
governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of
its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental
Laws.
(xxi) Registration Rights. There are no persons with
registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities
registered on the Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the
Company under the 1933 Act.
(xxii) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and upon
the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the
application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the
Prospectus will not be, an "investment company" or an entity
"controlled" by an "investment company" (as such terms are defined in
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act")).
(xxiii) Exemption from Public Utility Holding Company Act.
Neither the Company nor Vectren Utility Holdings, Inc. is subject to
the provisions of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as
amended.
(b) Officer's Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representative or to
counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by
the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
Section 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.
(a) Initial Securities. On the basis of the representations and
warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not
jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase
from the Company, at the price per share set forth in Schedule B, the number of
Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such
Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such
Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of
Section 10 hereof.
(b) Option Securities. In addition, on the basis of the representations
and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein
set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriters, severally
and not jointly, to purchase all or any portion of an additional ___ shares of
Common Stock at the price per share set forth in Schedule B, less, if
applicable, an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared
by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the
Option Securities. The option hereby granted will expire 30 days after the date
hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the
purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the
offering and distribution of the Initial Securities upon notice by the
Representative to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as
to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time
and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and
date of delivery (a "Date of Delivery") shall be determined by the
Representative, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the
exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time. If the
option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of
the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that
proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which
the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of
such Underwriter bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in
each case to such adjustments as the Representative in its discretion shall make
to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.
(c) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of
certificates for, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Brown &
Wood LLP, One World Trade Center, New York, New York, 10048, or at such other
place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at 9:00
A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M.
(Eastern time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless
postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time
not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the
Representative and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being
herein called "Closing Time").
In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are
purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery
of certificates for, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned
offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative
and the Company, on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the
Representative to the Company.
Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately
available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to
the Representative for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of
certificates for the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that
each Underwriter has authorized the Representative, for its account, to accept
delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the
Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, which it has agreed to
purchase. Merrill Lynch, individually and not as representative of the
Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase
price for the Initial Securities or the Option Securities, if any, to be
purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing
Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, but such payment
shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
(d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Initial
Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in such denominations and
registered in such names as the Representative may request in writing at least
one full business day before the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery,
as the case may be. The certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option
Securities, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the
Representative in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time)
on the business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery,
as the case may be.
Section 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each
Underwriter as follows:
(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The
Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A
or Rule 434, as applicable, and will notify the Representative immediately, and
confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement shall become effective, or any supplement to the
Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt
of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for
any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to
the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv) of the issuance by the
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary
prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for
offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any
proceedings for any of such purposes. The Company will promptly effect the
filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) and will take such steps as it deems
necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for
filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the
event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will
make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if
any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible
moment.
(b) Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representative
notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration
Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b)), any Term Sheet or any
amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the
Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus,
will furnish the Representative with copies of any such amendment, supplement or
revision a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as
the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the
Representative or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.
(c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or
will deliver to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters, without
charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of
each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by
reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by
reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of
experts, and will also deliver to the Representative, without charge, a
conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each
amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of
the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the
Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof
filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by
Regulation S-T.
(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each
Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as
such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the
use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will
furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the
Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or 1934 Act, such
number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such
Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or
supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the
electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to
EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws The Company will comply
with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of
the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the
Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be
delivered in connection with sales of the Securities any event shall occur or
condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of
counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration
Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus
will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading
in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a
purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any
such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the
Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933
Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission,
subject to Section 3(b), such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to
correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the
Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the
Underwriters may reasonably request.
(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in
cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and
sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions
as the Representative may designate and to maintain such qualifications in
effect for a period of not less than one year from the later of the effective
date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement;
provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general
consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a
dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to
subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in
which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the
Securities have been so qualified, the Company will file such statements and
reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such
qualification in effect for a period of not less than one year from the later of
the effective date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement.
(g) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the
1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its
securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes
of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section
11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by
it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus
under "Use of Proceeds".
(i) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect the
listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange.
(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During a period of [90] days
from the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not, without the prior written
consent of Merrill Lynch, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell,
contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option
or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise
transfer or dispose of any share of Common Stock or any securities convertible
into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration
statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter
into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole
or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the
Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or
(ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other
securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A)
the Securities to be sold hereunder or (B) any shares of Common Stock issued by
the Company upon the exercise of any option outstanding on the date hereof and
referred to in the Prospectus.
(k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the
Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, will
file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934
Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Section 4. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the
preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including
consolidated financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each
amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the
Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters and such other
documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale,
issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and
delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including
any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the
sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees
and disbursements of the Company's counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v)
the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the
provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees
and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in
connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement
thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each
preliminary prospectus, any Term Sheets and the Prospectus and any amendments or
supplements thereto, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the
Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii)
the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities and
(ix) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the [listing of the
Securities on the New York Stock Exchange.
(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the
Representative in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 or Section 9(a)(i)
hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their
out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of
counsel for the Underwriters.
Section 5. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of
the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof or
in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company
delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company
of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further
conditions:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration
Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become
effective and at Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings
therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part
of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to
the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus
containing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with the Commission
in accordance with Rule 424(b) (or a post-effective amendment providing such
information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the
requirements of Rule 430A) or, if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 434,
a Term Sheet shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule
424(b).
(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company At Closing Time, the Representative
shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Barnes &
Thornburg, Indiana counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory
to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of
such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in
Exhibit A hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may
reasonably request. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion
involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon
certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of
public officials.
(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At Closing Time, the
Representative shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing
Time, of Brown & Wood LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Representative. In giving such opinion such counsel may
rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law
of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States, upon the
opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representative. Such counsel may also
state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied,
to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and
its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.
(d) Officers' Certificate. At Closing Time, there shall not have been,
since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is
given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial
or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the
Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not
arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representative shall have
received a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company and
of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of
Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse
change, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true
and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of
Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied
all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing
Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are pending or are contemplated by the Commission.
(e) Accountant's Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this
Agreement, the Representative shall have received from Arthur Andersen LLP a
letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Representative, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for
each of the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the
type ordinarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters with
respect to the consolidated financial statements, both historical and pro forma
and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus.
(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At Closing Time, the Representative
shall have received from Arthur Andersen LLP a letter, dated as of Closing Time,
to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished
pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date
referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing
Time.
(g) Consent Letter. At Closing Time, the Representative shall have
received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter, dated as of the Closing Time,
in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, together with signed
or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, covering
the financial statements of the natural gas distribution business of The Dayton
Power and Light Company included in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus.
(h) Approval of Listing At Closing Time, the Securities shall have been
approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to official
notice of issuance.
(i) Lock-up Agreements. At the date of this Agreement, the
Representative shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of
Exhibit B hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule C hereto.
(j) Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities. In the event that the
Underwriters exercise their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase
all or any portion of the Option Securities, the representations and warranties
of the Company contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished
by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company hereunder shall be true and
correct as of each Date of Delivery and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the
Representative shall have received:
(i) Officers' Certificate. A certificate, dated such Date of
Delivery, of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of
the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company
confirming that the certificate delivered at the Closing Time pursuant
to Section 5(d) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of
Delivery.
(ii) Opinion of Counsel for Company. The favorable opinion of
Barnes & Thornburg, Indiana counsel for the Company, in form and
substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date
of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such
Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion
required by Section 5(b) hereof.
(iii) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The favorable
opinion of Brown & Wood LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such
Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on
such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion
required by Section 5(c) hereof.
(iv) Bring-down Comfort Letter. A letter from Arthur Andersen
LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and dated
such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as
the letter furnished to the Representative pursuant to Section 5(f)
hereof, except that the "specified date" in the letter furnished
pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than three business
days prior to such Date of Delivery.
(k) Additional Documents. At Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery,
counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and
opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the
issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to
evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the
fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings
taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities
as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the
Representative and counsel for the Underwriters.
(l) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this
Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this
Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option
Securities, on a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, the
obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option
Securities, may be terminated by the Representative by notice to the Company at
any time at or prior to Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may
be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other
party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8 and 13
shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.
Section 6. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of
the 1934 Act as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and
expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule
430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, if applicable, or the
omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus or
the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the
omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and
expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount
paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or
proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened,
or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or
omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided
that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected
with the written consent of the Company; and
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred
(including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Merrill
Lynch), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending
against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any
governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim
whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any
such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such
expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any
loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of
any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or
omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Merrill
Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment
thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434
Information, if applicable, or any preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).
(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each
Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its
directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the
1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability,
claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a)
of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or
omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration
Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and
the Rule 434 Information, if applicable, or any preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter
through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any
amendment thereto) or such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement thereto).
(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall
give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of
any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought
hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such
indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not
materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it
from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity
agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) above,
counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by Merrill Lynch, and, in
the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the
indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may
participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided,
however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the
consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In
no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more
than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own
counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or
separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of
the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall,
without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or
compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any
litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or
body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which
indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section
7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties
thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an
unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out
of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include
a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by
or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time
an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the
indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party
agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by
Section 6(a) (ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is
entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the
aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of
the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being
entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such
indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such
settlement.
Section 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section
6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an
indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or
expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to
the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses
incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one
hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities
pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is
not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the
relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the
other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such
losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the
Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities
pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective
proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities
pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company
and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case
as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, or, if Rule 434 is used, the
corresponding location on the Term Sheet, bear to the aggregate initial public
offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.
The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters
on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things,
whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information
supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent,
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
statement or omission.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and
equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata
allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such
purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the
equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate
amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an
indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to
include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified
party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any
investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or
threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall
be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total
price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public
were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such
Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person
who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an
Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of
the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and
each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the
Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within
the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall
have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
The Underwriters' respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this
Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set
forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.
Section 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive
Delivery. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this
Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force
and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any
Underwriter or controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, and shall
survive delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters.
Section 9. Termination of Agreement.
(a) Termination; General. The Representative may terminate this
Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i)
if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the
respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any
material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the
earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its
subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the
ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse
change in the financial markets in the United States or the international
financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other
calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change
in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in
each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the
Representative, impracticable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts
for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the
Company, Indiana Gas Company, Inc. or Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company
has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or a national
securities exchange or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or
the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended
or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed,
or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by
such system or by order of the Commission, the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other governmental authority, or (iv) if a
banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.
(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this
Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other
party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections
1, 6, 7, 8 and 13 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and
effect.
Section 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more
of the Underwriters shall fail at Closing Time or a Date of Delivery to purchase
the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement
(the "Defaulted Securities"), the Representative shall have the right, within 24
hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting
Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all,
of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the
terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representative shall not have completed
such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(a) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10%
of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the
non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not
jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that
their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the
underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the
number of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or,
with respect to any Date of Delivery which occurs after the Closing
Time, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company
to sell the Option Securities to be purchased and sold on such Date of
Delivery shall terminate without liability on the part of any
non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting
Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination
of this Agreement or, in the case of a Date of Delivery which is after the
Closing Time, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the
Underwriters to purchase and the Company to sell the relevant Option Securities,
as the case may be, either the Representative or the Company shall have the
right to postpone Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may
be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required
changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or
arrangements. As used herein, the term "Underwriter" includes any person
substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.
Section 11. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder
shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or
transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the
Underwriters shall be directed to the Representative at North Tower, World
Financial Center, New York, New York 10281-1201, attention of ________________;
and notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 20 N.W. Fourth Street,
Evansville, Indiana 47741, attention of ___________.
Section 12. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of
and be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their respective
successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or
shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the
Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling
persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their
heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim
under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This
Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the
sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their
respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors
and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other
person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter
shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
Section 13. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY
AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SPECIFIED
TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.
Section 14. Effect of Headings. The Article and Section headings herein
and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the
construction hereof.
<PAGE>
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our
agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon
this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement
between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
VECTREN CORPORATION
By:
-------------------------------------
Name:
Title:
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON CORPORATION
By: MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED
By
---------------------------------------------------
Authorized Signatory
For itself and as Representative of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A
hereto.
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE A
Number of
Name of Underwriter Initial Securities
------------------- ------------------
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated.............................
Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation....................
A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
UBS Warburg LLC
--------
Total.....................................................
=================
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE B
VECTREN CORPORATION
Common Stock
(No Par Value Per Share)
1. The initial public offering price per share for the
Securities, determined as provided in said Section 2, shall be $_____.
2. The purchase price per share for the Securities to be paid
by the several Underwriters shall be $___, being an amount equal to the
initial public offering price set forth above less $___ per share;
provided that the purchase price per share for any Option Securities
purchased upon the exercise of the over-allotment option described in
Section 2(b) shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any
dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the
Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities.
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE C
[List of persons and entities
subject to lock-up]
<PAGE>
Exhibit A
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY'S COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 5(b)
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation under the laws of the State of Indiana.
(ii) The Company has corporate power and authority to own, lease and
operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the
Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Purchase
Agreement.
(iii) The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to
transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such
qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of
property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or
to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(iv) The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the
Company is as set forth in the Prospectus in the column entitled "Actual" under
the caption "Capitalization" (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant
to the Purchase Agreement or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities
or options referred to in the Prospectus); all of the issued and outstanding
shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly
issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares
of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or
other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.
(v) The Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to
the Underwriters pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and, when issued and
delivered by the Company pursuant to the Purchase Agreement against payment of
the consideration set forth in the Purchase Agreement, will be validly issued
and fully paid and non-assessable; and no holder of the Securities is or will be
subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.
(vi) The issuance of the Securities is not subject to preemptive or
other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.
(vii) The Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject, as to
enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of
general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general
equity principles, and the Rights under the Shareholder Rights Plan to which
holders of the Securities will be entitled have been duly authorized and validly
issued.
(viii) Each Subsidiary has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing, where applicable, under the laws of
the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own,
lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the
Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business
and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is
required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the
conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good
standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise
disclosed in the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital
stock of each Subsidiary have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully
paid and non-assessable and, to the best of our knowledge, are owned by the
Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security
interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; and none of the
outstanding shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of
the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary.
(ix) The Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company.
(x) The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement, has been declared effective under the 1933 Act; any required filing
of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the manner and within
the time period required by Rule 424(b); and, to the best of our knowledge, no
stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been
issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are pending or threatened by the Commission.
(xi) The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement, the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, as
applicable, the Prospectus, excluding the documents incorporated by reference
therein, and each amendment to the Registration Statement and amendment or
supplement to the Prospectus, as of their respective effective or issue dates
(other than the consolidated financial statements and supporting schedules
included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need express no opinion),
complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933
Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.
(xii) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (other
than the financial statements and supporting schedules included therein or
omitted therefrom, as to which we need express no opinion), when they were filed
with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the
requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder.
(xiii) If Rule 434 has been relied upon, the Prospectus was not
"materially different," as such term is used in Rule 434, from the prospectus
included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective.
(xiv) The form of certificate used to evidence the Common Stock
complies in all material respects with all applicable statutory requirements,
with any applicable requirements of the charter and by-laws of the Company and
the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.
(xv) To the best of our knowledge, except as otherwise disclosed in the
Registration Statement and Prospectus, there is not pending or threatened any
action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, to which the Company or any
subsidiary is a party, or to which the property of the Company or any subsidiary
is subject, before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body,
domestic or foreign, which may reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect, or which might reasonably be expected to materially and
adversely affect the assets, properties or operations thereof or the
consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement or the
performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder.
(xvi) The information in the Prospectus under "Description of Stock"
and in the Registration Statement under Item 15, to the extent that it
constitutes matters of law, summaries of legal matters, the Company's charter
and by-laws or legal proceedings, or legal conclusions, has been reviewed by us
and is correct in all material respects.
(xvii) All descriptions in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus of contracts and other documents to which the Company or its
subsidiaries are a party are accurate in all material respects[; to the best of
our knowledge, there are no franchises, contracts, indentures, mortgages, loan
agreements, notes, leases or other instruments required to be described or
referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as
exhibits thereto other than those described or referred to therein or filed or
incorporated by reference as exhibits thereto, and the descriptions thereof or
references thereto are correct in all material respects].
(xviii) To the best of our knowledge, neither the Company nor any
subsidiary is in violation of its charter or by-laws and no default by the
Company or any subsidiary exists in the due performance or observance of any
material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract,
indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or
instrument that is described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement.
(xix) The execution, delivery and performance of the Purchase Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement
and in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the
Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as
described in the Prospectus under the caption "Use Of Proceeds") and compliance
by the Company with its obligations under the Purchase Agreement do not and will
not, whether with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time or both,
conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event under, or
result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any
property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, any contract,
indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or any
other agreement or instrument, known to us, to which the Company or any
subsidiary is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which
any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject, nor
will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or
by-laws of the Company or any subsidiary, or any applicable law, statute, rule,
regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree, known to us, of any government,
government instrumentality or court, domestic (whether federal, state or local)
or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of
their respective assets, properties, or operations.
(xx) The Company is not an "investment company" or an entity
"controlled" by an "investment company," as such terms are defined in the 1940
Act.
(xxi) The Company is exempt from the provisions of the Public Utility
Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended.
(xxii) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license,
order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental
authority or agency, domestic or foreign (other than under the 1933 Act and the
1933 Act Regulations, which have been obtained, or as may be required under the
securities or blue sky laws of the various states, as to which we need express
no opinion) is necessary or required in connection with the due authorization,
execution and delivery of the Purchase Agreement or for the offering, issuance
or sale of the Securities.
Nothing has come to our attention that would lead us to believe that
the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, including the Rule 430A
Information and Rule 434 Information (if applicable), except for consolidated
financial statements and schedules and other financial data included therein or
omitted therefrom, as to which we need make no statement, at the time such
Registration Statement or any such amendment became effective, contained an
untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading
or that the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, except for
consolidated financial statements and schedules and other financial data
included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need make no statement, at
the time the Prospectus was issued, at the time any such amend or supplement was
issued or at the Closing Time, included or includes an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to
make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact
(but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent they deem proper, on
certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials. Such
opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is
otherwise subject to, any treatise, written policy or other document relating to
legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the
ABA Section of Business Law (1991).
<PAGE>
FORM OF LOCK-UP FROM DIRECTORS, OFFICERS OR OTHER STOCKHOLDERS
PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(i)
Exhibit B
February ___, 2001
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
as Representative of the several
Underwriters to be named in the
within-mentioned Purchase Agreement
c/o Merrill Lynch & Co.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
North Tower
World Financial Center
New York, New York 10281-1209
Re: Proposed Public Offering by Vectren Corporation
Dear Sirs:
The undersigned, a [director] [executive officer] [5% stockholder] of
Vectren Corporation, an Indiana corporation (the "Company"), understands that
Merrill Lynch & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
("Merrill Lynch"), as representative of the several underwriters, propose to
enter into a Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with the Company
providing for the public offering of shares (the "Securities") of the Company's
common stock, no par value per share (the "Common Stock"). In recognition of the
benefit that such an offering will confer upon the undersigned as a [director]
[executive officer] [5% stockholder] of the Company, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with each underwriter that, during a period
of [90] days from the date of the Purchase Agreement, the undersigned will not,
without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, directly or indirectly, (i)
offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase,
purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for
the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company's
Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable
for Common Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or
with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of
disposition, or file any registration statement under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any
swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in
part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the
Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery
of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise.
<PAGE>
Very truly yours,
Signature:
--------------------------------
Print Name:
-------------------------------
