SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-A
FOR REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF SECURITIES
PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
Delaware 74-1244795
(State of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
530 McCullough Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78215
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Name of each exchange on
Title of each class which each class is to be
to be so registered registered
Preference Share Purchase Rights New York Stock Exchange
Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
<PAGE>
Item 1. Description of Registrant's Securities to be Registered.
On October 26, 1995, the Board of Directors of Valero Energy
Corporation (the "Company") declared a dividend distribution of one preference
share purchase right (a "Right") for each outstanding share of Common Stock,
par value $1.00 per share (the "Common Shares"), of the Company. The
distribution is payable on November 25, 1995 to shareholders of record on that
date. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company
one one-hundredth of a share of Junior Participating Serial Preference Stock,
Series III, par value $1.00 per share (the "Preference Shares"), of the
Company at a price of $75.00 per one one-hundredth of a Preference Share (the
"Purchase Price"), subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the
Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement, dated as of October 26, 1995 (the
"Rights Agreement"), between the Company and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, as
Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent"), which is attached as Exhibit 1 hereto and
incorporated herein by reference.
The dividend distribution of the Rights coincides with the
expiration pursuant to their terms of a prior series of preference share
purchase rights (the "Expiring Rights") distributed by the Company on November
25, 1985 pursuant to a prior Rights Agreement, dated as of November 15, 1985,
as amended (the "Expiring Rights Agreement"), between the Company and Texas
Commerce Bank, National Association, as successor rights agent thereunder.
Pursuant to the terms of the Expiring Rights Agreement, the Expiring Rights
will expire on November 25, 1995.
Until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public
announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (an
"Acquiring Person") have acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as may
be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as any
person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person) following
the commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a tender offer
or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the beneficial
ownership by a person or group of 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares
(the earlier of such dates being called the "Distribution Date"), the Rights
will be evidenced, with respect to any of the Common Share certificates
outstanding as of the Record Date, by such Common Share certificate with a
copy of a summary of the terms of the Rights ("Summary of Rights") attached
thereto.
The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date (or
earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be
transferred with and only with the Common Shares. Until the Distribution Date
(or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new Common Share
certificates issued after the Record Date upon transfer or new issuance of
Common Shares will contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by
reference. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration
of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common
Shares outstanding as of the Record Date, even without such notation or a
Summary of Rights being attached thereto, will also constitute the transfer of
the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by such certificate.
As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates
evidencing the Rights ("Right Certificates") will be mailed to holders of
record of the Common Shares as of the close of business on the Distribution
Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the Rights.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The
Rights will expire on November 25, 2005 (the "Final Expiration Date"), unless
the Final Expiration Date is extended or unless the Rights are earlier
redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case, as described below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Preference Shares or
other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject
to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a
stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the
Preference Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preference Shares of
certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Preference Shares at a
price, or securities convertible into Preference Shares with a conversion
price, less than the then-current market price of the Preference Shares or
(iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Preference Shares of evidences
of indebtedness or assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends paid out
of earnings or retained earnings or dividends payable in Preference Shares) or
of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).
The number of outstanding Rights and the number of one
one-hundredths of a Preference Share issuable upon exercise of each Right are
also subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split of the Common Shares
or a stock dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or
subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the Common Shares occurring,
in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
Preference Shares purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will not
be redeemable. Each Preference Share will be entitled to a minimum
preferential quarterly dividend payment of $1 per share but will be entitled
to an aggregate dividend of 100 times the dividend declared per Common Share.
In the event of liquidation, the holders of the Preference Shares will be
entitled to a minimum preferential liquidation payment of $100 per share but
will be entitled to an aggregate payment of 100 times the payment made per
Common Share. Each Preference Share will have 100 votes, voting together with
the Common Shares. Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or
other transaction in which Common Shares are exchanged, each Preference Share
will be entitled to receive 100 times the amount received per Common Share.
These rights are protected by customary antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preference Shares' dividend,
liquidation and voting rights, the value of the one one-hundredth interest in
a Preference Share purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate
the value of one Common Share.
In the event that the Company is acquired in a merger or other
business combination transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated assets or
earning power are sold after a person or group has become an Acquiring Person,
proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will thereafter
have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current
exercise price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of the
acquiring company which at the time of such transaction will have a market
value of two times the exercise price of the Right. In the event that any
person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an Acquiring
Person, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right, other
than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which will thereafter
be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise that number
of Common Shares having a market value of two times the exercise price of the
Right.
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person
and prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may exchange
the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which will have
become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one Common Share,
or one one-hundredth of a Preference Share (or of a share of a class or series
of the Company's Serial Preference Stock having equivalent rights, preferences
and privileges), per Right (subject to adjustment).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be
required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in
such Purchase Price. No fractional Shares will be issued (other than
fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preference
Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary
receipts) and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the
market price of the Preference Shares on the last trading day prior to the
date of exercise.
At any time prior to the acquisition by a person or group of
affiliated or associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may redeem
the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.01 per Right (the
"Redemption Price"). The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at
such time on such basis with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its
sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights,
the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the
holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.
The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors of
the Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights, including an
amendment to lower certain thresholds described above to not less than the
greater of (i) the sum of .001% and the largest percentage of the outstanding
Common Shares then known to the Company to be beneficially owned by any person
or group of affiliated or associated persons and (ii) 10%, except that from
and after such time as any person or group of affiliated or associated persons
becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may adversely affect the
interests of the holders of the Rights.
Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have
no rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the
right to vote or to receive dividends.
The foregoing description of the Rights is qualified by reference to
the Rights Agreement which is attached as Exhibit 1 hereto and incorporated
herein by reference.
As of September 30, 1995, there were 43,713,809 Common Shares
outstanding, 2,966 Common Shares held in treasury and 31,283,225 Common Shares
authorized but unissued. Also as of September 30, 1995, 126,500 and 3,450,000
shares of Preferred Stock, $8.50 Cumulative Series A, and $3.125 Convertible
Preferred Stock, respectively, were issued and outstanding, and no shares of
any series of the Company's Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value, or Serial
Preference Stock, $1.00 par value (other than the Preference Shares) were
reserved for issuance.
Item 2. Exhibits.
(1) Rights Agreement, dated as of October 26, 1995, between
Valero Energy Corporation and Harris Trust and Savings
Bank. The Rights Agreement includes a Form of Right
Certificate as Exhibit B thereto. Pursuant to the Rights
Agreement, printed Right Certificates will not be mailed until
after the date of a public announcement that a person or group
has acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the Common
Stock or until 10 days after the date a person or group has
announced its intention to make, or has made, a tender offer
or exchange offer for 20% or more of the Common Shares.
(2) Form of letter to stockholders, dated November 25, 1995.
<PAGE>
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly
authorized.
Date: October 27, 1995
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
By: /s/ Rand C. Schmidt
Rand C. Schmidt
Corporate Secretary
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
AND
HARRIS TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK,
Rights Agent
Rights Agreement
Dated as of October 26, 1995
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Section 1. Certain Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . .5
Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates . . . . . . . . . . .6
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates. . . . . . . . . . . .8
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration . . . . . . . .9
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange
of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed,
Lost or Stolen Right Certificates . . . . . . .10
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration
Date of Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right
Certificates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Preference
Shares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Section 10. Preference Shares Record Date . . . . . . . . . .14
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares
or Number of Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or
Number of Shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer
of Assets or Earning Power. . . . . . . . . . .27
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares . . . . .28
Section 15. Rights of Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders. . . . . . . . . . . .31
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a
Stockholder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .32
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . .32
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of
Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates. . . . . . . 38
Section 23. Redemption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Section 24. Exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events. . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Section 26. Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments. . . . . . . . . . . 44
Section 28. Successors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 30. Severability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 31. Governing Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 32. Counterparts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 33. Descriptive Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Exhibit A - Form of Certificate of Designation, Preferences and
Rights of Series III Junior Participating Serial
Preference Stock
Exhibit B - Form of Right Certificate
Exhibit C - Summary of Rights to Purchase Preference Shares
<PAGE>
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Rights Agreement (the "Agreement"), dated as of October 26, 1995,
between Valero Energy Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"),
and Harris Trust and Savings Bank (the "Rights Agent").
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has authorized and
declared a dividend of one preference share purchase right (a "Right") for
each Common Share (as hereinafter defined) of the Company outstanding on
November 25, 1995 (the "Record Date"), each Right representing the right to
purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Junior Participating Serial
Preference Stock, Series III, $1.00 par value, of the Company upon the terms
and subject to the conditions herein set forth and has further authorized
the issuance of one Right with respect to each Common Share that shall
become outstanding between the Record Date and the earliest of the
Distribution Date, the Redemption Date and the Final Expiration Date (as
such terms are hereinafter defined);
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement,
the following terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) "Acquiring Person" shall mean any Person (as such term is
hereinafter defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates and
Associates (as such terms are hereinafter defined) of such Person, shall be
the Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter defined) of 20% or more of
the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding, but shall not include the
Company, any Subsidiary (as such term is hereinafter defined) of the
Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the
Company, or any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of
any such plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall become an
"Acquiring Person" as the result of an acquisition of Common Shares by the
Company which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the
proportionate number of shares beneficially owned by such Person to 20% or
more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding; provided,
however, that if a Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 20% or more
of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding by reason of share
purchases by the Company and shall, after such share purchases by the
Company, become the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares of the
Company, then such Person shall be deemed an "Acquiring Person".
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Board of Directors of the Company
determines in good faith that a Person would otherwise be an "Acquiring
Person," as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph
(a), has become such inadvertently, and such Person divests as promptly as
practicable a sufficient number of Common Shares so that such Person would
no longer be an Acquiring Person, as defined pursuant to the foregoing
provisions of this paragraph (a), then such Person shall be deemed not to be
or to have been an "Acquiring Person" for any purposes of this Agreement.
(b) "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the respective
meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and
Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"Exchange Act"), as in effect on the date of this Agreement.
(c) A Person shall be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of and shall
be deemed to "beneficially own" any securities:
(i) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates has (A) the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable
immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and
between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide
public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights,
exchange rights, rights (other than these Rights), warrants or options, or
otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the
Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, securities tendered pursuant to
a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of
such Person's Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are
accepted for purchase or exchange; or (B) the right to vote pursuant to any
agreement, arrangement or understanding; provided, however, that a Person
shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, any
security if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such
security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such
Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant
to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations of the
Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the
Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report); or
(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or
indirectly, by any other Person with which such Person or any of such
Person's Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or
understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters
and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of
securities) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except to the
extent contemplated by the proviso to Section 1(c)(ii)(B)) or disposing of
any securities of the Company. Notwithstanding anything in this definition
of Beneficial Ownership to the contrary, the phrase "then outstanding", when
used with reference to a Person's Beneficial Ownership of securities of the
Company, shall mean the number of such securities then issued and
outstanding together with the number of such securities not then actually
issued and outstanding which such Person would be deemed to own beneficially
hereunder.
(d) "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday,
Sunday, or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York or
Illinois are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(e) "Close of business" on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M.,
Chicago, Illinois time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date
is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., Chicago, Illinois time, on
the next succeeding Business Day.
(f) "Common Shares" when used with reference to the Company shall
mean shares of Common Stock, $1.00 par value, of the Company. "Common
Shares" when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall
mean the capital stock (or equity interest) with the greatest voting power
of such Person or, if such Person is a subsidiary of another Person, the
Person which ultimately controls such first-mentioned Person.
(g) "Distribution Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3 hereof.
(h) "Final Expiration Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 7 hereof.
(i) "Person" shall mean any individual, firm, corporation or
other entity, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of
such entity.
(j) "Preference Shares" shall mean shares of Junior Participating
Serial Preference Stock, Series III, $1.00 par value, of the Company, having
the rights and preferences set forth in the form of Certificate of
Designation attached to this Agreement as Exhibit A.
(k) "Redemption Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
7 hereof.
(l) "Shares Acquisition Date" shall mean the first date of public
announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person
has become such.
(m) "Subsidiary" of any Person shall mean any corporation or
other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity
securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by such
Person.
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent. The Company hereby
appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company and the holders of
the Rights (who, in accordance with Section 3 hereof, shall prior to the
Distribution Date (as hereinafter defined) also be the holders of the Common
Shares) in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Rights
Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time
appoint such co-Rights Agents as it may deem necessary or desirable.
Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates. (a) Until the earlier
of (i) the tenth day after the Share Acquisition Date or (ii) the tenth
Business Day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board
of Directors prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person)
after the date of the commencement by any Person (other than the Company,
any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or
of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding Common Shares for or
pursuant to the terms of any such plan) of, or of the first public
announcement of the intention of any Person (other than the Company, any
Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of
any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding Common Shares for or
pursuant to the terms of any such Plan) to commence, a tender or exchange
offer the consummation of which would result in any person becoming the
Beneficial Owner of Common Shares aggregating 20% or more of the
then-outstanding Common Shares (including any such date which is after the
date of this Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights; the earlier
of such dates being herein referred to as the "Distribution Date"), (x) the
Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(b) hereof)
by the certificates for Common Shares registered in the names of the holders
thereof (which certificates shall also be deemed to be Right Certificates)
and not by separate Right Certificates, and (y) the right to receive Right
Certificates will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of
Common Shares. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the
Company will prepare and execute, the Rights Agent will countersign and the
Company will send or cause to be sent (and the Rights Agent will, if
requested, send), by first-class, insured, postage-prepaid mail, to each
record holder of Common Shares as of the close of business on the
Distribution Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of the
Company, a Right Certificate, in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto
(a "Right Certificate"), evidencing one Right for each Common Share so held.
As of the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such
Right Certificates.
(b) On the Record Date, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the
Company will send a copy of a Summary of Rights to Purchase Preference
Shares, in substantially the form of Exhibit C hereto (the "Summary of
Rights"), by first-class, postage-prepaid mail, to each record holder of
Common Shares as of the close of business on the Record Date, at the address
of such holder shown on the records of the Company. With respect to
certificates for Common Shares outstanding on the Record Date, until the
Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates
registered in the names of the holders thereof together with a copy of the
Summary of Rights. Until the Distribution Date (or the earlier of the
Redemption Date or Final Expiration Date), the surrender for transfer of any
certificate for Common Shares outstanding on the Record Date, with or
without a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto, shall also
constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares
represented thereby.
(c) Certificates for Common Shares which become outstanding
(including without limitation, reacquired Common Shares referred to in the
last sentence of this paragraph (c)) after the Record Date but prior to the
earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Final
Expiration Date shall have impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise
affixed to them the following legend:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to
certain Rights as set forth in a Rights Agreement between Valero Energy
Corporation and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, Chicago, Illinois, dated as
of October 26, 1995 (the "Rights Agreement"), the terms of which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the
principal executive offices of Valero Energy Corporation. Under certain
circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights will be
evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this
certificate. Valero Energy Corporation will mail to the holder of this
certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge promptly following
receipt of a written request therefor. Under certain circumstances, as set
forth in the Rights Agreement, Rights issued to any Person who becomes an
Acquiring Person (as defined in the Rights Agreement) may become null and
void.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the
Distribution Date, the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented
by such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone, and the
surrender for transfer of any such certificate shall also constitute the
transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented
thereby. In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any Common
Shares after the Record Date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights
associated with such Common Shares shall be deemed canceled and retired so
that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated
with the Common Shares which are no longer outstanding.
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates. The Right
Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase Preference Shares and of
assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially the
same as Exhibit B hereto and may have such marks of identification or
designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as
the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the
provisions of this Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any
applicable law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with
any rule or regulation of any stock exchange on which the Rights may from
time to time be listed, or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions
of Section 22 hereof, the Right Certificates shall entitle the holders
thereof to purchase such number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share
as shall be set forth therein at the price per one one-hundredth of a
Preference Share set forth therein (the "Purchase Price"), but the number of
such one one-hundredths of a Preference Share and the Purchase Price shall
be subject to adjustment as provided herein.
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration. The Right
Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of
the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its President, any of its Vice
Presidents, or its Treasurer, either manually or by facsimile signature,
shall have affixed thereto the Company's seal or a facsimile thereof, and
shall be attested by the Secretary, or an Assistant Secretary, of the
Company, either manually or by facsimile signature. The Rights Certificate
shall be manually countersigned by the Rights Agent and shall not be valid
for any purpose unless countersigned. In case any officer of the Company
who shall have signed any of the Right Certificates shall cease to be such
officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and
issuance and delivery by the Company, such Right Certificates, nevertheless,
may be countersigned by the Rights Agent, and issued and delivered by the
Company with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such
Right Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any
Right Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who,
at the actual date of the execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a
proper officer of the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at
the date of the execution of this Rights Agreement any such person was not
such an officer.
Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or
cause to be kept, at its principal offices, books for registration and
transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show
the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Right Certificates,
the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Right Certificates
and the date of each of the Right Certificates.
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of
Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificates.
Subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof, at any time after the close
of business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the close of
business on the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date,
any Right Certificate or Right Certificates (other than Right Certificates
representing Rights that have become void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii)
hereof or that have been exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof) may be
transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Right Certificate
or Right Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like
number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share as the Right Certificate
or Right Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase.
Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange
any Right Certificate shall make such request in writing delivered to the
Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right
Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the
principal office of the Rights Agent. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall
countersign and deliver to the person entitled thereto a Right Certificate
or Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may
require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge
that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination
or exchange of Right Certificates.
Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or
mutilation of a Right Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or
destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to them, and,
at the Company's request, reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent
of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the
Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate if mutilated, the
Company will make and deliver a new Right Certificate of like tenor to the
Rights Agent for delivery to the registered owner in lieu of the Right
Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date
of Rights. (a) The registered holder of any Right Certificate may exercise
the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein) in whole
or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon surrender of the
Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side
thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the principal office of the
Rights Agent, together with payment of the Purchase Price for each one
one-hundredth of a Preference Share as to which the Rights are exercised, at
or prior to the close of business on the earliest of (i) November 25, 2005
(the "Final Expiration Date"), (ii) the time at which the Rights are
redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof (the "Redemption Date"), or (iii)
the time at which such Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24
hereof.
(b) The Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preference
Share purchasable pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be
$75.00, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in
Sections 11 and 13 hereof and shall be payable in lawful money of the United
States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) below.
(c) Upon receipt of a Right Certificate representing exercisable
Rights, with the form of election to purchase duly executed, accompanied by
payment of the Purchase Price for the shares to be purchased and an amount
equal to any applicable transfer tax required to be paid by the holder of
such Right Certificate in accordance with Section 9 by certified check,
cashier's check or money order payable to the order of the Company, the
Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly (i)(A) requisition from any transfer
agent of the Preference Shares certificates for the number of Preference
Shares to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes its
transfer agent to comply with all such requests, or (B) requisition from the
depositary agent depositary receipts representing such number of one
one-hundredths of a Preference Share as are to be purchased (in which case
certificates for the Preference Shares represented by such receipts shall be
deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary agent) and the Company
hereby directs the depositary agent to comply with such request, (ii) when
appropriate, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid in
lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14, (iii)
promptly after receipt of such certificates or depositary receipts, cause
the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered holder of
such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be
designated by such holder and (iv) when appropriate, after receipt, deliver
such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right
Certificate.
(d) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate shall
exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate
evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be
issued by the Rights Agent to the registered holder of such Right
Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of
Section 14 hereof.
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates.
All Right Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer,
split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to
any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in
canceled form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by
it, and no Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as
expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Rights Agreement. The
Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement,
and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Right Certificate
purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise
thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all canceled Right Certificates to
the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such
canceled Right Certificates, and in such case shall deliver a certificate of
destruction thereof to the Company.
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Preference Shares.
The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and kept
available out of its authorized and unissued Preference Shares or any
Preference Shares held in its treasury, the number of Preference Shares that
will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights
in accordance with Section 7. The Company covenants and agrees that it will
take all such action as may be necessary to ensure that all Preference
Shares delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of
the certificates for such Preference Shares (subject to payment of the
Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid
and nonassessable shares.
The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due
and payable any and all federal and state transfer taxes and charges which
may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right
Certificates or of any Preference Shares upon the exercise of Rights. The
Company shall not, however, be required to pay any transfer tax which may be
payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Right Certificates to a
Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of certificates for the
Preference Shares in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the
Right Certificate evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise or to issue or
deliver any certificates for Preference Shares upon the exercise of any
Rights until any such tax shall have been paid (any such tax being payable
by the holder of such Right Certificate at the time of surrender) or until
it has been established to the Company's satisfaction that no such tax is
due.
Section 10. Preference Shares Record Date. Each Person in
whose name any certificate for Preference Shares is issued upon the exercise
of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of
record of the Preference Shares represented thereby on, and such certificate
shall be dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such
Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any
applicable transfer taxes) was made; provided, however, that if the date of
such surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preference Shares
transfer books of the Company are closed, such Person shall be deemed to
have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificates shall
be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preference Shares
transfer books of the Company are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights
evidenced thereby, the holder of a Right Certificate shall not be entitled
to any rights of a holder of Preference Shares for which the Rights shall be
exercisable, including, without limitation, the right to vote, to receive
dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and
shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the
Company, except as provided herein.
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares or
Number of Rights. The Purchase Price, the number of Preference Shares
covered by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to
adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.
(a) (i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the
date of this Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Preference Shares
payable in Preference Shares, (B) subdivide the outstanding Preference
Shares, (C) combine the outstanding Preference Shares into a smaller number
of Preference Shares or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a
reclassification of the Preference Shares (including any such
reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the
Company is the continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise
provided in this Section 11(a), the Purchase Price in effect at the time of
the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such
subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of
shares of capital stock issuable on such date, shall be proportionately
adjusted so that the holder of any Right exercised after such time shall be
entitled to receive the aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock
which, if such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date and
at a time when the Preference Shares transfer books of the Company were
open, he would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by
virtue of such dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification;
provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon
the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares
of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right.
(ii) Subject to Section 24 of this Agreement, in the event
any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right shall
thereafter have a right to receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal
to the then current Purchase Price multiplied by the number of one
one-hundredths of a Preference Share for which a Right is then exercisable,
in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preference
Shares, such number of Common Shares of the Company as shall equal the
result obtained by (x) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the
number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share for which a Right is then
exercisable and dividing that product by (y) 50% of the then current per
share market price of the Company's Common Shares (determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of the occurrence of such event. In the
event that any Person shall become an Acquiring Person and the Rights shall
then be outstanding, the Company shall not take any action which would
eliminate or diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights;
provided, however, that this provision shall not be construed to preclude
the Board of Directors from determining that such Person is not an
"Acquiring Person" in accordance with the first sentence of Section 1(a).
From and after the occurrence of such event, any Rights that are
or were acquired or beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person (or any
Associate or Affiliate of such Acquiring Person) shall be void and any
holder of such Rights shall thereafter have no right to exercise such Rights
under any provision of this Agreement. No Right Certificate shall be issued
pursuant to Section 3 that represents Rights beneficially owned by an
Acquiring Person whose Rights would be void pursuant to the preceding
sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof; no Right Certificate shall
be issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person
whose Rights would be void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any
Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person,
Associate or Affiliate; and any Right Certificate delivered to the Rights
Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be void
pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof
shall be canceled.
(iii) In the event that there shall not be sufficient
Common Shares authorized and unissued or issued but not outstanding to
permit the exercise in full of all exercisable Rights in accordance with the
foregoing subparagraph (ii), the Company shall take all such action as may
be necessary to authorize additional Common Shares for issuance upon
exercise of the Rights. In the event the Company shall, after good faith
effort, be unable to take all actions as may be necessary to authorize such
additional Common Shares, the Company shall substitute for each Common Share
that would otherwise be issuable upon exercise of a Right, a number of
shares of its Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value ("Preferred Stock"), Serial
Preference Stock, $1.00 par value ("Serial Preference Stock") or other
equity securities of the Company or fraction thereof such that the current
per share market value of one such share of Preferred Stock or Serial
Preference Stock or other equity security multiplied by such number or
fraction is equal to the current per share market price of one Common Share
as of the date of issuance of such Preferred Stock, Serial Preference Stock,
or other equity security or fraction thereof. In the event that there shall
not be sufficient Preferred Stock and Serial Preference Stock or other
equity securities of the Company authorized and unissued or issued but not
outstanding to permit substitution of Preferred Stock or Serial Preference
Stock or other equity securities for Common Shares in accordance with the
preceding sentence, and the Company after good faith effort is unable to
take all action as may be necessary to authorize such additional Preferred
Stock or Serial Preference Stock or other equity securities, the Company
shall: (i) determine in accordance with Section 11(d) hereof the value of
the Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of a Right and (ii) with
respect to each Right, upon exercise thereof, issue Common Shares to the
extent available and, when Common Shares are no longer available, make
adequate provision to substitute for the Common Shares not received upon
exercise thereof (1) cash, (2) Preferred Stock or Serial Preference Stock or
other equity securities of the Company, (3) debt securities of the Company,
(4) other assets of the Company, (5) a reduction of the Purchase Price, or
(6) any combination of the foregoing, having a value (as determined in good
faith by the Board of Directors of the Company) which, when added to the
value (determined in accordance with Section 11(d) hereof) of the Common
Shares actually issued upon exercise of such Right, shall have an aggregate
value equal to the value of the Common Shares for which such Right is
exercisable.
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance
of rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preference Shares entitling
them (for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date)
to subscribe for or purchase Preference Shares (or shares having the same
rights, privileges and preferences as the Preference Shares ("equivalent
preference shares")) or securities convertible into Preference Shares or
equivalent preference shares at a price per Preference Share or equivalent
preference share (or having a conversion price per share, if a security
convertible into Preference Shares or equivalent preference shares) less
than the current per share market price of the Preference Shares (as defined
in Section 11(d)) on such record date, the Purchase Price to be in effect
after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price
in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator
of which shall be the number of Preference Shares outstanding on such record
date plus the number of Preference Shares which the aggregate offering price
of the total number of Preference Shares and/or equivalent preference shares
so to be offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the
convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase at such current
market price and the denominator of which shall be the number of Preference
Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of additional
Preference Shares and/or equivalent preference shares to be offered for
subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities so to be
offered are initially convertible); provided, however, that in no event
shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less
than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company
issuable upon exercise of one Right. In case such subscription price may be
paid in a consideration part or all of which shall be in a form other than
cash, the value of such consideration shall be as determined in good faith
by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be
described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent. Preference Shares
owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed
outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall
be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event
such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall
be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such
record date had not been fixed.
(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the making of
a distribution to all holder of the Preference Shares (including any such
distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the
Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) or evidences of
indebtedness or assets (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend or a
dividend payable in Preference Shares) or subscription rights or warrants
(excluding those referred to in Section 11(b)), the Purchase Price to be in
effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the
Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a
fraction, the numerator of which shall be the current per share market price
of the Preference Shares on such record date, less the fair market value (as
determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose
determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent)
of the portion of the assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be
distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants applicable to one
Preference Share and the denominator of which shall be such current per
share market price of the Preference Shares; provided, however, that in no
event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be
less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the
Company issuable upon exercise of one Right. Such adjustments shall be make
successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that
such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted
to be the Purchase
Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(d) (i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the
"current per share market price" of any security (a "Security" for purposes
of this Section 11) on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the
daily closing prices per share of such Security for the 30 consecutive
Trading Days (as such term is hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such
date; provided, however, that in the event that the current per share market
price of the Security is determined during a period following the
announcement by the issuer of such Security of (A) a dividend or
distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security or
securities convertible into such shares, or (B) any subdivision, combination
or reclassification of such Security and prior to the expiration of 30
Trading Days after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution,
or the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification,
then, and in each such case, the current market price shall be appropriately
adjusted to reflect the current market price per share equivalent of such
Security. The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price,
regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average
of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported
in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to
securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or,
if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock
Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting
system with respect to securities listed on the principal national
securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading
or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national
securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average
of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as
reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated
Quotation System ("NASDAQ") or such other system then in use, or, if on any
such date the Security is not quoted by any such organization, the average
of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market
maker making a market in the Security selected by the Board of Directors of
the Company. The term "Trading Day" shall mean a day on which the principal
national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to
trading is open for the transaction of business or, if the Security is not
listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a
Business Day.
(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the "current
per share market price" of the Preference Shares shall be determined in
accordance with the method set forth in Section 11(d)(i). If the Preference
Shares are not publicly traded, the "current per share market price" of the
Preference Shares shall be conclusively deemed to be the current per share
market price of the Common Shares as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)
(i) (appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or
similar transaction occurring after the date hereof), multiplied by one
hundred. If neither the Common Shares nor the Preference Shares are
publicly held or so listed or traded, "current per share market price" shall
mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board of
Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a
statement filed with the Rights Agent.
(e) No adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless
such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the
Purchase Price; provided, however, that any adjustments which by reason of
this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and
taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under
this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest
one-millionth of a Preference Share or one ten-thousandth of any other share
or Security as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this
Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no
later than the earlier of (i) three years from the date of the transaction
which requires such adjustment or (ii) the date of the expiration of the
right to exercise any Rights.
(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section
11(a), the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to
receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Preference
Shares, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon
exercise of any Right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a
manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions
with respect to the Preference Shares contained in Section 11(a) through
(c), inclusive, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10 and 13 with respect
to the Preference Shares shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any
adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to
purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one one-hundredths
of a Preference Share purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise
of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as
provided in Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a
result of the calculations made in Section 11(b) and (c), each Right
outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall
thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price,
that number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share (calculated to the
nearest one one-millionth of a Preference Share) obtained by (i) multiplying
(x) the number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share covered by a
Right immediately prior to this adjustment by (y) the Purchase Price in
effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Purchase Price and (ii)
dividing the product so obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately
after such adjustment of the Purchase Price.
(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment
of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution for
any adjustment in the number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share
purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding
after such adjustment of the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the
number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share for which a Right was
exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of record
prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of
Rights (calculated to the nearest one ten-thousandth) obtained by dividing
the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase
Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the
Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement of its
election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the
adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be
made. This record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is
adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have been
issued, shall be at least 10 days later than the date of the public
announcement. If Right Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment
of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the Company shall,
as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of
Right Certificates on such record date Right Certificates evidencing,
subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders
shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the
Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in
substitution and replacement for the Right Certificates held by such holders
prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by
the Company, new Right Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such
holders shall be entitled after such adjustment. Right Certificates so to
be distributed shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner
provided for herein and shall be registered in the names of the holders of
record of Right Certificates on the record date specified in the public
announcement.
(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase
Price or the number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share issuable
upon the exercise of the Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and
thereafter issued may continue to express the Purchase Price and the number
of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share which were expressed in the
initial Right Certificates issued hereunder.
(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment
reducing the Purchase Price below one one-hundredth of the then par value,
if any, of the Preference Shares issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the
Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the opinion of its
counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally
issue fully paid and nonassessable Preference Shares at such adjusted
Purchase Price.
(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an
adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a
specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such
event the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record
date of the Preference Shares and other capital stock or securities of the
Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the Preference
Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any,
issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect
prior to such adjustment; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver
to such holder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such
holder's right to receive such additional shares upon the occurrence of the
event requiring such adjustment.
(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding,
the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase Price,
in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as
and to the extent that it in its sole discretion shall determine to be
advisable in order that any consolidation or subdivision of the Preference
Shares, issuance wholly for cash of any Preference Shares at less than the
current market price, issuance wholly for cash of Preference Shares or
securities which by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for
Preference Shares, dividends on Preference Shares, dividends on Preference
Shares payable in Preference Shares or issuance of rights, options or
warrants referred to hereinabove in Section 11(b), hereafter made by the
Company to holders of its Preference Shares shall not be taxable to such
shareholders.
(n) In the event that at any time after the date of this
Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall, (i) declare
or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or (ii)
effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by
reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares)
into a greater or lesser number of Common Shares, then in any case (A) the
number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share purchasable after such
event upon proper exercise of each Right shall be determined by multiplying
the number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share so purchasable
immediately prior to such event by a fraction, the numerator of which is the
number of Common Shares outstanding immediately before such event and the
denominator of which is the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately
after such event, and (B) each Common Share outstanding immediately after
such event shall have issued with respect to it that number of Rights which
each Common Share outstanding immediately prior to such event had issued
with respect to it. The adjustments provided for in this Section 11(n)
shall be made successively whenever such a dividend is declared or paid or
such subdivision, combination or consolidation is effected.
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of
Shares. Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Sections 11 and 13
hereof, the Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth
such adjustment, and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such
adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for
the Common Shares or the Preference Shares a copy of such certificate and
(c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Right Certificate in
accordance with Section 25 hereof.
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets
or Earning Power. In the event, directly or indirectly, at any time after a
Person has become an Acquiring Person (a) the Company shall consolidate
with, or merger with or into, any other Person, (b) any Person shall
consolidate with the Company, or merge with and into the Company and the
Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such merger and,
in connection with such merger, all or part of the Common Shares shall be
changed into or exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person
(or the Company) or cash or any other property, or (c) the Company shall
sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or
otherwise transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power
aggregating more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and
its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person other than the
Company or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, then, and in each
such case, proper provision shall be made so that (i) each holder of a Right
(except as otherwise provided herein) shall thereafter have the right to
receive, upon the exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current
Purchase Price multiplied by the number of one one-hundredths of a
Preference Share for which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with
the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preference Shares, such number of
Common Shares of such other Person (including the Company as successor
thereto or as the surviving corporation) as shall equal the result obtained
by (A) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of one
one-hundredths of a Preference Share for which a Right is then exercisable
and dividing that product by (B) 50% of the then current per share market
price of the Common Shares of such other Person (determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of consummation of such consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer; (ii) the issuer of such Common Shares shall
thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer, all the obligations and duties of the Company
pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term "Company" shall thereafter be
deemed to refer to such issuer; and (iv) such issuer shall take such steps
(including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient number of
shares of its Common Shares in accordance with Section 9) in connection with
such consummation as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof
shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation
to the Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights.
The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger, sale or
transfer unless prior thereto the Company and such issuer shall have
executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement so
providing. The Company shall not enter into any transaction of the kind
referred to in this Section 13 if at the time of such transaction there are
any rights, warrants, instruments or securities outstanding or any
agreements or arrangements which, as a result of the consummation of such
transaction, would eliminate or substantially diminish the benefits intended
to be afforded by the Rights. The provisions of this Section 13 shall
similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations or sales or other
transfers.
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares. (a) The
Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or to distribute
Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of such
fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the
Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would
otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the
current market value of a whole Right. For the purposes of this Section
14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price
of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which
such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable. The closing
price for any day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no
such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked
prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal
consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed
or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Rights are
not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as
reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with
respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange
on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Rights are
not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the
last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low
asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such
other system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted
by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as
furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Rights
selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such date no
such market maker is making a market in the Rights the fair value of the
Rights on such date as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of
the Company shall be used.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Preference Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one
one-hundredth of a Preference Share) upon exercise of the Rights or to
distribute certificates which evidence fractional Preference Shares (other
than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a
Preference Share). Fractions of Preference Shares in integral multiples of
one one-hundredth of a Preference Share may, at the election of the Company,
be evidenced by depositary receipts, pursuant to an appropriate agreement
between the Company and a depositary selected by it; provided, that such
agreement shall provide that the holders of such depositary receipts shall
have all the rights, privileges and preferences to which they are entitled
as beneficial owners of the Preference Shares represented by such depositary
receipts. In lieu of fractional Preference Shares that are not integral
multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preference Share, the Company shall pay
to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such Rights are
exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of
the current market value of one Preference Share. For the purposes of this
Section 14(b), the current market value of a Preference Share shall be the
closing price of a Preference Share (as determined pursuant to the second
sentence of Section 11(d)(i)) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the
date of such exercise.
(c) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of Rights expressly
waives his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares
upon exercise of a Right (except as provided above).
Section 15. Rights of Action. All rights of action in respect
of this Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent
under Section 18 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of
the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered
holders of the Common Shares); and any registered holder of any Right
Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares),
without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right
Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), may,
in his own behalf and for his own benefit, enforce, and may institute and
maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or
otherwise act in respect of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by
such Right Certificate in the manner provided in such Right Certificate and
in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available
to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders
of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this
Agreement and will be entitled to specific performance of the obligations
under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of, the
obligations of any Person subject to this Agreement.
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders. Every holder of a
Right, by accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the
Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be
transferable only in connection with the transfer of the Common Shares;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates are
transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered
at the principal office of the Rights Agent, duly endorsed or accompanied by
a proper instrument of transfer; and
(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the
person in whose name the Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution
Date, the associated Common Shares certificate) is registered as the
absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding
any notations of ownership or writing on the Right Certificate or the
associated Common Shares certificate made by anyone other than the Company
or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company
nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder.
No holder, as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote,
receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preference
Shares or any other securities of the Company which may at any time be
issuable on the exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall
anything contained herein or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer
upon the holder of any Right Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a
stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of
directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting
thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to
receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except
as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription
rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Right
Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with the provisions
hereof.
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent. The Company agrees to
pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by
it hereunder and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, its
reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other disbursements incurred in the
administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and
performance of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify
the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability,
or expense, incurred without negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on
the part of the Rights Agent, for anything done or omitted by the Rights
Agent in connection with the acceptance and administration of this
Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim
of liability in the premises.
The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability
for, or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in
connection with, its administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any
Right Certificate or certificate for the Preference Shares or Common Shares
or for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or
transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice,
direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other paper or document
believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where
necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper person or persons, or
otherwise upon the advice of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof.
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights
Agent. Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights
Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidate, or any corporation
resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to
the stock transfer or corporate trust power of the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under
this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further
act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided, that such
corporation would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent
under the provisions of Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such
successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this
Agreement, any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but
not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may adopt the
countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Right
Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right
Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent
may countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the
predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and
in all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided
in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.
In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed
and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned
but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its
prior name and deliver Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at
that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned,
the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in its prior
name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Right Certificates
shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in this
Agreement.
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent
undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the
following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders
of Right Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be
legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be
full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as to any
action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such
opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any
fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or
suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence
in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be
conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by any one of
the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any
Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Company and delivered
to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full authorization to the
Rights Agent for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it under the
provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder to the Company and
any other Person only for its own negligence, bad faith or willful
misconduct.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any
of the statement of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the
Right Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to
verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be
deemed to have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in
respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery
hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect
of the validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its
countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the
Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any
Right Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the
exercisability of the Rights (including the Rights becoming void pursuant to
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) or any adjustment in the terms of the Rights
(including the manner, method or amount thereof) provided for in Sections 3,
11, 13, 23 or 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would
require any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise
of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates after actual notice that such
change or adjustment is required); nor shall it by any act hereunder be
deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or
reservation of any Preference Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement
or any Right Certificate or as to whether any Preference Shares or other
security will, when issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and
nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute,
acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and
delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may
reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or
performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept
instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from
any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the
President, any Vice President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the
Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in
connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable for any action taken
or suffered to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with instructions
of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those
instructions.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or
employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or
other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any
transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend
money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were
not Rights Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the
Rights Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any
other legal entity.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights
or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or
by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be
answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any
such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any
such act, default, neglect or misconduct, provided reasonable care was
exercised in the selection and continued employment thereof.
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under
this Agreement upon 30 days' notice in writing mailed to the Company and to
each transfer agent of the Common Shares and Preference Shares by registered
or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates by
first-class mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent upon 30 days' notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or
successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of
the Common Shares and Preference Shares by registered or certified mail, and
to the holders of the Right Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights
Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of
acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the
Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after
giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of
such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights
Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (who shall, with such notice,
submit his Right Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the
registered holder of any Right Certificate may apply to any court of
competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any
successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court,
shall be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the
United States or of the State of New York or Texas (or of any other state of
the United States so long as such corporation is authorized to do business
as a banking institution in the State of New York or Texas), in good
standing, having a principal office in the State of New York or Texas, which
is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and is
subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority and
which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a combined capital
and surplus of at least $50 million. After appointment, the successor
Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and
responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without
further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and
transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it
hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or
deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any
such appointment the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the
predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Shares and
Preference Shares, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered
holders of the Right Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for
in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the
legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or
the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to
the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates
evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors
to reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price per share and the
number or kind or class of shares or other securities or property
purchasable under the Right Certificates made in accordance with the
provisions of this Agreement.
Section 23. Redemption. (a) the Board of Directors of the
Company may, at its option, at any time prior to such time as any Person
becomes an Acquiring Person redeem all but not less than all the then
outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $.01 per Right, appropriately
adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction
occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter
referred to as the "Redemption Price"). The redemption of the Rights by the
Board of Directors may be made effective at such time, on such basis and
with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may
establish.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the redemption of the Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of
this Section 23, and without any further action and without any notice, the
right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of
the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The Company
shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption; provided, however,
that the failure to give, or any defect in, any such notice shall not affect
the validity of such redemption. Within 10 days after such action of the
Board of Directors ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company shall
mail a notice of redemption to all the holders of then outstanding Rights at
their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights
Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the
transfer agent for the Common Shares. Any notice which is mailed in the
manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder
receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method
by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made. Neither the
Company nor any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or
purchase for value any Rights at any time in any manner other than that
specifically set forth in this Section 23 or in Section 24 hereof, and other
than in connection with the purchase of Common Shares prior to the
Distribution Date.
Section 24. Exchange. (a) The Board of Directors of the
Company may, at its option, at any time after any Person becomes an
Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and
exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become void
pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) for Common Shares at
an exchange ratio of one Common Share per Right, appropriately adjusted to
reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring
after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as
the "Exchange Ratio"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of
Directors shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after
any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any
employee benefit plan of the Company or any such Subsidiary, or any entity
holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan),
together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the
Beneficial owner of 50% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of
this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the
right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter
of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of Common Shares
equal to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the
Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such
exchange; provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in,
such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange. The Company
promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of
such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books
of the Rights Agent. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein
provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the
notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the
exchange of the Common Shares for Rights will be effected and, in the event
of any partial exchange, the number of Rights which will be exchanged. Any
partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights
(other than Rights which have become void pursuant to the provisions of
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.
(c) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares
issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange
of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company
shall take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional
Common Shares for issuance upon exchange of the Rights. In the event the
Company shall, after good faith effort, be unable to take all such action as
may be necessary to authorize such additional Common Shares, the Company
shall substitute, for each Common Share that would otherwise be issuable
upon exchange of a Right, a number of Preference Shares or fraction thereof
such that the current per share market price of one Preference Share
multiplied by such number or fraction is equal to the current per share
market price of one Common Share as of the date of issuance of such
Preference Shares or fraction thereof.
(d) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Common Shares or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Common
Shares. In lieu of such fractional Common Shares, the Company shall pay to
the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such
fractional Common Shares would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal
to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Common Share.
For the purposes of this paragraph (d), the current market value of a whole
Common Share shall be the closing price of a Common Share (as determined
pursuant to the second sentence of Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading
Day immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events. (a) In case the Company
shall propose (i) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the
holders of its Preference Shares or to make any other distribution to the
holders of its Preference Shares (other than a regular quarterly cash
dividend), or (ii) to offer to the holders of its Preference Shares rights
or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional Preference Shares
or shares of stock of any class or any other securities, rights or options,
or (iii) to effect any reclassification of its Preference Shares (other than
a reclassification involving only the subdivision of outstanding Preference
Shares), or (iv) to effect any consolidation or merger into or with, or to
effect any sale or other transfer (or to permit one of more of its
Subsidiaries to effect any sale or other transfer), in one or more
transactions, of 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company
and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any other Person, or (v) to
effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, or (vi) to
declare or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or
to effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares
(by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common
Shares), then, in each such case, the Company shall give to each holder of a
Right Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such
proposed action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of
such stock dividend, distribution of rights, warrants or Rights, or the date
on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer,
liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the date of
participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or Preference
Shares, if any such date is to be fixed, and such notice shall be so given
in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least 10
days prior to the record date for determining holders of the Preference
Shares for purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other
action, at least 10 days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed
action or the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common
Shares and/or Preference Shares, whichever shall be the earlier.
(b) In case the event set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) of this
Agreement shall occur, then, in any such case, the Company shall as soon as
practicable thereafter give to each holder of a Right Certificate, in
accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event,
which shall specify the event and the consequences of the event to holder of
Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
Section 26. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this
Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any
Right Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made
if sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another
address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
Valero Energy Corporation
530 McCullough Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78215
Attention: Corporate Secretary
Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand
authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the
holder of any Right Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be
sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid,
addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as
follows:
Harris Trust and Savings Bank
311 W. Monroe
Chicago, IL 60606
Attention: Shareholder Services Division
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the
Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate shall be
sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid,
addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the
registry books of the Company.
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments. The Company may from
time to time supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any
holders of Right Certificates in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or
supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or
inconsistent with any other provisions herein, or to make any other
provisions with respect to the Rights which the Company may deem necessary
or desirable, any such supplement or amendment to be evidenced by a writing
signed by the Company and the Rights Agent; provided, however that from and
after such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, this Agreement
shall not be amended in any manner which would adversely affect the
interests of the holders of Rights. Without limiting the foregoing, the
Company may at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an
Acquiring Person amend this Agreement to lower the thresholds set forth in
Sections 1(a) and 3(a) to not less than the greater of (i) the sum of .001%
and the largest percentage of the outstanding Common Shares then known by
the Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other than the Company,
any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or
any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding Common Shares for or
pursuant to the terms of any such plan) and (ii) 10%.
Section 28. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of
this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent
shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and
assigns hereunder.
Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement. Nothing in this
Agreement shall be construed to give to any person or corporation other than
the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right
Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares) any
legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this
Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the
Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and,
prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares).
Section 30. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or
restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction
or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of
the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall
remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or
invalidated.
Section 31. Governing Law. This Agreement and each Right
Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the
laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts
to be made and performed entirely within such State.
Section 32. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in
any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all
purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall
together constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 33. Descriptive Headings. Descriptive headings of the
several Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and
shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the
provisions hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement
to be duly executed and attested, all as of the day and year first above
written.
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
Attest:
By_________________________________ By______________________________
Rand C. Schmidt Don M. Heep
Secretary Senior Vice President
HARRIS TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK
Attest:
By_________________________________ By______________________________
Title
<PAGE>
Exhibit A
FORM
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION, PREFERENCES AND RIGHTS OF
JUNIOR PARTICIPATING SERIAL PREFERENCE STOCK, SERIES III
of
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
Pursuant to Section 151(g) of the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware
We, Don M. Heep, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer, and Rand C. Schmidt, Corporate Secretary, of Valero Energy
Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "Corporation"), in accordance
with the provisions of Section 151(g) thereof, DO HEREBY CERTIFY:
That pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of
Directors by the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the
"Restated Certificate of Incorporation") of the said Corporation, the said
Board of Directors on October 26, 1995 adopted the following resolution
creating a series of one million (1,000,000) shares of Serial Preference
Stock, $1.00 par value, designated as Junior Participating Serial Preference
Stock, Series III:
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority vested in the Board of
Directors of this Corporation in accordance with the provisions of its
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, a series of Serial Preference Stock,
$1.00 par value, of the Corporation be, and it hereby is, created, and that
the designation and amount thereof and the voting powers, preferences and
relative, participating, optional and other special rights of the shares of
such series, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof are
as follows:
Section 1. Designation and Amount. The shares of such series
shall be designated as "Junior Participating Serial Preference Stock, Series
III" (the "Series III Preference Stock") and the number of shares
constituting such series shall be 1,000,000. Such number of shares may be
increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors; provided,
that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series III Preference
Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus the
number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding
options, rights or warrants or upon the conversion of any outstanding
securities issued by the Corporation convertible into Series III Preference
Stock.
Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.
(A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of
the Preferred Stock (and of the holders of any shares of any series of
Serial Preference Stock by its terms ranking prior and superior to the
shares of Series III Preference Stock with respect to dividends), the
holders of shares of Series III Preference Stock, in preference to the
holders of Common Stock and of any other junior stock, shall be entitled to
receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds
legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on
the first day of March, June, September and December in each year (each such
date being referred to herein as a "Quarterly Dividend Payment Date"),
commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first
issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series III Preference Stock,
in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the greater of
(a) $1 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth,
100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and 100
times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash
dividends or other distributions other than a dividend payable in shares of
Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share, of the Corporation (the "Common
Stock") or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by
reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the
immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or, with respect to
the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any
share or fraction of a share of Series III Preference Stock. In the event
the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on Common
Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or
combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by
reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of
Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock,
then in each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series III
Preference Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under clause
(b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount
by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock
outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the
number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to
such event.
(B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on
the Series III Preference Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section
immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock
(other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that, in
the event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common
Stock during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the
next subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1 per share
on the Series III Preference Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such
subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on
outstanding shares of Series III Preference Stock from the Quarterly
Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares of
Series III Preference Stock, unless the date of issue of such shares is
prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in
which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of
issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of
holders of shares of Series III Preference Stock entitled to receive a
quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in
either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be
cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid
dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series
III Preference Stock in an amount less than the total amount of such
dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated
pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time
outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the
determination of holders of shares of Series III Preference Stock entitled
to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which
record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for the
payment thereof.
Section 3. Voting Rights. The holders of shares of Series III
Preference Stock shall have the following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set
forth, each share of Series III Preference Stock shall entitle the holder
thereof to 100 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders
of the Corporation. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare
or pay any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or
effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of
a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater of lesser number of
shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the number of votes per share
to which holders of shares of Series III Preference Stock were entitled
immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such number
by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock
outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the
number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to
such event.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein, in any other Certificate
of Designation creating a series of Serial Preference Stock or other similar
stock or by law, the holders of shares of Series III Preference Stock and
the holders of shares of Common Stock and any other capital stock of the
Corporation having general voting rights shall vote together as one class on
all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) Except as set forth herein, or otherwise provided by law,
holders of Series III Preference Stock shall have no special voting rights
and their consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are
entitled to vote with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for
taking any corporate action.
Section 4. Certain Restrictions.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or
distributions payable on the Series III Preference Stock as provided in
Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid
dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of Series
III Preference Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the
Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends on, make any other
distributions on, or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for
consideration any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or
upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series III Preference
Stock;
(ii) declare or pay dividends on or make any other
distributions on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to
dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series
III Preference Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series III
Preference Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are payable or
in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all
such shares are then entitled;
(iii) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for
consideration shares of any stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or
upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series III Preference
Stock, provided that the Corporation may at any time redeem, purchase or
otherwise acquire shares of any such junior stock in exchange for shares of
any stock of the Corporation ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
dissolution, liquidation or winding up) to the Series III Preference Stock;
or
(iv) purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any
shares of Series III Preference Stock, or any shares of stock ranking on a
parity with the Series III Preference Stock, except in accordance with a
purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the Board
of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of
Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and
other relative rights and preferences of the respective series and classes,
shall determine in good faith will result in fair and equitable treatment
among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the
Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of
stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A)
of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time
and in such manner.
Section 5. Reacquired Shares. Any shares of Series III
Preference Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation in any
manner whatsoever shall be retired and canceled promptly after the
acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their cancellation become
authorized but unissued shares of Serial Preference Stock and may be
reissued as part of a new series of Serial Preference Stock to be created by
resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors, subject to the
conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein, in the Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, or in any other Certificate of Designation
creating a series of Serial Preference Stock or any similar stock or as
otherwise required by law.
Section 6. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up. Upon any
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, no distribution
shall be make (1) to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either
as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the
Series III Preference Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of
Series III Preference Stock shall have received $100 per share, plus an
amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon,
whether or not declared, to the date of such payment, provided that the
holders of shares of Series III Preference Stock shall be entitled to
receive an aggregate amount per share, subject to the provision for
adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 100 times the aggregate amount to
be distributed per share to holders of Common Stock, or (2) to the holders
of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up) with the Series III Preference Stock, except
distributions made ratably on the Series III Preference Stock and all other
such parity stock in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of
all such shares are entitled upon such liquidation, dissolution or winding
up. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any
dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a
subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend
in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of
Common Stock, then in each such case the aggregate amount to which holders
of shares of Series III Preference Stock were entitled immediately prior to
such event under the proviso in clause (1) of the preceding sentence shall
be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which
is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such
event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock
that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 7. Consolidation, Merger, etc. In case the
Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other
transaction in which the shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed
into other stock or securities, cash and/or any of the property, then in any
such case the shares of Series III Preference Stock shall at the same time
be similarly exchanged or changed in an amount per share (subject to the
provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth) equal to 100 times the
aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property
(payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of
Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Corporation shall at
any time declare or pay any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of
Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by
payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser
number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount set
forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or change of
shares of Series III Preference Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such
amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding
immediately prior to such event.
Section 8. No Redemption. The shares of Series III Preference
Stock shall not be redeemable.
Section 9. Rank. The Series III Preference Stock shall rank,
with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets,
junior to all other series of the Corporation's Serial Preference Stock.
Section 10. Amendment. The Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be amended in any manner which
would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights
of the Series III Preference Stock so as to affect them adversely without
the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding shares
of Series III Preference Stock, voting together as a single class.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Certificate of Designation is executed on
behalf of the Corporation by its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer and attested by its Corporate Secretary this __________ day of
____________________, 1995.
________________________________
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
ATTEST:
_______________________________
Corporate Secretary
<PAGE>
Exhibit B
[Form of Right Certificate]
Certificate No. R- Rights
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER NOVEMBER 25, 2005 OR
EARLIER IF NOTICE OF REDEMPTION OR EXCHANGE
OCCURS. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT
$.01 PER RIGHT AND TO EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS SET
FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT.
Right Certificate
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
This certifies that _______________________________________, or
registered assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set
forth above, each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms,
provisions and conditions of the Rights Agreement dated as of October 26,
1995 (the "Rights Agreement") between Valero Energy Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, a national
banking association (the "Rights Agent"), to purchase from the Company at
any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Rights
Agreement) and prior to 5:00 P.M. (New York City time) on November 25, 2005
at the principal office of the Rights Agent, or at the office of its
successor as Rights Agent, one one-hundredth of a fully paid non-assessable
share of Junior Participating Serial Preference Stock, Series III, $1.00 par
value (the "Preference Shares"), of the Company, at a purchase price of
$75.00 per one one-hundredth of a Preference Share (the "Purchase Price"),
upon presentation and surrender of this Right Certificate with the Form of
Election to Purchase duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this
Right Certificate (and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preference
Share which may be purchased upon exercise thereof) set forth above, and the
Purchase Price per share set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price
as of November 25, 1995, based on the Preference Shares as constituted at
such date. As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price and the
number of one one-hundredths of a Preference Share which may be purchased
upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are
subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening of certain events.
This Right Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions
and conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and
conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part
hereof and to which Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full
description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and
immunities hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the
Rights Certificates. Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the
principal executive offices of Valero Energy Corporation and the
above-mentioned offices of the Rights Agent.
This Right Certificate, with or without other Right Certificates,
upon surrender at the principal office of the Rights Agent, may be exchanged
for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates of like tenor and date
evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number
of Preference Shares as the Rights evidenced by the Right Certificate or
Right Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase.
If this Right Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be
entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Right Certificate or Right
Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights
evidenced by this Certificate (i) may be redeemed by the Company at a
redemption price of $.01 per Right, or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in
part for Preference Shares or shares of the Company's Common Stock, $1.00
par value.
No fractional Preference Shares will be issued upon the exercise
of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are
integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preference Share, which may, at
the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but in
lieu thereof a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Rights
Agreement.
No holder of this Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote or
receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preference
Shares or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time be
issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights
Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such,
any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for
the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at
any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action,
or, to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders
(except as provided in the Rights Agreement), or to receive dividends or
subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by
this Right Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Rights
Agreement.
This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any
purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the
Company and its corporate seal. Dated as of .
ATTEST: VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
_____________________________ By____________________________
Countersigned:
HARRIS TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK
By___________________________
Authorized Signature
<PAGE>
[Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate]
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Right Certificates.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED _______________________________ hereby sells,
assigns and transfers unto _____________________________________________
(Please print name and address of transferee)
________________________________________________________________________
this Right Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein,
and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint _______________ Attorney,
to transfer the within Right Certificate on the books of the within-named
Company, with full power of substitution.
Date: , 19
________________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member firm of a registered
national securities exchange, a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc., or a commercial bank or trust company having an
office or correspondent in the United States.
__________________________________________________________________________
(To be completed if applicable)
The undersigned hereby certifies that the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate are not beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement).
_________________________________
Signature
_________________________________________________________________________
<PAGE>
[Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate -- continued]
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires
exercise the Right Certificate.)
To: VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise
Rights represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the Preference
Shares issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that
certificates for such Preference Shares be issued in the name of:
Please insert social security
or other identifying number
____________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
__________________________________________________________________________
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate, a new Right Certificate for the balance remaining of such
Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
Please insert social security
or other identifying number
__________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
_________________________________________________________________________
Dated: __________________, 19___
______________________________
Signature
(Signature must conform in all respects
to name of holder as specified on the
face of this Right Certificate in every
particular, without alteration or
enlargement or change whatsoever.)
<PAGE>
[Form of Reverse Side or Right Certificate -- continued]
Signature Guaranteed:
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member firm of a registered
national securities exchange, a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc., or a commercial bank or trust company having an
office or correspondent in the United States.
___________________________________________________________________________
(To be completed if applicable)
The undersigned hereby certifies that the Rights evidenced by this
Right Certificate are not beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement).
_______________________________
Signature
NOTICE
The signatures in the Form of Assignment or Form of Election to
Purchase, as the case may be, must conform to the name as written upon the
face of this Right Certificate in every particular, without alteration or
enlargement or any change whatsoever.
In the event the certification set forth above in the Form of
Assignment or Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, is not
completed, the Company and the Rights Agent will deem the beneficial owner
of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate to be an Acquiring Person
or an Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement)
and such Assignment or Election to Purchase will not be honored.
<PAGE>
Exhibit C
SUMMARY OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE
PREFERENCE SHARES
On October 26, 1995, the Board of Directors of Valero Energy
Corporation (the "Company") declared a dividend of one preference share
purchase right (a "Right") for each outstanding share of common stock, par
value $1.00 per share (the "Common Shares"), of the Company. The dividend
is payable on November 25, 1995 (the "Record Date") to the stockholders of
record on that date. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase
from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of Junior Participating Serial
Preference Stock, Series III, par value $1.00 per share (the "Preference
Shares"), of the Company at a price of $75.00 per one one-hundredth of a
Preference Share (the "Purchase Price"), subject to adjustment. The
description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the
"Rights Agreement") between the Company and Harris Trust and Savings Bank,
as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent").
Until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public
announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (an
"Acquiring Person") have acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as
may be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as
any person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person)
following the commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a
tender offer or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the
beneficial ownership by a person or group of 20% or more of the outstanding
Common Shares (the earlier of such dates being called the "Distribution
Date"), the Rights will be evidenced, with respect to any of the Common
Share certificates outstanding as of the Record Date, by such Common Share
certificate with a copy of this Summary of Rights attached thereto.
The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date
(or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be
transferred with and only with the Common Shares. Until the Distribution
Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new Common Share
certificates issued after the Record Date upon transfer or new issuance of
Common Shares will contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by
reference. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration
of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common
Shares outstanding as of the Record Date, even without such notation or a
copy of this Summary of Rights being attached thereto, will also constitute
the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by
such certificate. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date,
separate certificates evidencing the Rights ("Right Certificates") will be
mailed to holders of record of the Common Shares as of the close of business
on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will
evidence the Rights.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The
Rights will expire on November 25, 2005 (the "Final Expiration Date"),
unless the Final Expriation Date is extended or unless the Rights are
earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case, as described
below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Preferred Shares or
other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are
subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event
of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification
of, the Preference Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preference
Shares of certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase
Preference Shares at a price, or securities convertible into Preference
Shares with a conversion price, less than the then-current market price of
the Preference Shares or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the
Preference Shares of evidences of indebtedness or assets (excluding regular
periodic cash dividends paid out of earnings or retained earnings or
dividends payable in Preference Shares) or of subscription rights or
warrants (other than those referred to above).
The number of outstanding Rights and the number of one
one-hundredths of a Preference Share issuable upon exercise of each Right
are also subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split of the Common
Shares or a stock dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or
subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the Common Shares occurring,
in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
Preference Shares purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will not
be redeemable. Each Preference Share will be entitled to a minimum
preferential quarterly dividend payment of $1 per share but will be entitled
to an aggregate dividend of 100 times the dividend declared per Common
Share. In the event of liquidation, the holders of the Preference Shares
will be entitled to a minimum preferential liquidation payment of $100 per
share but will be entitled to an aggreate payment of 100 times the payment
made per Common Share. Each Preference Share will have 100 votes, voting
together with the Common Shares. Finally, in the event of any merger,
consolidation or other transaction in which Common Shares are exchanged,
each Preference Share will be entitled to receive 100 times the amount
received per Common Share. These rights are protected by customary
antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preference Shares' dividend,
liquidation and voting rights, the value of the one one-hundredth interest
in a Preference Share purchasable upon exercise of each Right should
approximate the value of one Common Share.
In the event that the Company is acquired in a merger or other
business combination transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated assets
or earning power are sold after a person or group has become an Acquiring
Person, proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will
thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then
current exercise price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock
of the acquiring company which at the time of such transaction will have a
market value of two times the exercise price of the Right. In the event
that any person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an
Acquiring Person, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a
Right, other than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which
will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon
exercise that number of Common Shares having a market value of two times the
exercise price of the Right.
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person
and prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may
exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which
will have become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one
Common Share, or one one-hundredth of a Preference Share (or of a share of a
class or series of the Company's Serial Preference Stock having equivalent
rights, preferences and privileges), per Right (subject to adjustment).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will
be required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least
1% in such Purchase Price. No fractional Shares will be issued (other than
fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preference
Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary
receipts) and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on
the market price of the Preference Shares on the last trading day prior to
the date of exercise.
At any time prior to the acquisition by a person or group of
affiliated or associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% or more of
the outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may
redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.01 per Right
(the "Redemption Price"). The redemption of the Rights may be made
effective at such time on such basis with such conditions as the Board of
Directors in its sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any
redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate
and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the
Redemption Price.
The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors
of the Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights, including
an amendment to lower certain thresholds described above to not less than
the greater of (i) the sum of .001% and the largest percentage of the
outstanding Common Shares then known to the Company to be beneficially owned
by any person or group of affiliated or associated persons and (ii) 10%,
except that from and after such time as any person or group of affiliated or
associated persons becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may
adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Rights.
Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have
no rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation,
the right to vote or to receive dividends.
A copy of the Rights Agreement has been filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to a Registration Statement on Form
8-A dated October 27, 1995. A copy of the Rights Agreement is available
free of charge from the Company. This summary description of the Rights
does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by
reference to the Rights Agreement, which is hereby incorporated herein by
reference.
November 25, 1995
To Our Stockholders:
Valero Energy Corporation's Board of Directors has declared a
dividend distribution of Preference Share Purchase Rights. The Rights
distributed pursuant to this dividend declaration will replace the similar
rights distributed on November 25, 1985 and which expire on November 25, 1995.
This letter describes the new Rights Plan and the Board's reasons for adopting
it.
The new Rights, like the expiring rights, contain provisions to
protect stockholders in the event of an unsolicited attempt to acquire the
Company, including a gradual accumulation of shares in the open market, a
partial or two-tier tender offer that does not treat all stockholders equally,
a squeeze-out merger and other abusive takeover tactics which the Board
believes are not in the best interests of stockholders. These tactics
unfairly pressure stockholders, squeeze them out of their investment without
giving them any real choice and deprive them of the full value of their
shares.
Over 1,700 companies, including approximately half of Business Week
1000 companies and Fortune 500 companies and approximately two-thirds of the
companies in the Fortune 200, have issued rights to protect their stockholders
against these tactics. We consider the Rights to be the best available means
of continuing to protect both your right to retain your equity investment in
Valero and the full value of that investment, while not foreclosing a fair
acquisition bid for the Company.
The Rights are not intended to prevent a takeover of the Company and
will not do so. However, they should deter any attempt to acquire the Company
in a manner or on terms not approved by the Board. The new Rights are
designed to deal with the very serious problem of another person or company
using abusive tactics to deprive Valero's Board and its stockholders of any
real opportunity to determine the destiny of the Company.
The Rights may be redeemed by the Board of Directors for one cent
per Right prior to the accumulation, through open-market purchases, a tender
offer or otherwise, of 20% or more of the Company's shares by a single
acquiror or group. Thus, the Rights should not interfere with any merger or
business combination approved by the Board of Directors prior to that time.
Issuance of the Rights does not in any way weaken the financial
strength of the Company or interfere with its business plans. The issuance of
the Rights has no dilutive effect, will not affect reported earnings per
share, is not taxable to the Company or to you, and will not change the way in
which you can currently trade the Company's shares. As explained in detail
below, the Rights will only be exercisable if and when the problem arises
which they were created to deal with. They will then operate to protect you
against being deprived of your right to share in the full measure of your
Company's long-term potential.
Your Board was aware when it acted that some people have advanced
arguments that securities of the sort we are issuing deter legitimate
acquisition proposals. We carefully considered these views and concluded that
the arguments are speculative and do not justify leaving stockholders without
any protection against unfair treatment by an acquiror who, after all, is
seeking his own company's advantage, not yours. Your Board believes that
these Rights represent a sound and reasonable means of addressing the complex
issues of corporate policy created by the current takeover environment.
The new Rights were issued on November 25, 1995 to stockholders of
record on that date and will expire in ten years. Initially, the Rights will
not be exercisable, certificates will not be sent to you, and the Rights will
automatically trade with the Company's Common Stock. However, ten days after
a person or group acquires 20% or more of the Company's shares, or ten
business days (or such later date as may be determined by the Board prior to a
person or group acquiring 20% or more of the Company's shares) after a person
or group announces an offer the consummation of which would result in such
person or group owning 20% or more of the shares (even if no purchases
actually occur), the Rights will become exercisable and separate certificates
representing the Rights will be distributed. We expect that the Rights will
begin to trade independently from the Company's shares at that time. At no
time will the Rights have any voting power.
When the Rights first become exercisable, unless a person or group
has acquired 20% or more of the Company's shares, a holder will be entitled to
buy from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of a new series of Junior
Participating Serial Preference Stock, Series III, for $75.00. If the Company
is involved in a merger or other business combination at any time after a
person or group has acquired 20% or more of the Company's shares, the Rights
will entitle a holder to buy a number of shares of common stock of the
acquiring company having a market value of twice the exercise price of each
Right. For example, if at the time of the business combination the acquiring
company's stock has a per share value of $75.00, the holder of each Right
would be entitled to receive two shares of the acquiring company's common
stock for $75.00, i.e., at a 50% discount.
If any person or group acquires 20% or more of the Company's
outstanding common stock, the "flip-in" provision of the Rights will be
triggered and the Rights will entitle a holder (other than such person or any
member of such group) to buy a number of additional shares of Common Stock of
the Company having a market value of twice the exercise price of each Right.
Thus, if at the time of the 20% acquisition the Company's stock were to have a
market value per share equal to $75.00, the holder of each Right (other than
such person or any member of such group) would be entitled to receive two
shares of Valero Common Stock for $75.00.
Following the acquisition by any person or group of 20% or more of
the Company's Common Stock, but only prior to the acquisition by a person or
group of a 50% stake, the Board of Directors will also have the ability to
exchange the Rights (other than Rights held by such person or group), in whole
or in part, for one share of Common Stock (or one one-hundredth of a share of
the new series of Preference Stock) per Right. This provision will have an
economically dilutive effect on the acquiror, and provide a corresponding
benefit to the remaining rightsholders, that is comparable to the flip-in
without requiring rightsholders to go through the process and expense of
exercising their Rights.
While, as noted above, the distribution of the Rights will not be
taxable to you or the Company, stockholders may recognize taxable income upon
the occurrence of certain subsequent events.
In addition to authorizing the new Rights, the Board also authorized
the Junior Participating Serial Preference Stock, Series III, purchasable upon
exercise of the Rights. The shares of the new Preference Stock will be
nonredeemable. Each share of Preference Stock will be entitled to an
aggregate dividend equal to the greater of $1 per share or 100 times the
dividend declared on the Common Stock. In the event of liquidation, the
holders of the Preference Stock will be entitled to receive an aggregate
liquidation payment equal to the greater of $100 or 100 times the payment made
per share of Common Stock. Each share of Preference Stock will have 100
votes, voting together with the Common Stock. Finally, in the event of any
merger, consolidation or other transaction in which Common Stock is exchanged,
each share of Preference Stock will be entitled to receive 100 times the
amount received per share of Common Stock. The Rights are protected by
customary anti-dilution provisions. In the event of issuance of the
Preference Stock upon exercise of the Rights, in order to facilitate trading a
depositary receipt may be issued for each one one-hundredth of a share of
Preference Stock. The dividend, liquidation and voting rights, and the
non-redemption feature, of the Preference Stock are designed so that the value
of the one one-hundredth interest in a share of Preference Stock purchasable
with each Right will approximate the value of one share of Common Stock.
In declaring the Rights dividend, we have expressed our confidence
in the future and our determination that you, Valero's stockholders, be given
every opportunity to participate fully in that future.
Bill Greehey
Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE>
SUMMARY OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE
PREFERENCE SHARES
On October 26, 1995, the Board of Directors of Valero Energy
Corporation (the "Company") declared a dividend of one preference share
purchase right (a "Right") for each outstanding share of common stock, par
value $1.00 per share (the "Common Shares"), of the Company. The dividend is
payable on November 25, 1995 (the "Record Date") to the stockholders of record
on that date. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the
Company one one-hundredth of a share of Junior Participating Serial Preference
Stock, Series III, par value $1.00 per share (the "Preference Shares"), of the
Company at a price of $75.00 per one one-hundredth of a Preference Share (the
"Purchase Price"), subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the
Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the "Rights Agreement") between
the Company and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, as Rights Agent (the "Rights
Agent").
Until the earlier to occur of (I) 10 days following a public
announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (an
"Acquiring Person") have acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as may
be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as any
person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person) following
the commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a tender offer
or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the beneficial
ownership by a person or group of 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares
(the earlier of such dates being called the "Distribution Date"), the Rights
will be evidenced, with respect to any of the Common Share certificates
outstanding as of the Record Date, by such Common Share certificate with a
copy of this Summary of Rights attached thereto.
The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date (or
earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be
transferred with and only with the Common Shares. Until the Distribution Date
(or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new Common Share
certificates issued after the Record Date upon transfer or new issuance of
Common Shares will contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by
reference. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration
of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common
Shares outstanding as of the Record Date, even without such notation or a copy
of this Summary of Rights being attached thereto, will also constitute the
transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by such
certificate. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate
certificates evidencing the Rights ("Right Certificates") will be mailed to
holders of record of the Common Shares as of the close of business on the
Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the
Rights.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The
Rights will expire on November 25, 2005 (the "Final Expiration Date"), unless
the Final Expiation Date is extended or unless the Rights are earlier redeemed
or exchanged by the Company, in each case, as described below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Preferred Shares or
other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject
to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (I) in the event of a
stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the
Preference Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preference Shares of
certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Preference Shares at a
price, or securities convertible into Preference Shares with a conversion
price, less than the then-current market price of the Preference Shares or
(iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Preference Shares of evidences
of indebtedness or assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends paid out
of earnings or retained earnings or dividends payable in Preference Shares) or
of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).
The number of outstanding Rights and the number of one
one-hundredths of a Preference Share issuable upon exercise of each Right are
also subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split of the Common Shares
or a stock dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or
subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the Common Shares occurring,
in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
Preference Shares purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will not
be redeemable. Each Preference Share will be entitled to a minimum
preferential quarterly dividend payment of $1 per share but will be entitled
to an aggregate dividend of 100 times the dividend declared per Common Share.
In the event of liquidation, the holders of the Preference Shares will be
entitled to a minimum preferential liquidation payment of $100 per share but
will be entitled to an aggregate payment of 100 times the payment made per
Common Share. Each Preference Share will have 100 votes, voting together with
the Common Shares. Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or
other transaction in which Common Shares are exchanged, each Preference Share
will be entitled to receive 100 times the amount received per Common Share.
These rights are protected by customary antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preference Shares' dividend,
liquidation and voting rights, the value of the one one-hundredth interest in
a Preference Share purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate
the value of one Common Share.
In the event that the Company is acquired in a merger or other
business combination transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated assets or
earning power are sold after a person or group has become an Acquiring Person,
proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will thereafter
have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current
exercise price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of the
acquiring company which at the time of such transaction will have a market
value of two times the exercise price of the Right. In the event that any
person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an Acquiring
Person, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right, other
than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which will thereafter
be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise that number
of Common Shares having a market value of two times the exercise price of the
Right.
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person
and prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may exchange
the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which will have
become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one Common Share,
or one one-hundredth of a Preference Share (or of a share of a class or series
of the Company's Serial Preference Stock having equivalent rights, preferences
and privileges), per Right (subject to adjustment).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be
required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in
such Purchase Price. No fractional Shares will be issued (other than
fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preference
Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary
receipts) and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the
market price of the Preference Shares on the last trading day prior to the
date of exercise.
At any time prior to the acquisition by a person or group of
affiliated or associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may redeem
the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.01 per Right (the
"Redemption Price"). The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at
such time on such basis with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its
sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights,
the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the
holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.
The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors of
the Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights, including an
amendment to lower certain thresholds described above to not less than the
greater of (I) the sum of .001% and the largest percentage of the outstanding
Common Shares then known to the Company to be beneficially owned by any person
or group of affiliated or associated persons and (ii) 10%, except that from
and after such time as any person or group of affiliated or associated persons
becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may adversely affect the
interests of the holders of the Rights.
Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have
no rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the
right to vote or to receive dividends.
A copy of the Rights Agreement has been filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to a Registration Statement on Form 8-A
dated October 27, 1995. A copy of the Rights Agreement is available free of
charge from the Company. This summary description of the Rights does not
purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the
Rights Agreement, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
