Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration Nos. 333-46171
333-46171-01
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(TO PROSPECTUS DATED FEBRUARY 24, 1998)
1,600,000 SECURITIES
SAVANNAH ELECTRIC CAPITAL TRUST I
6.85% TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES (TRUPS(R))
$25 LIQUIDATION AMOUNT PER SECURITY
FULLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED, AS SET FORTH HEREIN, BY
[LOGO OF SAVANNAH ELECTRIC APPEARS HERE]
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A brief description of the 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS(R)) can
be found under "Summary Information--Q&A" in this Prospectus Supplement.
Application has been made to list the 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities
(TruPS(R)) on the New York Stock Exchange. If approved, we expect trading of
the 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS(R)) to begin within 30 days after
they are first issued.
WE URGE YOU TO CAREFULLY READ THE "RISK FACTORS" SECTION BEGINNING ON PAGE
S-6, WHERE WE DESCRIBE SPECIFIC RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE 6.85% TRUST
PREFERRED SECURITIES (TRUPS(R)), ALONG WITH THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE
PROSPECTUS, BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR INVESTMENT DECISION.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if
this Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus to which it relates is truthful
or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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PER TRUST
PREFERRED SECURITY TOTAL
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<S> <C> <C>
Public offering price.......................... $25.00 $40,000,000
Underwriting commissions to be paid by Savannah
Electric and Power Company.................... (1) (1)
Proceeds to Savannah Electric Capital Trust I.. $25.00 $40,000,000
</TABLE>
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(1) Underwriting commissions of $0.7875 per 6.85% Trust Preferred Security (or
$1,260,000 for all 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS(R))) will be
paid by Savannah Electric and Power Company; except that for sales of
10,000 or more 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS(R)) to a single
purchaser, the commissions will be $0.25 per 6.85% Trust Preferred
Security.
We expect that the 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS(R)) will be ready
for delivery in book-entry form only through The Depository Trust Company on
or about December 9, 1998.
"TruPS" is a registered service mark of Salomon Smith Barney Inc.
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SALOMON SMITH BARNEY THE ROBINSON-HUMPHREY COMPANY
December 3, 1998
<PAGE>
YOU SHOULD RELY ONLY ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY
REFERENCE IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS. WE HAVE NOT, AND
THE UNDERWRITERS HAVE NOT, AUTHORIZED ANY OTHER PERSON TO PROVIDE YOU WITH
DIFFERENT INFORMATION. IF ANYONE PROVIDES YOU WITH DIFFERENT OR INCONSISTENT
INFORMATION, YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON IT. WE ARE NOT, AND THE UNDERWRITERS ARE
NOT, MAKING AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE
OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED. YOU SHOULD ASSUME THAT THE INFORMATION
APPEARING IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS, AS WELL AS
INFORMATION WE PREVIOUSLY FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
AND INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE, IS ACCURATE AS OF THE DATE ON THE FRONT COVER
OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT ONLY. OUR BUSINESS, FINANCIAL CONDITION, RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS AND PROSPECTS MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE THAT DATE.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PAGE
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
Summary Information--Q&A................................................. S-3
Risk Factors............................................................. S-6
Savannah Electric Capital Trust I........................................ S-9
Capitalization........................................................... S-10
Accounting Treatment..................................................... S-10
Use of Proceeds.......................................................... S-10
Recent Results of Operations............................................. S-10
Description of the Preferred Securities.................................. S-11
Description of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.................... S-21
Relationship Among the Preferred Securities, the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes and the Guarantee.................................... S-22
Certain Federal Income Tax Considerations................................ S-23
Underwriting............................................................. S-27
Legal Opinions........................................................... S-28
Experts.................................................................. S-28
PROSPECTUS
Available Information.................................................... 2
Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.......................... 2
Selected Information..................................................... 3
Savannah Electric and Power Company...................................... 4
The Trust................................................................ 4
Accounting Treatment..................................................... 5
Use of Proceeds.......................................................... 5
Recent Results of Operations............................................. 5
Description of the Senior Notes.......................................... 5
Description of the Junior Subordinated Notes............................. 9
Description of the Preferred Securities.................................. 14
Description of the Guarantee............................................. 15
Relationship Among the Preferred Securities, the Junior Subordinated
Notes and the Guarantee................................................. 17
Plan of Distribution..................................................... 19
Legal Matters............................................................ 19
Experts.................................................................. 20
</TABLE>
S-2
<PAGE>
SUMMARY INFORMATION--Q&A
The following information supplements, and should be read together with, the
information contained in other parts of this Prospectus Supplement and in the
accompanying Prospectus. This summary highlights selected information from this
Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus to help you understand
the 6.85% Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS(R)) (the "Preferred Securities").
You should carefully read this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying
Prospectus to understand fully the terms of the Preferred Securities as well as
the tax and other considerations that are important to you in making a decision
about whether to invest in the Preferred Securities. You should pay special
attention to the "Risk Factors" section beginning on page S-6 of this
Prospectus Supplement to determine whether an investment in the Preferred
Securities is appropriate for you.
WHAT ARE THE PREFERRED SECURITIES?
Each Preferred Security represents an undivided beneficial interest in the
assets of Savannah Electric Capital Trust I (the "Trust"). Each Preferred
Security will entitle the holder to receive quarterly cash distributions as
described in this Prospectus Supplement. The Trust is offering 1,600,000
Preferred Securities at a price of $25 for each Preferred Security.
WHO IS THE TRUST?
The Trust is a Delaware business trust. Its principal place of business is
c/o Savannah Electric and Power Company, 600 Bay Street, East, Savannah,
Georgia 31401, and its telephone number is (912) 644-7171.
The Trust will sell its Preferred Securities to the public and its common
securities (the "Common Securities") to Savannah Electric and Power Company
(the "Company"). The Trust will use the proceeds from these sales to buy a
series of 6.85% junior subordinated deferrable interest notes due December 31,
2028 (the "Series A Junior Subordinated Notes") from the Company with the same
financial terms as the Preferred Securities. The Company will guarantee
payments made on the Preferred Securities as described herein.
The Bank of New York will act as property trustee (the "Property Trustee") of
the Trust. Two officers of the Company also will act as trustees (the
"Administrative Trustees") of the Trust. The Bank of New York (Delaware) will
be an additional trustee (the "Delaware Trustee") of the Trust. The Bank of New
York also will act as trustee (the "Indenture Trustee") under the Subordinated
Note Indenture (the "Subordinated Note Indenture") pursuant to which the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes will be issued and will act as trustee under the
Guarantee (the "Guarantee Trustee"). The Property Trustee, Delaware Trustee and
Administrative Trustees are sometimes referred to as the "Securities Trustees."
WHO IS THE COMPANY?
The Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia on August
5, 1921. The Company has its principal office at 600 Bay Street, East,
Savannah, Georgia 31401, telephone (912) 644-7171. The Company is a wholly-
owned subsidiary of The Southern Company.
The Company is a regulated public utility engaged in the generation,
transmission, distribution and sale of electric energy within an approximately
2,000 square mile service area comprising the City of Savannah, Georgia and
portions of the surrounding five-county area.
WHEN WILL YOU RECEIVE QUARTERLY DISTRIBUTIONS?
If you purchase the Preferred Securities, you are entitled to receive
cumulative cash distributions at an annual rate of 6.85% (the "Securities
Rate") of the liquidation amount of $25 per Preferred Security.
S-3
<PAGE>
Distributions will accumulate from the date the Trust issues the Preferred
Securities (the "Issue Date") and will be paid quarterly in arrears on March
31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year (each, a "Distribution
Date"), beginning December 31, 1998.
WHEN CAN PAYMENT OF YOUR DISTRIBUTIONS BE DEFERRED?
The Company can, on one or more occasions, defer interest payments on the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods.
A deferral of interest payments cannot extend, however, beyond the maturity
date of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes (which is December 31, 2028).
If the Company defers interest payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes, the Trust will also defer distributions on the Preferred Securities.
During this deferral period, distributions will continue to accrue on the
Preferred Securities at an annual rate of 6.85% of the liquidation amount of
$25 per Preferred Security. Also, the deferred distributions will themselves
accrue interest at an annual rate of 6.85% (to the extent permitted by law).
Once the Company makes all interest payments on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes, with accrued interest, it can again postpone interest
payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.
During any period in which the Company defers interest payments on the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes, the Company will not be permitted to (with limited
exceptions):
. pay a dividend or make any distributions on its capital stock or redeem,
purchase, acquire or make a liquidation payment on any of its capital
stock, or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing; or
. make an interest, principal or premium payment on, or repurchase or
redeem, any of its debt securities that rank equal with or junior to the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.
If the Company defers payments of interest on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes, the Preferred Securities will, from the time of deferral,
be treated as being issued with original issue discount ("OID") for United
States federal income tax purposes. This means you will be required to
recognize interest income with respect to distributions and include such
amounts in your gross income for United States federal income tax purposes even
though you will not have received any cash distributions relating to such
interest income. See "Certain Federal Income Tax Considerations--Original Issue
Discount."
WHEN CAN THE TRUST REDEEM THE PREFERRED SECURITIES?
The Trust must redeem all of the outstanding Preferred Securities and Common
Securities (together, the "Trust Securities") when the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes are paid at maturity on December 31, 2028. In addition, if
the Company redeems any Series A Junior Subordinated Notes before their
maturity, the Trust will use the cash it receives from the redemption to
redeem, on a pro rata basis, Preferred Securities and Common Securities having
a combined liquidation amount equal to the principal amount of the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes redeemed.
The Company can redeem some or all of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
before their maturity at 100% of their principal amount on one or more
occasions any time on or after December 9, 2003. The Company also has the
option to redeem the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, in whole, but not in
part, at any time if certain changes in tax or investment company law occur and
certain other conditions are satisfied, as more fully described under
"Description of the Preferred Securities--Special Event Redemption;
Distribution of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes." In any case, the Company
will pay accrued interest to the date of redemption.
S-4
<PAGE>
WHAT IS THE COMPANY'S GUARANTEE OF THE PREFERRED SECURITIES?
The Company will guarantee the Preferred Securities based on:
. its obligations to make payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes;
. its obligations under the Preferred Securities Guarantee (the
"Guarantee"); and
. its obligations under the Trust Agreement and the Agreement as to
Expenses and Liabilities.
The payment of distributions on the Preferred Securities is guaranteed by the
Company under the Guarantee, but only to the extent the Trust has funds legally
and immediately available to make distributions.
The Company's obligations under the Guarantee are:
. subordinate and junior in right of payment to its other liabilities;
. equal in rank to its most senior preferred stock; and
. senior to its common stock.
WHEN COULD THE SERIES A JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES BE DISTRIBUTED TO YOU?
The Company has the right to terminate the Trust at any time. If the Company
terminates the Trust, the Trust will liquidate by distributing the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes to holders of the Preferred Securities and the Common
Securities on a pro rata basis. If the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are
distributed, the Company will use its best efforts to list the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") (or any other
exchange on which the Preferred Securities are then listed) in place of the
Preferred Securities. For a discussion of the Company's ability to distribute
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, see "Description of the Preferred
Securities--Special Event Redemption; Distribution of Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes" and "--Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution."
WILL THE PREFERRED SECURITIES BE LISTED ON A STOCK EXCHANGE?
Application has been made to list the Preferred Securities on the NYSE. If
approved, trading of the Preferred Securities is expected to begin within 30
days after they are first issued.
WILL HOLDERS OF THE PREFERRED SECURITIES HAVE ANY VOTING RIGHTS?
Generally, the holders of the Preferred Securities will not have any voting
rights. See "Description of the Preferred Securities--Voting Rights."
IN WHAT FORM WILL THE PREFERRED SECURITIES BE ISSUED?
The Preferred Securities will be represented by one or more global securities
that will be deposited with and registered in the name of The Depository Trust
Company ("DTC") or its nominee. This means that you will not receive a
certificate for your Preferred Securities and that your broker will maintain
your position in the Preferred Securities. The Company expects that the
Preferred Securities will be ready for delivery through DTC on or about
December 9, 1998.
S-5
<PAGE>
RISK FACTORS
Your investment in the Preferred Securities will involve certain risks. You
should carefully consider the following discussion of risks, and the other
information in this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus,
before deciding whether an investment in the Preferred Securities is suitable
for you.
THE COMPANY'S OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE GUARANTEE AND THE SERIES A JUNIOR
SUBORDINATED NOTES ARE SUBORDINATED.
The Company's obligations under the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will
rank junior in priority of payment to all of the Company's Senior Indebtedness
(as defined under "Description of the Junior Subordinated Notes--
Subordination" in the accompanying Prospectus). This means that the Company
cannot make any payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes if it
defaults on a payment of Senior Indebtedness and does not cure such default
within the applicable grace period or if the Senior Indebtedness becomes
immediately due because of a default and has not yet been paid in full. The
Company's Senior Indebtedness was approximately $165,000,000 as of September
30, 1998.
The Company's obligations under the Guarantee will rank in priority of
payment as follows:
. subordinate and junior in right of payment to its other liabilities;
. equal in rank to its most senior preferred stock; and
. senior to its common stock.
This means that the Company cannot make any payments on the Guarantee if it
defaults on a payment on any of its other liabilities. In addition, in the
event of the bankruptcy, liquidation or dissolution of the Company, its assets
would be available to pay obligations under the Guarantee only after the
Company made all payments on its other liabilities.
Neither the Preferred Securities, the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes nor
the Guarantee limit the ability of the Company to incur additional
indebtedness, including indebtedness that ranks senior in priority of payment
to the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes and the Guarantee. See "Description
of the Guarantee-- Subordination" and "Description of the Junior Subordinated
Notes--Subordination" in the accompanying Prospectus.
THE GUARANTEE ONLY COVERS PAYMENTS IF THE TRUST HAS CASH AVAILABLE.
The ability of the Trust to pay scheduled distributions on the Preferred
Securities, the redemption price of the Preferred Securities and the
liquidation amount of each Preferred Security is solely dependent upon the
Company making the related payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
when due.
If the Company defaults on its obligations to pay principal or interest on
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, the Trust will not have sufficient
funds to pay distributions, the redemption price or the liquidation amount of
each Preferred Security. In those circumstances, you will not be able to rely
upon the Guarantee for payment of these amounts.
Instead, you:
. may directly sue the Company or seek other remedies to collect your pro
rata share of payments owed; or
. may rely on the Property Trustee to enforce the Trust's rights under the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.
DEFERRAL OF DISTRIBUTIONS WOULD HAVE TAX CONSEQUENCES FOR YOU AND MAY AFFECT
THE TRADING PRICE OF THE PREFERRED SECURITIES.
The Company can, on one or more occasions, defer interest payments on the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods.
If the Company defers interest payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes, the Trust will defer distributions on the Preferred Securities during
any deferral period. However, distributions would still accumulate and such
deferred distributions would themselves accrue interest at the annual rate of
6.85% per annum (to the extent permitted by law).
S-6
<PAGE>
If the Company defers payments of interest on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes, you will be required to recognize interest income for
United States federal income tax purposes (based on your pro rata share of the
interest on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes held by the Trust) before
you receive any cash relating to such interest. In addition, you will not
receive such cash if you sell the Preferred Securities before the end of any
deferral period or before the record date relating to distributions which are
paid.
The Company has no current intention of deferring interest payments on the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. However, if the Company exercises its
right in the future, the Preferred Securities may trade at a price that does
not fully reflect the value of accrued but unpaid interest on the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes. If you sell the Preferred Securities during an
interest deferral period, you may not receive the same return on investment as
someone else who continues to hold the Preferred Securities. In addition, the
existence of the Company's right to defer payments of interest on the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes may mean that the market price for the Preferred
Securities (which represent an undivided beneficial interest in the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes) may be more volatile than other securities that do
not have these rights.
See "Certain Federal Income Tax Considerations" for more information
regarding the tax consequences of purchasing, holding and selling the
Preferred Securities.
PREFERRED SECURITIES MAY BE REDEEMED AT ANY TIME IF CERTAIN CHANGES IN TAX OR
INVESTMENT COMPANY LAW OCCUR.
If certain changes in tax or investment company law occur and are
continuing, and certain other conditions are satisfied, the Company has the
right to redeem the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, in whole, but not in
part, at any time. Any such redemption will cause a mandatory redemption of
all Preferred Securities and Common Securities at a redemption price equal to
$25 per security plus any accrued and unpaid distributions. See "Description
of the Preferred Securities--Special Event Redemption; Distribution of Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes."
PREFERRED SECURITIES MAY BE REDEEMED AT THE OPTION OF THE COMPANY.
At the option of the Company, the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes may be
redeemed, in whole, at any time, or in part, from time to time, on or after
December 9, 2003 at a redemption price equal to the principal amount to be
redeemed plus any accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. See
"Description of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes--Optional Redemption."
You should assume that the Company will exercise its redemption option if the
Company is able to refinance at a lower interest rate or it is otherwise in
the interest of the Company to redeem the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.
If the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are redeemed, the Trust must redeem
the Preferred Securities and the Common Securities having an aggregate
liquidation amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes to be redeemed. See "Description of the Preferred
Securities--Redemption."
THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE AS TO THE MARKET PRICES FOR THE PREFERRED SECURITIES
OR THE SERIES A JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES.
There can be no assurance as to the market prices for the Preferred
Securities or the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes that may be distributed
in exchange for Preferred Securities upon a termination of the Trust.
Accordingly, the Preferred Securities that an investor may purchase, whether
pursuant to the offer made by this Prospectus Supplement or in the secondary
market, or the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes that a holder of Preferred
Securities may receive upon a termination of the Trust, may trade at a
discount to the price that the investor paid to purchase the Preferred
Securities offered by this Prospectus Supplement. As a result of the Company's
right to defer interest payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes,
the market price of the Preferred Securities (which represent undivided
beneficial ownership interests in the Trust, substantially all the assets of
which
S-7
<PAGE>
consist of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes) may be more volatile than
the market prices of other securities that are not subject to such optional
deferrals.
THE COMPANY MAY TERMINATE THE TRUST AT ANY TIME.
The Company has the right to terminate the Trust at any time. If the Company
decides to exercise its right to terminate the Trust, the Trust will liquidate
by distributing the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes to holders of the
Preferred Securities and the Common Securities on a pro rata basis.
Under current United States federal income tax law, a distribution of Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes to you on the dissolution of the Trust should not
be a taxable event to you. However, if the Trust is characterized for United
States federal income tax purposes as an association taxable as a corporation
at the time it is dissolved or if there is a change in law, the distribution
of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes to you may be a taxable event to you.
The Company has no current intention of causing the termination of the Trust
and the distribution of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. The Company
anticipates that it would consider exercising this right in the event that
expenses associated with maintaining the Trust were substantially greater than
currently expected such as if certain changes in tax law or investment company
law occurred. See "Description of the Preferred Securities--Special Event
Redemption; Distribution of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes." The Company
cannot predict the other circumstances under which this right would be
exercised.
Although the Company will use its best efforts to list the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes on the NYSE (or any other exchange on which the Preferred
Securities are then listed) if they are distributed, we cannot assure you that
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will be approved for listing or that a
trading market will exist for those securities.
YOU HAVE LIMITED VOTING RIGHTS.
You will have limited voting rights. In particular, subject to certain
exceptions, only the Company can appoint or remove any of the Securities
Trustees. See "Description of the Preferred Securities--Voting Rights."
S-8
<PAGE>
SAVANNAH ELECTRIC CAPITAL TRUST I
The Trust is a statutory business trust created under Delaware law pursuant
to the filing of a certificate of trust with the Delaware Secretary of State
on February 6, 1998. The Trust's business is defined in a trust agreement,
executed by the Company, as Depositor, and the Delaware Trustee thereunder.
This trust agreement will be amended and restated in its entirety on the Issue
Date substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement of which this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus
form a part (the "Trust Agreement"). The Trust Agreement has been qualified as
an indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "1939
Act"). The Trust exists for the exclusive purposes of (i) issuing the Trust
Securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the
Trust, (ii) investing the gross proceeds of the Trust Securities in the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes, and (iii) engaging in only those other activities
necessary, appropriate, convenient or incidental thereto. The Trust has a term
of approximately 31 years, but may terminate earlier as provided in the Trust
Agreement.
Upon issuance of the Preferred Securities, the purchasers thereof will own
all of the Preferred Securities. The Company will acquire all of the Common
Securities, which will have an aggregate liquidation amount equal to
approximately 3% of the total capital of the Trust. The Common Securities will
rank pari passu, and payments will be made thereon pro rata, with the
Preferred Securities, except that upon the occurrence and continuance of a
Subordinated Note Indenture Event of Default (as defined below), the rights of
the holders of Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and
payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise will be subordinated to
the rights of the holders of the Preferred Securities.
The Trust's business and affairs will be conducted by the Securities
Trustees, which shall be appointed by the Company as the holder of the Common
Securities. Two officers of the Company initially will serve as Administrative
Trustees. The Bank of New York will serve as Property Trustee and will hold
legal title to the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes issued by the Company on
behalf of the Trust and the holders of the Trust Securities. The Bank of New
York (Delaware) will serve as Delaware Trustee. In certain circumstances, the
holders of a majority in liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities will
be entitled to appoint a Substitute Property Trustee. See "Description of the
Preferred Securities--Voting Rights."
The Property Trustee will hold legal title to the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes for the benefit of the Trust and the holders of the Trust
Securities and will have the power to exercise all rights, powers and
privileges under the Subordinated Note Indenture as the holder of the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes. The Property Trustee will make payments of
distributions and payments on liquidation, redemption and otherwise to the
holders of the Trust Securities. Subject to the right of the holders of the
Preferred Securities to appoint a Substitute Property Trustee in certain
instances, the Company, as the holder of all of the Common Securities, will
have the right to appoint, remove or replace all the Securities Trustees.
The Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will constitute substantially all of
the assets of the Trust. Other assets that may constitute "Trust Property" (as
that term is defined in the Trust Agreement) include any cash on deposit in,
or owing to, the payment account as established under the Trust Agreement, as
well as any other property or assets held by the Property Trustee pursuant to
the Trust Agreement. In addition, the Trust may, from time to time, receive
cash pursuant to the Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities.
The rights of the holders of the Preferred Securities, including economic
rights, rights to information and voting rights, are as set forth in the Trust
Agreement, the Delaware Business Trust Act, and the 1939 Act. See "Description
of the Preferred Securities."
The Trust's registered office in the State of Delaware is c/o The Bank of
New York (Delaware), White Clay Center, Route 273, Newark, Delaware 19711. The
principal place of business of the Trust shall be c/o the Company, 600 Bay
Street, East, Savannah, Georgia 31401, telephone (912) 644-7171, Attn:
Treasurer.
S-9
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth the capitalization of the Company as of
September 30, 1998, and as adjusted to reflect the issuance of the Preferred
Securities. The following data is qualified in its entirety by reference to
and, therefore, should be read together with the detailed information and
financial statements appearing in the documents incorporated herein by
reference. See also "Selected Information" in the accompanying Prospectus.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30,
1998
-----------------------
ACTUAL AS ADJUSTED
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(THOUSANDS, EXCEPT
PERCENTAGES)
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Common Stock Equity................................... $180,981 $180,981 47.1%
Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Preferred
Securities of a Subsidiary Trust Holding Company
Junior Subordinated Notes(1)......................... -- 40,000 10.4
Senior Notes.......................................... 30,000 30,000 7.8
Other Long-Term Debt.................................. 133,389 133,389 34.7
-------- -------- -----
Total, excluding amounts due within one year........ $344,370 $384,370 100.0%
======== ======== =====
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(1) As described herein and in the accompanying Prospectus, substantially all
of the assets of the Trust will be Series A Junior Subordinated Notes of
the Company, and upon redemption of such debt, the Preferred Securities
will be mandatorily redeemable.
ACCOUNTING TREATMENT
For financial reporting purposes, the Trust will be treated as a subsidiary
of the Company and, accordingly, the accounts of the Trust will be included in
the consolidated financial statements of the Company. The Preferred Securities
will be presented as a separate line item in the consolidated balance sheet of
the Company, and appropriate disclosures concerning the Preferred Securities,
the Guarantee and the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will be included in
the notes to the consolidated financial statements. For financial reporting
purposes, the Company will record distributions payable on the Preferred
Securities as an expense.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The Trust will invest all of the proceeds from the sale of the Preferred
Securities in Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. The net proceeds received by
the Company from such investment will be used by it to repay its outstanding
short-term debt, which aggregated approximately $27,000,000 as of December 3,
1998, and for other general corporate purposes.
RECENT RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
For the twelve months ended September 30, 1998, "Operating Revenues,"
"Income Before Interest Charges" and "Net Income After Dividends on Preferred
Stock" were $253,136,000, $38,734,000 and $24,641,000, respectively. In the
opinion of the management of the Company, the above amounts for the twelve
months ended September 30, 1998 reflect all adjustments (which were only
normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the results of
operations for such period. The "Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges" and the
"Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges Plus Preferred Dividend Requirements (Pre-
Income Tax Basis)" for the twelve months ended September 30, 1998 were 4.46
and 3.43, respectively.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED SECURITIES
The Preferred Securities will be issued pursuant to the terms of the Trust
Agreement. The Trust Agreement has been qualified as an indenture under the
1939 Act. The Property Trustee will act as the indenture trustee with respect
to the Trust, as well as the Guarantee, for purposes of compliance with the
provisions of the 1939 Act. The terms of the Preferred Securities will include
those stated in the Trust Agreement, the Delaware Business Trust Act, and
those made part of the Trust Agreement by the 1939 Act. The following summary
of the principal terms and provisions of the Preferred Securities does not
purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by
reference to, the Trust Agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to
the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus Supplement and the
accompanying Prospectus are a part, as well as the 1939 Act.
GENERAL
The Trust Agreement authorizes the Administrative Trustees, on behalf of the
Trust, to issue the Preferred Securities, which represent preferred undivided
beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, and the Common Securities,
which represent common undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the
Trust. All of the Common Securities will be owned by the Company. The Common
Securities rank pari passu, and payments will be made thereon on a pro rata
basis, with the Preferred Securities, except that upon the occurrence of a
Subordinated Note Indenture Event of Default, the rights of the holders of the
Common Securities to receive payment of periodic distributions and payments
upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise will be subordinated to the rights
of the holders of the Preferred Securities. The Trust Agreement does not
permit the issuance by the Trust of any securities other than the Trust
Securities or the incurrence of any indebtedness by the Trust. Pursuant to the
Trust Agreement, the Property Trustee will own and hold the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes for the benefit of the Trust and the holders of the Trust
Securities. The payment of distributions out of money held by the Trust, and
payments upon redemption of the Preferred Securities or liquidation of the
Trust, are guaranteed by the Company on a subordinated basis as and to the
extent described under "Description of the Guarantee" in the accompanying
Prospectus. The Guarantee does not cover payment of distributions on the
Preferred Securities when the Trust does not have legally and immediately
available funds sufficient to make such distributions. In such event, the
remedy of a holder of Preferred Securities is to direct the Property Trustee
to enforce its rights under the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. In
addition, a holder of Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding
directly against the Company, without first instituting a legal proceeding
against the Property Trustee or any other person or entity, for enforcement of
payment to such holder of principal of or interest on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes having a principal amount equal to the aggregate stated
liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities of such holder on or after the
due dates specified in the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. The above
mechanisms and obligations, together with the Company's obligations under the
Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities, constitute a full and unconditional
guarantee by the Company of payments due on the Preferred Securities. See "--
Voting Rights" below.
DISTRIBUTIONS
Distributions on the Preferred Securities will be fixed at the Securities
Rate and will accrue from the Issue Date and, except in the event of an
Extension Period (as defined below), will be payable quarterly in arrears on
March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year. In the event
that any date on which distributions are to be made on the Preferred
Securities is not a Business Day, then payment of the distributions payable on
such date will be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day (and
without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay) except
that, if such Business Day is in the next succeeding calendar year, such
payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day, in each case
with the same force and effect as if made on such date. A "Business Day" shall
mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, a day on which banks in New York
City are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to remain closed or
a day on which the principal corporate trust office of the Property Trustee or
the Indenture Trustee is closed for business.
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Distributions payable on any Distribution Date will be payable to the
holders of record on the Record Date for such Distribution Date, which is the
close of business on the fifteenth calendar day preceding such Distribution
Date. Subject to any applicable laws and regulations and the provisions of the
Trust Agreement, each such payment will be made as described under "--Book-
Entry Only Issuance--The Depository Trust Company" below. The amount of
distributions payable for any period will be computed on the basis of a
360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
The Company has the right under the Subordinated Note Indenture to defer
payments of interest on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes by extending
the interest payment period from time to time on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes (each, an "Extension Period") which, if exercised, would
defer quarterly distributions on the Preferred Securities during any such
extended interest payment period. Deferred installments of interest on the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will bear interest, compounded quarterly,
at a rate per annum equal to the Securities Rate. If distributions are
deferred, the deferred distributions and accrued interest thereon shall be
paid, if funds are legally available therefor, to holders of record of the
Preferred Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on
the Record Date next following the termination of such Extension Period. See
"Description of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes--Interest" and "--
Option to Extend Interest Payment Period."
Distributions on the Preferred Securities must be paid on the Distribution
Dates to the extent that the Trust has funds legally and immediately available
for the payment of such distributions. The Trust's funds available for
distribution to the holders of the Preferred Securities will be limited to
payments received under the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. See
"Description of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes."
REDEMPTION
The Preferred Securities are subject to mandatory redemption upon repayment
of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes at maturity or their earlier
redemption. The Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will mature on December 31,
2028 and may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company,
at any time on or after December 9, 2003 or at any time in whole upon the
occurrence of a Special Event (as defined below). Upon the repayment of the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, whether at maturity or upon redemption,
the proceeds from such repayment or payment shall simultaneously be applied to
redeem a like amount of Trust Securities upon not less than 30 nor more than
60 days' notice, at the Redemption Price (as defined below). See "Description
of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes--Optional Redemption." If a partial
redemption of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes would result in the
delisting of the Preferred Securities, the Company may only redeem the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes in whole. In the event that fewer than all of the
outstanding Trust Securities are to be redeemed, the Preferred Securities to
be redeemed will be selected as described under "--Book-Entry Only Issuance--
The Depository Trust Company" below. If the Preferred Securities are no longer
in book-entry only form, the Preferred Securities to be redeemed will be
selected by such method as the Property Trustee shall deem fair and
appropriate and which may provide for the selection for redemption of portions
(equal to $25 or integral multiples thereof) of the aggregate liquidation
amount of Preferred Securities of a denomination larger than $25; provided,
however, that before undertaking the redemption of the Preferred Securities on
other than a pro rata basis, the Property Trustee shall have received an
opinion of counsel that the status of the Trust as a grantor trust for federal
income tax purposes would not be adversely affected.
The Redemption Price for each Preferred Security shall equal the stated
liquidation amount of $25 plus accrued and unpaid distributions thereon to the
date of payment.
SPECIAL EVENT REDEMPTION; DISTRIBUTION OF SERIES A JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES
Upon the occurrence of a Special Event at any time, the Company will have
the option to redeem the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes in whole (and thus
cause the redemption of the Preferred Securities in whole). A Special Event is
either an Investment Company Act Event or a Tax Event.
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<PAGE>
An "Investment Company Act Event" means that the Administrative Trustees and
the Company shall have received an opinion of independent counsel (which may
be counsel to the Company) to the effect that, as a result of a change in law
or regulation or a written change in interpretation or application of law or
regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory
authority after the Issue Date, there is more than an insubstantial risk that
the Trust is or will be considered an investment company under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").
"Tax Event" means that the Administrative Trustees and the Company shall
have received an opinion from independent tax counsel experienced in such
matters (which may be counsel to the Company) to the effect that, as a result
of (a) any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective
change) in, the laws (or any regulations thereunder) of the United States or
any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein or (b) any
amendment to, or change in, an interpretation or application of such laws or
regulations, there is more than an insubstantial risk that (i) the Trust would
be subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income accrued
or received on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, (ii) interest payable
on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes would not be deductible by the
Company for United States federal income tax purposes or (iii) the Trust would
be subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other
governmental charges, which change or amendment becomes effective on or after
the Issue Date.
The Company will have the right at any time to terminate the Trust and,
after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, if any, cause the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes to be distributed to the holders of the
Preferred Securities in liquidation of the Trust. See "--Liquidation
Distribution Upon Dissolution" below. This right is optional and wholly within
the discretion of the Company. Circumstances under which the Company may
determine to exercise such right could include the occurrence of an Investment
Company Act Event or a Tax Event, adverse tax consequences to the Company or
the Trust that are not within the definition of a Tax Event because they do
not result from an amendment or change described in such definition, and
changes in the accounting requirements applicable to the Preferred Securities
as described under "Accounting Treatment."
If Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are distributed to the holders of the
Preferred Securities, the Company will use its best efforts to have the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes listed on the NYSE or on such other exchange as
the Preferred Securities are then listed. After the date for any distribution
of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes upon termination of the Trust, (i) the
Preferred Securities and the Guarantee will no longer be deemed to be
outstanding, (ii) the depositary or its nominee, as the record holder of the
Preferred Securities, will receive a registered global certificate or
certificates representing the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes to be
delivered upon such distribution and (iii) any certificates representing
Preferred Securities and the Guarantee not held by the depositary or its
nominee will be deemed to represent Series A Junior Subordinated Notes having
an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount
of, with an interest rate identical to the Securities Rate of, and accrued and
unpaid interest equal to accrued and unpaid distributions on, such Preferred
Securities, until such certificates are presented to the Company or its agent
for transfer or reissuance.
There can be no assurance as to the market prices for the Preferred
Securities or the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes that may be distributed
in exchange for the Preferred Securities if a termination and liquidation of
the Trust were to occur. Accordingly, the Preferred Securities that an
investor may purchase, or the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes that the
investor may receive on termination and liquidation of the Trust, may trade at
a discount to the price that the investor paid to purchase the Preferred
Securities offered hereby.
REDEMPTION PROCEDURES
In the event that the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are redeemed in
part, the Trust will redeem, on a pro rata basis, Preferred Securities and
Common Securities having a combined liquidation amount equal to the principal
amount of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes redeemed.
The Preferred Securities redeemed on each redemption date shall be redeemed
at the Redemption Price with the proceeds from the contemporaneous redemption
of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. The Redemption
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<PAGE>
Price of Preferred Securities shall be deemed payable on each redemption date
only to the extent that the Trust has funds legally and immediately available
for payment of such Redemption Price.
If the Property Trustee gives a notice of redemption in respect of Preferred
Securities (which notice will be irrevocable), then, by 2:00 P.M., New York
City time, on the redemption date, subject to the immediately preceding
paragraph, the Property Trustee will irrevocably deposit with the securities
depositary, so long as the Preferred Securities are in book-entry only form,
sufficient funds to pay the applicable Redemption Price. See "--Book-Entry
Only Issuance--The Depository Trust Company" below. If the Preferred
Securities are no longer in book-entry only form, the Property Trustee,
subject to the immediately preceding paragraph, shall irrevocably deposit with
the Paying Agent funds sufficient to pay the applicable Redemption Price and
will give the Paying Agent irrevocable instructions to pay the Redemption
Price to the holders thereof upon surrender of their Preferred Securities
certificates. If notice of redemption shall have been given and funds
deposited as required, then immediately prior to the close of business on the
date of such deposit, distributions will cease to accrue and all rights of
holders of such Preferred Securities so called for redemption will cease,
except the right of the holders of such Preferred Securities to receive the
Redemption Price, but without interest on such Redemption Price. In the event
that any date fixed for redemption of Preferred Securities is not a Business
Day, then payment of the Redemption Price payable on such date will be made on
the next succeeding day which is a Business Day (and without any interest or
other payment in respect of any such delay), except that, if such Business Day
falls in the next calendar year, such payment will be made on the immediately
preceding Business Day. In the event that payment of the Redemption Price in
respect of Preferred Securities is improperly withheld or refused and not paid
either by the Trust or by the Company pursuant to the Guarantee, distributions
on such Preferred Securities will continue to accrue at the then applicable
rate, from such redemption date originally established by the Trust for such
Preferred Securities to the date such Redemption Price is actually paid. See
"--Events of Default" below, "Relationship Among the Preferred Securities, the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes and the Guarantee" below and "Description
of the Guarantee--Events of Default" in the accompanying Prospectus.
Subject to the foregoing and to applicable law (including, without
limitation, United States federal securities laws), the Company or its
affiliates may, at any time and from time to time, purchase outstanding
Preferred Securities by tender, in the open market or by private agreement.
BOOK-ENTRY ONLY ISSUANCE--THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY
DTC will act as the initial securities depositary for the Preferred
Securities. The Preferred Securities will be issued only as fully registered
securities registered in the name of Cede & Co., DTC's nominee. One or more
fully registered global Preferred Securities certificates will be issued,
representing in the aggregate the total number of Preferred Securities, and
will be deposited with DTC.
DTC is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking
Law, a "banking organization" within the meaning of the New York Banking Law,
a member of the Federal Reserve System, a "clearing corporation" within the
meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a "clearing agency"
registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. DTC holds securities that its participants
("Participants") deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among
Participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in
deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in
Participants' accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of
securities certificates. Direct Participants include securities brokers and
dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other
organizations ("Direct Participants"). DTC is owned by a number of its Direct
Participants and by the NYSE, the American Stock Exchange, Inc., and the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Access to the DTC system is
also available to others such as securities brokers and dealers, banks and
trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a
Direct Participant, either directly or indirectly ("Indirect Participants").
The rules applicable to DTC and its Participants are on file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
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<PAGE>
Purchases of Preferred Securities within the DTC system must be made by or
through Direct Participants, which will receive a credit for the Preferred
Securities on DTC's records. The ownership interest of each actual purchaser
of Preferred Securities ("Beneficial Owner") is in turn to be recorded on the
Direct and Indirect Participants' records. Beneficial Owners will not receive
written confirmation from DTC of their purchases, but Beneficial Owners are
expected to receive written confirmations providing details of the
transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the
Direct or Indirect Participants through which the Beneficial Owners purchased
Preferred Securities. Transfers of ownership interests in the Preferred
Securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of Participants
acting on behalf of Beneficial Owners. Beneficial Owners will not receive
certificates representing their ownership interests in Preferred Securities,
except in the event that use of the book-entry system for the Preferred
Securities is discontinued.
DTC has no knowledge of the actual Beneficial Owners of the Preferred
Securities. DTC's records reflect only the identity of the Direct Participants
to whose accounts such Preferred Securities are credited, which may or may not
be the Beneficial Owners. The Participants will remain responsible for keeping
account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.
Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to Direct
Participants, by Direct Participants to Indirect Participants, and by Direct
Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners will be governed
by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory
requirements as may be in effect from time to time.
Redemption notices shall be sent to DTC. If less than all of the Preferred
Securities are being redeemed, DTC will reduce the amount of the interest of
each Direct Participant in the Preferred Securities in accordance with its
procedures.
Although voting with respect to the Preferred Securities is limited, in
those cases where a vote is required, neither DTC nor Cede & Co. will itself
consent or vote with respect to Preferred Securities. Under its usual
procedures, DTC would mail an Omnibus Proxy to the Trust as soon as possible
after the record date. The Omnibus Proxy assigns Cede & Co.'s consenting or
voting rights to those Direct Participants to whose accounts the Preferred
Securities are credited on the record date (identified in a listing attached
to the Omnibus Proxy).
Distribution payments on the Preferred Securities will be made to DTC. DTC's
practice is to credit Direct Participants' accounts on the relevant payment
date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC's records
unless DTC has reason to believe that it will not receive payments on such
payment date. Payments by Participants to Beneficial Owners will be governed
by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with
securities held for the account of customers registered in "street name," and
will be the responsibility of such Participant and not of DTC, the Trust, any
trustee or the Company, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as
may be in effect from time to time. Payment of distributions to DTC is the
responsibility of the Trust, disbursement of such payments to Direct
Participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of such payments
to the Beneficial Owners is the responsibility of Direct and Indirect
Participants.
Except as provided herein, a Beneficial Owner in a global Preferred Security
will not be entitled to receive physical delivery of Preferred Securities.
Accordingly, each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC to
exercise any rights under the Preferred Securities. The laws of some
jurisdictions require that certain purchasers of securities take physical
delivery of securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability to
transfer beneficial interests in a global Preferred Security.
DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with
respect to the Preferred Securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to
the Trust. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor securities
depositary is not obtained, Preferred Securities certificates will be printed
and delivered to the holders of record. Additionally, the Company may decide
to discontinue use of the system of book-entry transfers through DTC (or a
successor depositary) with respect to the Preferred Securities. In that event,
certificates for the Preferred Securities will be printed and delivered to the
holders of record.
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<PAGE>
The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC's book-entry system
has been obtained from sources that the Company and the Trust believe to be
reliable, but the Company and the Trust take no responsibility for the
accuracy thereof. The Trust has no responsibility for the performance by DTC
or its Participants of their respective obligations as described herein or
under the rules and procedures governing their respective operations.
LIQUIDATION DISTRIBUTION UPON DISSOLUTION
Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, the Trust shall terminate on June 30, 2029,
or earlier upon (i) the occurrence of a Bankruptcy Event (as defined in the
Trust Agreement) in respect of the Company, dissolution or liquidation of the
Company, or dissolution of the Trust pursuant to a judicial decree; (ii) the
delivery of written direction to the Property Trustee by the Company, as
Depositor, at any time (which direction is optional and wholly within the
discretion of the Company, as Depositor) to terminate the Trust and distribute
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes to the holders of the Preferred
Securities in liquidation of the Trust (see "--Special Event Redemption;
Distribution of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes" above); or (iii) the
payment at maturity or redemption of all of the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes, and the consequent payment of the Trust Securities.
If an early termination occurs as described in clause (i) or (ii) above, the
Trust shall be liquidated, and the Property Trustee shall distribute to each
holder of Preferred Securities and Common Securities a like amount of Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes, unless in the case of an event described in clause
(i) such distribution is determined by the Administrative Trustees not to be
practical, in which event such holders will be entitled to receive, out of the
assets of the Trust available for distribution to holders after satisfaction
of liabilities to creditors, an amount equal to the aggregate of the stated
liquidation preference of $25 per Trust Security plus accrued and unpaid
distributions thereon to the date of payment (such amount being the
"Liquidation Distribution"). If such Liquidation Distribution can be paid only
in part because the Trust has insufficient assets available to pay in full the
aggregate Liquidation Distribution, then subject to the next succeeding
sentence, the amounts payable directly by the Trust on the Trust Securities
shall be paid on a pro rata basis. The holder of the Common Securities will be
entitled to receive distributions upon any such dissolution pro rata with the
holders of the Preferred Securities, except that if a Subordinated Note
Indenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the holders of
Preferred Securities shall have a preference over the holders of Common
Securities.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
Any one of the following events constitutes an "Event of Default" under the
Trust Agreement ("Trust Agreement Event of Default") with respect to the Trust
Securities issued thereunder (whatever the reason for such Event of Default,
and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation
of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order,
rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
(i) the occurrence of an "Event of Default" as defined in Section 501 of
the Subordinated Note Indenture ("Subordinated Note Indenture Event of
Default") (see "Description of the Junior Subordinated Notes--Events of
Default" in the accompanying Prospectus); or
(ii) default by the Trust in the payment of any distribution when it
becomes due and payable, and the continuation of such default for a period
of 30 days; or
(iii) default by the Trust in the payment of any Redemption Price of any
Preferred Security or Common Security when it becomes due and payable; or
(iv) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty
of the Securities Trustees in the Trust Agreement (other than a covenant or
warranty a default in performance of which or the breach of which is dealt
with in clause (ii) or (iii) above), and continuation of such default or
breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or
certified mail, to such Securities Trustees by the holders of at least 10%
in liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities a written
notice specifying
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such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that
such notice is a "Notice of Default" under the Trust Agreement; or
(v) the occurrence of certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with
respect to the Trust.
Within 90 days after the occurrence of any Trust Agreement Event of Default,
the Property Trustee shall transmit notice of any default known to the
Property Trustee to the holders of Trust Securities and the Company, unless
such Trust Agreement Event of Default shall have been cured or waived.
If a Trust Agreement Event of Default occurs and is continuing, then,
pursuant to the Trust Agreement, holders of a majority in aggregate
liquidation amount of Preferred Securities have the right to direct the
exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Property Trustee under the
Trust Agreement, including the right to direct the Property Trustee under the
Trust Agreement to exercise the remedies available to it as holder of the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. If the Property Trustee fails to enforce
its rights under the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, a holder of Preferred
Securities may, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, institute a
legal proceeding directly against the Company to enforce its rights under the
Trust Agreement without first instituting any legal proceeding against the
Property Trustee or the Trust. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a holder of
Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the
Company, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Property
Trustee or any other person or entity, for enforcement of payment to such
holder of principal of or interest on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
having a principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount of
the Preferred Securities of such holder on or after the due dates specified in
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. See "Relationship Among the Preferred
Securities, the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes and the Guarantee" herein
and "Description of the Guarantee--Events of Default" in the accompanying
Prospectus.
Unless a Subordinated Note Indenture Event of Default shall have occurred
and be continuing, the Securities Trustees may be removed at any time by act
of the holder of the Common Securities. If a Subordinated Note Indenture Event
of Default has occurred and is continuing, any Securities Trustee may be
removed at such time by act of the holders of a majority in liquidation amount
of the Preferred Securities, delivered to the appropriate Securities Trustee
(in its individual capacity and on behalf of the Trust). No resignation or
removal of any Securities Trustee and no appointment of a successor shall be
effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee in
accordance with the requirements of the Trust Agreement.
If a Subordinated Note Indenture Event of Default has occurred and is
continuing, the holders of Preferred Securities shall have a preference over
the holders of Common Securities upon dissolution of the Trust as described
above. See "--Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution."
VOTING RIGHTS
Except as provided below and under "Description of the Guarantee--Amendments
and Assignment" in the accompanying Prospectus and as otherwise required by
law and the Trust Agreement, the holders of the Preferred Securities will have
no voting rights.
If any proposed amendment to the Trust Agreement provides for, or the
Securities Trustees otherwise propose to effect, (i) any action that would
adversely affect the powers, preferences or special rights of the Preferred
Securities, whether by way of amendment to the Trust Agreement or otherwise,
or (ii) the dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust, other than
pursuant to the Trust Agreement, then the holders of outstanding Preferred
Securities will be entitled to vote as a class on such amendment or proposal
of the Securities Trustees, and such amendment or proposal shall not be
effective except with the approval of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in
liquidation amount of such outstanding Preferred Securities.
So long as any Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are held by the Property
Trustee, the Securities Trustees shall not (i) direct the time, method and
place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Indenture
Trustee (as defined herein), or executing any trust or power conferred on the
Indenture Trustee with
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respect to the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, (ii) waive any past default
which is waivable under Section 513 of the Subordinated Note Indenture, (iii)
exercise any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes shall be due and payable, or (iv)
consent to any amendment, modification or termination of the Subordinated Note
Indenture or the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, where such consent shall
be required, or to any other action, as the holder of the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes, under the Subordinated Note Indenture, without, in each
case, obtaining the prior approval of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in
liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities; provided, however,
that where a consent under the Subordinated Note Indenture would require the
consent of each holder of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes affected thereby,
no such consent shall be given by the Securities Trustees without the prior
consent of each holder of Preferred Securities. The Securities Trustees shall
not revoke any action previously authorized or approved by a vote of the
holders of the Preferred Securities, except pursuant to a subsequent vote of
such holders. The Property Trustee shall notify all holders of the Preferred
Securities of any notice of default received from the Indenture Trustee with
respect to the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. In addition to obtaining
the foregoing approvals of the holders of the Preferred Securities, prior to
taking any of the foregoing actions, the Securities Trustees shall obtain an
opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that the Trust
will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for federal income tax
purposes on account of such action.
Any required approval of holders of Preferred Securities may be given at a
separate meeting of holders of Preferred Securities convened for such purpose
or pursuant to written consent. The Administrative Trustees will cause a
notice of any meeting at which holders of Preferred Securities are entitled to
vote to be given to each holder of record of Preferred Securities in the
manner set forth in the Trust Agreement.
Notwithstanding that holders of Preferred Securities are entitled to vote or
consent under any of the circumstances described above, any of the Preferred
Securities that are owned by the Company, the Securities Trustees or any
affiliate of the Company or any Securities Trustee, shall, for purposes of
such vote or consent, be treated as if they were not outstanding.
CO-PROPERTY TRUSTEES AND SEPARATE PROPERTY TRUSTEE
At any time or times, for the purpose of meeting the legal requirements of
the 1939 Act or of any jurisdiction in which any part of the Trust Property
(as defined in the Trust Agreement) may at the time be located, the holder of
the Common Securities and the Property Trustee shall have power to appoint,
and upon the written request of the Property Trustee, the Company, as
Depositor, shall for such purpose join with the Property Trustee in the
execution, delivery and performance of all instruments and agreements
necessary or proper to appoint, one or more persons approved by the Property
Trustee either to act as co-property trustee, jointly with the Property
Trustee, of all or any part of such Trust Property, or to act as separate
trustee of any such property, in either case with such powers as may be
provided in the instrument of appointment, and to vest in such person or
persons in such capacity, any property, title, right or power deemed necessary
or desirable, subject to the provisions of the Trust Agreement. If the
Company, as Depositor, does not join in such appointment within 15 days after
the receipt by it of a request so to do, or in case a Subordinated Note
Indenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Property
Trustee alone shall have power to make such appointment.
AMENDMENT OF THE TRUST AGREEMENT
The Trust Agreement may be amended from time to time by the Company and the
Securities Trustees without the consent of the holders of the Trust Securities
(i) to cure any ambiguity, correct or supplement any provision therein which
may be inconsistent with any other provision therein, or to make any other
provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the Trust
Agreement, which shall not be inconsistent with the other provisions of the
Trust Agreement, provided that the amendment does not adversely affect in any
material respect the interests of any holder of Trust Securities, or (ii) to
modify, eliminate or add to any provisions of the Trust Agreement to such
extent as shall be necessary to ensure that the Trust will not be classified
as other than
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a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes. Except as provided in the
succeeding paragraph, other amendments to the Trust Agreement may be made (i)
upon approval of the holders of not less than 66 2/3% in aggregate liquidation
amount of the Trust Securities then outstanding and (ii) upon receipt by the
Securities Trustees of an opinion of counsel to the effect that such amendment
will not affect the Trust's status as a grantor trust or the Trust's exemption
from the 1940 Act.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of each affected holder
of Trust Securities, the Trust Agreement may not be amended to (i) change the
amount or timing of any distribution on the Trust Securities or otherwise
adversely affect the amount of any distribution required to be made in respect
of the Trust Securities as of a specified date, (ii) restrict the right of a
holder of Trust Securities to institute suit for the enforcement of any such
payment on or after such date, or (iii) change the consent required to amend
the Trust Agreement.
MERGERS, CONSOLIDATIONS OR AMALGAMATIONS
The Trust may not consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be
replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets
substantially as an entirety to any corporation or other body, except as
described below. The Trust may at the request of the Company, with the consent
of the Administrative Trustees and without the consent of the holders of the
Trust Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced
by a trust organized as such under the laws of any state; provided, that (i)
such successor entity either (A) expressly assumes all of the obligations of
the Trust with respect to the Trust Securities or (B) substitutes for the
Preferred Securities other securities having substantially the same terms as
the Trust Securities (the "Successor Securities") so long as the Successor
Securities rank the same as the Trust Securities rank in priority with respect
to distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise, (ii)
the Company expressly appoints a trustee of such successor entity possessing
the same powers and duties as the Property Trustee as the holder of the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes, (iii) the Preferred Securities or any Successor
Securities are listed, or any Successor Securities will be listed upon
notification of issuance, on any national securities exchange or other
organization on which the Preferred Securities are then listed, (iv) such
merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not cause the
Preferred Securities (including any Successor Securities) to be downgraded by
any nationally recognized statistical rating organization, (v) such merger,
consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the
rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of the Trust Securities
(including any Successor Securities) in any material respect, (vi) such
successor entity has a purpose substantially identical to that of the Trust,
(vii) prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the
Company has received an opinion of counsel to the effect that (A) such merger,
consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the
rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of the Trust Securities
(including any Successor Securities) in any material respect, and (B)
following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, neither the
Trust nor such successor entity will be required to register as an investment
company under the 1940 Act, and (viii) the Company guarantees the obligations
of such successor entity under the Successor Securities at least to the extent
provided by the Guarantee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust shall not,
except with the consent of holders of 100% in liquidation amount of the Trust
Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by any
other entity or permit any other entity to consolidate, amalgamate, merge with
or into, or replace it if such consolidation, amalgamation, merger or
replacement would cause the Trust or the successor entity to be classified as
other than a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes.
Any corporation or other body into which any of the Property Trustee, the
Delaware Trustee or any Administrative Trustee that is not a natural person
may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any
corporation or other body resulting from any merger, conversion or
consolidation to which any such Securities Trustee shall be a party, or any
corporation or other body succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate
trust business of any such Securities Trustee, shall be the successor of such
Securities Trustee under the Trust Agreement, provided such corporation is
otherwise qualified and eligible under the Trust Agreement.
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PAYMENT AND PAYING AGENT
So long as DTC is acting as securities depositary for the Preferred
Securities, payments in respect of the Preferred Securities shall be made to
DTC, which is to credit the relevant accounts at DTC on the applicable
Distribution Dates. If the Preferred Securities are not held by DTC, such
payments shall be made by check mailed to the address of the holder entitled
thereto as such address shall appear on the Securities Register (as such term
is defined in the Trust Agreement). The Paying Agent shall initially be the
Property Trustee. The Paying Agent shall be permitted to resign as Paying
Agent upon 30 days' written notice to the Administrative Trustees and the
Company. In such event, the Administrative Trustees shall appoint a successor
to act as Paying Agent.
REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT
It is anticipated that the Property Trustee, or one of its affiliates, will
act as registrar and transfer agent (the "Securities Registrar") for the
Preferred Securities.
Registration of transfers of Preferred Securities will be effected without
charge by or on behalf of the Trust, but upon payment in respect of any tax or
other governmental charges which may be imposed in relation to it.
The Securities Registrar will not be required to register or cause to be
registered any transfer of Preferred Securities after they have been called
for redemption.
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PROPERTY TRUSTEE
The Property Trustee, prior to the occurrence of a Trust Agreement Event of
Default with respect to the Trust Securities, undertakes to perform only such
duties as are specifically set forth in the Trust Agreement and, after
default, shall exercise the same degree of care as a prudent individual would
exercise in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to such provisions,
the Property Trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers
vested in it by the Trust Agreement at the request of any holder of Preferred
Securities, unless offered reasonable indemnity by such holder against the
costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred thereby.
The Bank of New York, the Property Trustee, also serves as Indenture Trustee
and Guarantee Trustee. The Company and/or certain of its affiliates maintain
deposit accounts and banking relationships with The Bank of New York. The Bank
of New York serves as trustee under other indentures pursuant to which
securities of the Company and affiliates of the Company are outstanding.
GOVERNING LAW
The Trust Agreement and the Trust Securities will be governed by, and
construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of Delaware;
provided that the immunities and standard of care of the Property Trustee
shall be governed by New York law.
MISCELLANEOUS
The Administrative Trustees are authorized and directed to operate the Trust
so that the Trust will not be deemed to be an "investment company" required to
be registered under the 1940 Act or taxed as other than a grantor trust for
federal income tax purposes and so that the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
will be treated as indebtedness of the Company for federal income tax
purposes. In this connection, the Administrative Trustees and the Company are
authorized to take any action, not inconsistent with applicable law, the
Trust's certificate of trust or the Trust Agreement, that the Administrative
Trustees and the Company determine in their discretion to be necessary or
desirable for such purposes, as long as such action does not materially and
adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Preferred Securities.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIES A JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES
Set forth below is a description of the specific terms of the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes. This description supplements, and should be read
together with, the description of the general terms and provisions of the
Junior Subordinated Notes set forth in the accompanying Prospectus under the
caption "Description of the Junior Subordinated Notes." The following
description does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is
qualified in its entirety by reference to, the description in the accompanying
Prospectus and the Subordinated Note Indenture.
GENERAL
The Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will be issued as a series of Junior
Subordinated Notes under the Subordinated Note Indenture. The Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes will be limited in aggregate principal amount to
$41,237,125, such amount being the approximate aggregate liquidation amount of
the Trust Securities.
The entire principal amount of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will
mature and become due and payable, together with any accrued and unpaid
interest thereon, including Additional Interest (see "Description of the
Junior Subordinated Notes--Additional Interest" in the accompanying
Prospectus), if any, on December 31, 2028. The Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes are not subject to any sinking fund provision.
The terms of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes correspond to those of
the Preferred Securities, as described herein.
OPTIONAL REDEMPTION
The Company shall have the right to redeem the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes, in whole or in part, without premium, from time to time, on or after
December 9, 2003, or at any time in whole upon the occurrence of a Special
Event as described under "Description of the Preferred Securities--Special
Event Redemption; Distribution of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes," upon
not less than 30 nor more than 60 days' notice, at a Redemption Price equal to
100% of the principal amount to be redeemed plus any accrued and unpaid
interest, including Additional Interest, if any, to the Redemption Date. If a
partial redemption of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes would result in
the delisting of the Preferred Securities, the Company may only redeem the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes in whole.
INTEREST
Each Series A Junior Subordinated Note shall bear interest at the Securities
Rate from the Issue Date, payable quarterly in arrears on March 31, June 30,
September 30 and December 31 of each year to the person in whose name such
Series A Junior Subordinated Note is registered at the close of business on
the fifteenth calendar day prior to such payment date. The amount of interest
payable will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day
months. In the event that any date on which interest is payable on the Series
A Junior Subordinated Notes is not a Business Day, then payment of the
interest payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day which is
a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any
such delay), except that, if such Business Day is in the next succeeding
calendar year, such payment shall be made on the immediately preceding
Business Day, in each case with the same force and effect as if made on such
date.
OPTION TO EXTEND INTEREST PAYMENT PERIOD
The Company shall have the right at any time, and from time to time, to
defer payments of interest on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes by
extending the interest payment period for up to 20 consecutive quarters, but
not beyond the stated maturity date. At the end of an Extension Period, the
Company shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid (together with interest
thereon at the Securities Rate, compounded quarterly, to the extent permitted
by applicable law) and all Additional Interest; provided, that if the Company
shall have given notice of its election to select an Extension Period, (a) the
Company shall not declare or pay any dividend or distribution on, or redeem,
purchase, acquire or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of its
capital
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stock or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing, and (b)
the Company shall not make any payment of interest, principal or premium, if
any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities (including
guarantees other than the Guarantee) issued by the Company which rank pari
passu with or junior to the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. Prior to the
termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further defer payments of
interest by extending the interest payment period, provided that such
Extension Period, together with all such previous and further extensions
thereof, may not exceed 20 consecutive quarters. Upon the termination of any
Extension Period and the payment of all amounts then due, the Company may
select a new Extension Period, subject to the above requirements. The Company
has no present intention of exercising its rights to defer payments of
interest by extending the interest payment period on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes. See "Certain Federal Income Tax Considerations--Original
Issue Discount."
The Company shall give the holder or holders of the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes and the Indenture Trustee notice of its selection or
extension of an Extension Period at least one Business Day prior to the
earlier of (i) the record date relating to the interest payment date on which
the Extension Period is to commence or relating to the interest payment date
on which an Extension Period that is being extended would otherwise terminate
or (ii) the date the Company or the Trust is required to give notice to the
NYSE or other applicable self-regulatory organization of the record date or
the date such distributions are payable.
BOOK-ENTRY AND ISSUANCE
If distributed to holders of Trust Securities in connection with the
voluntary or involuntary dissolution, winding-up or liquidation of the Trust,
the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are expected to be issued in the form
of one or more global certificates registered in the name of the securities
depositary or its nominee. In such event, the procedures applicable to the
transfer and payment of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are expected to
be substantially similar to those described with respect to the Preferred
Securities in "Description of the Preferred Securities--Book-Entry Only
Issuance--The Depository Trust Company."
RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE PREFERRED SECURITIES,
THE SERIES A JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES AND THE GUARANTEE
As long as payments of interest and other payments are made when due on the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, such payments will be sufficient to cover
distributions and payments due on the Trust Securities primarily because (i)
the aggregate principal amount of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will be
equal to the sum of the aggregate stated liquidation amount of the Trust
Securities; (ii) the interest rate and interest and other payment dates on the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will match the distribution rate and
distribution and other payment dates for the Preferred Securities; (iii) the
Company shall pay for all costs and expenses of the Trust pursuant to the
Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities; and (iv) the Trust Agreement
provides that the Securities Trustees shall not cause or permit the Trust to,
among other things, engage in any activity that is not consistent with the
purposes of the Trust.
Payments of distributions (to the extent funds therefor are legally and
immediately available) and other payments due on the Preferred Securities (to
the extent funds therefor are legally and immediately available) are
guaranteed by the Company as and to the extent set forth under "Description of
the Guarantee" in the accompanying Prospectus. If the Company does not make
interest payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, it is not
expected that the Trust will have sufficient funds to pay distributions on the
Preferred Securities. The Guarantee is a guarantee from the time of its
issuance, but does not apply to any payment of distributions unless and until
the Trust has sufficient funds legally and immediately available for the
payment of such distributions.
If the Company fails to make interest or other payments on the Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes when due (taking into account any Extension Period),
the Trust Agreement provides a mechanism whereby the holders
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of the Preferred Securities may appoint a substitute Property Trustee. Such
holders may also direct the Property Trustee to enforce its rights under the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, including proceeding directly against the
Company to enforce the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. If the Property
Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any holder of
Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the
Company to enforce the Property Trustee's rights under the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes without first instituting any legal proceeding against the
Property Trustee or any other person or entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
a holder of Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly
against the Company, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the
Property Trustee or any other person or entity, for enforcement of payment to
such holder of principal of or interest on the Series A Junior Subordinated
Notes having a principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation
amount of the Preferred Securities of such holder on or after the due dates
specified in the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.
If the Company fails to make payments under the Guarantee, the Guarantee
provides a mechanism whereby the holders of the Preferred Securities may
direct the Guarantee Trustee to enforce its rights thereunder. In addition,
any holder of Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly
against the Company to enforce the Guarantee Trustee's rights under the
Guarantee without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Guarantee
Trustee or any other person or entity.
The Guarantee, the Subordinated Note Indenture, the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes, the Trust Agreement and the Agreement as to Expenses and
Liabilities, as described above, constitute a full and unconditional guarantee
by the Company of the payments due on the Preferred Securities.
Upon any voluntary or involuntary dissolution, winding-up or termination of
the Trust, unless the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes are distributed in
connection therewith, the holders of Preferred Securities will be entitled to
receive, out of assets legally available for distribution to holders, the
Liquidation Distribution in cash. See "Description of the Preferred
Securities--Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution." Upon any voluntary or
involuntary liquidation or bankruptcy of the Company, the Property Trustee, as
holder of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes, would be a subordinated
creditor of the Company, subordinated in right of payment to all Senior
Indebtedness, but entitled to receive payment in full of principal and
interest before any stockholders of the Company receive payments or
distributions. Because the Company is guarantor under the Guarantee and has
agreed to pay for all costs, expenses and liabilities of the Trust (other than
the Trust's obligations to holders of the Preferred Securities) pursuant to
the Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities, the positions of a holder of
Preferred Securities and a holder of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
relative to other creditors and to stockholders of the Company in the event of
liquidation or bankruptcy of the Company would be substantially the same.
A default or event of default under any Senior Indebtedness would not
constitute a default or Event of Default under the Subordinated Note
Indenture. However, in the event of payment defaults under, or acceleration
of, Senior Indebtedness, the subordination provisions of the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes provide that no payments may be made in respect of the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes until such Senior Indebtedness has been
paid in full or any payment default thereunder has been cured or waived.
Failure to make required payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
would constitute an Event of Default under the Subordinated Note Indenture
except that failure to make interest payments on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes will not be an Event of Default during an Extension Period;
provided, however, that any Extension Period may not exceed 20 consecutive
quarters or extend beyond the stated maturity of the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes.
CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of certain material United States federal income
tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the Preferred Securities
and constitutes the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP, counsel to the Company
and the Trust, insofar as it relates to matters of law and legal conclusions.
This summary
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deals only with Preferred Securities held as capital assets within the meaning
of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended to the date
hereof (the "Code"), by Holders (as defined herein). Moreover, it does not
discuss all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to a Holder in light
of his particular circumstances or to Holders subject to special rules, such
as certain financial institutions, insurance companies, dealers in securities,
individual retirement and certain tax deferred accounts, and persons who
engage in a straddle or a hedge relating to a Preferred Security. Prospective
investors should consult their own tax advisors with regard to the application
of the tax considerations discussed below to their particular situations as
well as the application of any state, local or other tax laws. This summary is
based on laws, existing and proposed regulations, and applicable judicial and
administrative determinations, all of which are subject to change at any time,
and any such changes may be retroactively applied in a manner that could
adversely affect Holders. As used herein, the term "Holder" means a beneficial
owner of a Preferred Security that for the United States federal income tax
purposes is (i) a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a
corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the
laws of the United States or of any political subdivision thereof, (iii) an
estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation
regardless of its source or (iv) a trust if (a) a court within the United
States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the
trust and (b) one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all
substantial decisions of the trust. Thus, the following summary does not
address any tax consequences that apply specifically to nonresident aliens or
foreign entities.
TREATMENT OF THE TRUST AND PREFERRED SECURITIES FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX
PURPOSES
The Trust will be treated as a "grantor trust" and not as an association
taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Thus, for federal
income tax purposes, each Holder will be treated as the beneficial owner of a
pro rata undivided interest in the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes and,
consequently, will be required to include in income the Holder's pro rata
share of the entire income from the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. Each
Holder generally will determine its net income or loss with respect to the
Trust in accordance with its own method of accounting, although income arising
from OID, if any, must be taken into account under the accrual method of
accounting even if the Holder otherwise would use the cash receipts and
disbursements method.
PAYMENTS OF INTEREST
Except as set forth below, stated interest on a Series A Junior Subordinated
Note will generally be taxable to a Holder as ordinary income at the time it
is paid or accrued in accordance with the Holder's own method of accounting.
ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT
Under income tax regulations that recently became effective, the Company
believes that the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes will not be treated as
issued with OID. It should be noted that these regulations have not yet been
addressed in any rulings or other interpretations by the Internal Revenue
Service (the "IRS"). Accordingly, it is possible that the IRS could take a
position contrary to the interpretations described herein.
The terms of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes permit the Company to
defer the payment of interest on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes at any
time and from time to time by extending the interest payment period for up to
20 consecutive quarters with respect to each Extension Period; provided,
however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the stated maturity date
of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes. Should the Company exercise this
option to defer payments of interest, the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
would at that time be treated as issued with OID and all the stated interest
payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes would thereafter be treated
as OID for so long as they remained outstanding. As a result, all Holders
would, in effect, be required to accrue interest income even if such Holders
are on a cash method of accounting. Consequently, in the event that the
payment of interest is deferred, a Holder could be required to include OID in
income on an economic accrual basis, notwithstanding that the Company will not
make any interest payments during such period on the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes.
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MARKET DISCOUNT
A purchaser of a Preferred Security at a discount from the liquidation
amount at maturity of such purchaser's pro rata share of the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes acquires such Preferred Security with "market discount."
However, market discount with respect to a Preferred Security will be
considered to be zero if it is de minimis. Market discount will be de minimis
with respect to a Preferred Security if it is less than the product of (i)
0.25% of the adjusted issue price of the purchaser's pro rata share of the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes multiplied by (ii) the number of complete
years to maturity of such Series A Junior Subordinated Notes after the date of
purchase. The purchaser of a Preferred Security with more than a de minimis
amount of market discount generally will be required to treat any gain on the
sale, exchange, redemption or other disposition of all or part of the
Preferred Securities (or related Series A Junior Subordinated Notes) as
ordinary income to the extent of accrued (but not previously taxed) market
discount. Market discount generally will accrue ratably during the period from
the date of purchase of such Preferred Security to the maturity date of the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes unless the Holder irrevocably elects to
accrue such market discount on the basis of a constant interest rate.
A Holder who has acquired a Preferred Security at a market discount
generally will be required to defer any deductions of interest expense
attributable to any indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry
the Preferred Security, to the extent such interest expense exceeds the
related interest income. Any such deferred interest expense generally will be
allowable as a deduction not later than the year in which the related market
discount income is recognized. As an alternative to the inclusion of market
discount in income upon disposition of all or a portion of a Preferred
Security or the related Series A Junior Subordinated Notes (including
redemptions thereof), a Holder may make an election (which may not be revoked
without the IRS's consent) to include market discount in income as it accrues
on all market discount instruments acquired by the Holder during or after the
taxable year for which the election is made. In that case, the preceding
deferral rule for interest expense will not apply.
In lieu of the foregoing treatment of market discount and interest expense,
a Holder may elect to treat any market discount (including a de minimis
amount) as OID and accrue such discount on a constant-yield basis in the same
manner as the Holder accrues OID.
SALE OF PREFERRED SECURITIES
Upon the sale, retirement (including redemption) or other taxable
disposition of all or part of a Preferred Security, a Holder thereof will
recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on
such sale, retirement or other disposition and such Holder's adjusted tax
basis in the Preferred Security or part thereof. If the Holder disposes of a
Preferred Security prior to the occurrence of an Extension Period, any portion
of the amount received that is attributable to accrued interest will be
treated as interest income to the Holder and will not be treated as part of
the amount realized for purposes of determining gain or loss on the
disposition of the Preferred Security. Any recognized gain or loss will be
capital gain or loss, except to the extent of any accrued market discount (see
"Market Discount" above), and such capital gain or loss will be long-term if
the holding period for the Preferred Security is more than one year at the
time of sale, retirement or other disposition. A Holder's adjusted tax basis
in a Preferred Security acquired by purchase will equal the cost of such
Preferred Security to the Holder, increased by the amount of any related
accrued OID and market discount included in taxable income by the Holder and
reduced by any prior payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
distributed on the Preferred Security. The redemption of only part of a
Preferred Security will require an allocation of the Holder's adjusted tax
basis in his pro rata share of the related Series A Junior Subordinated Notes
between the portion of the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes redeemed and
retained by the Holder in order to determine gain or loss.
RECEIPT OF SERIES A JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE TRUST
As described under "Description of the Preferred Securities--Special Event
Redemption; Distribution of Series A Junior Subordinated Notes," Series A
Junior Subordinated Notes may be distributed to Holders in
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exchange for the Preferred Securities and in liquidation of the Trust. Such a
distribution would be treated as a non-taxable event to each Holder and each
Holder would receive an aggregate tax basis in the Holder's Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes equal to the Holder's aggregate tax basis in its Preferred
Securities. A Holder's holding period with respect to the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes so received in liquidation of the Trust would include the
period for which the Preferred Securities were held by such Holder.
INFORMATION REPORTING TO HOLDERS
Income on the Preferred Securities will be reported to Holders on Form 1099,
which form should be mailed to Holders of Preferred Securities by January 31
following each calendar year.
BACKUP WITHHOLDING
A Holder may be subject to "backup withholding" under certain circumstances.
Backup withholding applies to a Holder if the Holder, among other things, (i)
fails to furnish his social security number or other taxpayer identification
number ("TIN") to the payor responsible for backup withholding (for example,
the Holder's securities broker), (ii) furnishes such payor an incorrect TIN,
(iii) fails to provide such payor with a certified statement, signed under
penalties of perjury, that the TIN provided to the payor is correct and that
the Holder is not subject to backup withholding, or (iv) fails to report
properly interest and dividends on his tax return. Backup withholding,
however, does not apply to payments made to certain exempt recipients, such as
corporations and tax-exempt organizations. The backup withholding rate is 31%
of "reportable payments," which generally will include distributions of
interest and principal payments on the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes.
THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO A
HOLDER, DEPENDING UPON A HOLDER'S PARTICULAR SITUATION, AND THEREFORE EACH
HOLDER SHOULD CONSULT HIS TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF
THE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF PREFERRED SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE TAX
CONSEQUENCES UNDER STATE, LOCAL, FOREIGN AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND THE POSSIBLE
EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN FEDERAL OR OTHER TAX LAW.
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UNDERWRITING
Under the terms and subject to the conditions of the Underwriting Agreement
dated December 3, 1998 (the "Underwriting Agreement"), each Underwriter named
below (the "Underwriters"), for whom Salomon Smith Barney Inc. and The
Robinson-Humphrey Company, LLC are acting as representatives (the
"Representatives"), has severally agreed to purchase from the Trust, and the
Trust has agreed to sell to such Underwriter, the number of Preferred
Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter below.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NUMBER OF
NAME PREFERRED SECURITIES
---- --------------------
<S> <C>
Salomon Smith Barney Inc. ........................... 700,000
The Robinson-Humphrey Company, LLC................... 700,000
J.C. Bradford & Co................................... 20,000
EVEREN Securities, Inc............................... 20,000
Interstate/Johnson Lane Corporation.................. 20,000
Legg Mason Wood Walker, Incorporated................. 20,000
Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc......................... 20,000
Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc............................ 20,000
Raymond James & Associates, Inc...................... 20,000
Regions Investment Company, Inc...................... 20,000
Utendahl Capital Partners, L.P....................... 20,000
Wheat First Securities, Inc.......................... 20,000
---------
Total.............................................. 1,600,000
=========
</TABLE>
The Underwriters are obligated to take and pay for the total number of
Preferred Securities offered hereby if any such Preferred Securities are
purchased. In the event of default by any Underwriter, the Underwriting
Agreement provides that, in certain circumstances, purchase commitments of the
non-defaulting Underwriters may be increased or the Underwriting Agreement may
be terminated.
The Underwriting Agreement provides that the Trust and the Company will
indemnify the several Underwriters against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The Company's expenses associated with the offer and sale of the Preferred
Securities are estimated to be $146,000.
In view of the fact that the proceeds of the sale of the Preferred
Securities will ultimately be used to purchase the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes of the Company, the Underwriting Agreement provides that
the Company will pay as compensation to the Underwriters $0.7875 per Preferred
Security for the accounts of the several Underwriters ($1,260,000 in the
aggregate); provided that such compensation will be $0.25 per Preferred
Security for sales of 10,000 or more Preferred Securities to a single
purchaser. Therefore, to the extent of such sales, the actual amount of
Underwriters' compensation will be less than the aggregate amount specified in
the preceding sentence.
The Underwriters propose to offer the Preferred Securities, in part,
directly to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the
cover page of this Prospectus Supplement, and to certain dealers at such price
less a concession of $0.50 per Preferred Security. The Underwriters may allow,
and such dealers may reallow, a concession not in excess of $0.35 per
Preferred Security to certain brokers and dealers. After the Preferred
Securities are released for sale to the public, the offering price and other
selling terms may from time to time be varied by the Representatives of the
Underwriters.
Application has been made to list the Preferred Securities on the NYSE. If
approved, trading of the Preferred Securities on the NYSE is expected to
commence within a 30-day period after the initial delivery of the Preferred
Securities. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the
Preferred Securities. In order to meet
S-27
<PAGE>
one of the requirements for listing the Preferred Securities on the NYSE, the
Underwriters will undertake to sell lots of 100 or more Preferred Securities
to a minimum of 400 beneficial holders.
The Company and the Trust have agreed, during the period of 15 days from the
date of the Underwriting Agreement, not to sell, offer to sell, grant any
option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of any Preferred Securities, any
security convertible into or exchangeable into or exercisable for Preferred
Securities or the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes or any debt securities
substantially similar to the Series A Junior Subordinated Notes or equity
securities substantially similar to the Preferred Securities (except for the
Series A Junior Subordinated Notes and the Preferred Securities issued
pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement), without the prior written consent of
the Representatives.
In order to facilitate the offering of the Preferred Securities, the
Underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise
affect the price of the Preferred Securities. Specifically, the Underwriters
may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position in
the Preferred Securities for their own account. In addition, to cover
overallotments or to stabilize the price of the Preferred Securities, the
Underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the Preferred Securities in the open
market. Finally, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions
allowed to an Underwriter or a dealer for distributing the Preferred
Securities in the offering, if the syndicate repurchases previously
distributed Preferred Securities in transactions to cover syndicate short
positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities
may stabilize or maintain the market price of the Preferred Securities above
independent market levels. The Underwriters are not required to engage in
these activities, and if commenced, may end any of these activities at any
time.
Certain of the Underwriters and their affiliates have in the past provided,
and may in the future provide, investment and/or commercial banking services
to the Company and its affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
LEGAL OPINIONS
Certain matters of Delaware law relating to the validity of the Preferred
Securities will be passed upon on behalf of the Company and the Trust by
Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, Delaware, special Delaware
counsel to the Company and the Trust. The validity of the Series A Junior
Subordinated Notes, the Guarantee and certain matters relating thereto will be
passed upon on behalf of the Company by Bouhan, Williams & Levy LLP, Savannah,
Georgia, and by Troutman Sanders LLP, Atlanta, Georgia. Troutman Sanders LLP
will also pass upon certain matters relating to United States federal income
tax considerations. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the
Underwriters by Dewey Ballantine LLP, New York, New York.
EXPERTS
The financial statements and schedules of the Company included in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997,
incorporated herein by reference, have been audited by Arthur Andersen LLP,
independent public accountants, as indicated in their reports with respect
thereto, and are incorporated herein in reliance upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing in giving said reports.
Statements as to matters of law and legal conclusions in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997, relating to
titles to property of the Company under "Item 2--Properties--Titles to
Property," and relating to the Company under "Item 1--Business--Regulation,"
"Item 1--Business--Rate Matters" and "Item 1--Business--Competition," have
been reviewed by Bouhan, Williams & Levy LLP, general counsel for the Company,
and such statements are made upon the authority of such firm as experts.
S-28
<PAGE>
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1,600,000 SECURITIES
SAVANNAH ELECTRIC CAPITAL TRUST I
6.85% TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES (TRUPS(R))
$25 LIQUIDATION AMOUNT PER SECURITY
FULLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED, AS SET FORTH HEREIN, BY
[LOGO OF SAVANNAH ELECTRIC APPEARS HERE]
------------
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
DECEMBER 3, 1998
(INCLUDING PROSPECTUS
DATED FEBRUARY 24, 1998)
------------
SALOMON SMITH BARNEY
THE ROBINSON-HUMPHREY COMPANY
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