<PAGE>
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30, 1999
Registration Nos. 333-75451 333-75451-01
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
---------------
AMENDMENT NO. 1
TO
FORM S-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
---------------
Issuer of Senior Notes registered hereby
AK STEEL CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C>
DELAWARE 3312 31-1401455
(State or Other Jurisdiction (Primary Standard Industrial (I.R.S. Employer
of Incorporation or Classification Code Number) Identification No.)
Organization)
</TABLE>
Guarantor of Senior Notes registered hereby
AK STEEL HOLDING CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C>
DELAWARE 3312 31-1401455
(State or Other Jurisdiction (Primary Standard Industrial (I.R.S. Employer
of Incorporation or Classification Code Number) Identification No.)
Organization)
</TABLE>
703 Curtis Street
Middletown, Ohio 45043
(513) 425-5000
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number,
including Area Code, of Registrants' Principal Executive Offices)
James L. Wainscott
Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
AK Steel Corporation
703 Curtis Street
Middletown, Ohio 45043
(513) 425-5000
(Name and Address, Including Zip Code,
and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)
Copies of communications to:
Stephen H. Cooper, Esq.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10153-0119
(212) 310-8000
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as
practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered in
connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance
with General Instruction G, check the following box. [_]
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462 (b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and
list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same offering. [_]
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462 (d)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. [_]
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or
dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant
shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this
registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with
Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement
shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission,
acting pursuant to said Section(a), may determine.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These +
+securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the +
+Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an +
+offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any +
+jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject to Completion,
Dated June 30, 1999
PROSPECTUS
Exchange Offer for
$450,000,000 of 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009
AK Steel Corporation [LOGO]
AK Steel Corporation
Material Terms of the Exchange Offer
. Expires 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on , . The exchange will not be
1999, unless extended a taxable event for U.S.
federal income tax
purposes
. All old notes that are
validly tendered and not . The terms of the new
withdrawn will be notes to be issued in the
exchanged for new notes exchange offer are
identical to those of the
old notes that were
issued on February 10,
. The only conditions to 1999, except for certain
completing the exchange transfer restrictions and
offer are that it does registration rights
not violate any relating to the old notes
applicable law or
interpretation of the
Staff of the Securities
and Exchange Commission . Affiliates of our company
and that no action or may not participate in
proceeding has been the exchange offer
instituted or threatened
that would prohibit or
impair our ability to
proceed with the exchange
offer
. You may withdraw your
tender of old notes at
any time prior to the
expiration of the
exchange offer
Please refer to "Risk Factors" beginning on page 10 of this document
for certain important information.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved the notes to be issued in this exchange offer, nor has
any of these organizations determined that this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
------------
The date of this prospectus is , 1999.
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Page
----
<S> <C>
Where You Can Find More Information........................................ i
Prospectus Summary......................................................... 1
Risk Factors............................................................... 9
Use of Proceeds............................................................ 13
Capitalization............................................................. 14
Description of Outstanding Indebtedness.................................... 15
The Exchange Offer......................................................... 17
Description of New Notes................................................... 26
Federal Income Tax Consequences............................................ 58
Plan of Distribution....................................................... 59
Legal Matters.............................................................. 59
Experts.................................................................... 59
Forward-Looking Statements................................................. 59
</TABLE>
----------------
You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to
which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with
information that is different. This document may only be used where it is
legal to sell these securities. The information in this document may only be
accurate on the date of this document.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 under the
Securities Act with respect to the new notes to be issued in the exchange
offer. This prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement, does
not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and
the exhibits and schedules thereto, because some of that information has been
omitted from this prospectus in accordance with the SEC's rules and
regulations. Statements made in this prospectus concerning the provisions of
various documents are not necessarily all inclusive and we refer you to the
copy of each such documents filed as an exhibit to the registration statement
for the full text of those provisions. Each such statement is deemed qualified
in its entirety by such reference. Unless otherwise indicated, steel industry
data contained or incorporated by reference are derived from publicly
available sources, including industry trade journals and SEC filings, which we
have not independently verified.
We are a wholly-owned subsidiary of AK Steel Holding Corporation, which has
guaranteed the notes. AK Steel Holding Corporation is a publicly-owned
company. Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and it
files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other
documents with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You may read
and copy any of those reports, statements or other documents at the SEC's
public reference room at Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further
information on the public reference room. These filings are also available to
the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the SEC's Web
site at "http://www.sec.gov." In addition, our company maintains a Web site at
"http://www.aksteel.com" that contains additional information, including news
releases about our business and operations.
The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" in this prospectus documents
that AK Steel Holding Corporation files with them, which means that we can
disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The
information so incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this
prospectus, and information that AK Steel Holding Corporation files with the
SEC in the future will automatically update and supersede the information in
this prospectus.
i
<PAGE>
We are incorporating by reference in this prospectus the reports listed
below and any reports filed in the future by AK Steel Holding Corporation with
the SEC under Sections 12(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 until the completion of the exchange offer:
. AK Steel Holding Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1998, as amended by Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on
February 25, 1999;
. AK Steel Holding Corporation's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
three months ended March 31, 1999, as amended by Form 10-Q/A filed with
the SEC on June 30, 1999; and
. AK Steel Holding Corporation's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the
SEC on February 3, 1999, February 16, 1999, February 17, 1999, March 25,
1999, April 15, 1999, April 28, 1999, May 24, 1999 and June 2, 1999.
You may request a copy of any filings made by AK Steel Holding Corporation
with the SEC, or any of the agreements or other documents that constitute
exhibits to those filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the
following address or phone number:
AK Steel Corporation
703 Curtis Street
Middletown, Ohio 45043
(513) 425-5000
Attention: Corporate
Secretary
ii
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
The following summary highlights selected information from this prospectus
and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. This
prospectus includes the specific terms of the notes we are offering, as well as
information regarding our business. We encourage you to read this prospectus in
its entirety. The terms "AK Steel" and "our company," as used in this
prospectus, refer to AK Steel Corporation, which will be the issuer of the
notes that are being offered. AK Steel is a subsidiary of AK Steel Holding
Corporation, which is a New York Stock Exchange-listed company and will
guarantee the notes.
Our Company
AK Steel is the most profitable integrated steel producer in the United
States on an operating profit per ton basis, having led the industry in this
measure for each of the last five years. We concentrate on the production of
premium quality coated, cold rolled and hot rolled carbon steel primarily for
sale to customers in the automotive, appliance, construction and manufacturing
industries. We also cold roll and aluminum coat stainless steel for automotive
industry customers.
Our executive offices are located at 703 Curtis Street, Middletown, Ohio
45043 and our telephone number is (513) 425-5000.
The Exchange Offer
On February 10, 1999, we completed the private placement of $450,000,000
principal amount of our 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009. Those notes were not
registered under the Securities Act and, therefor, they are subject to
significant restrictions on resale. Accordingly, when we sold those notes, we
entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers in
which we agreed to deliver to you this prospectus and to permit you to exchange
those old notes for new notes with identical terms that have been registered
under the Securities Act. We believe that the new notes may be resold by you
without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery provisions of
the Securities Act, subject to limited conditions. Following the exchange
offer, any old notes that you did not exchange for new notes will continue to
be subject to restrictions on resale and we will have no obligation to you to
register those old notes under the Securities Act.
We issued the old notes under an indenture that grants you certain rights.
The new notes also will be issued under that indenture and you will continue to
have the same rights under the indenture that you had prior to the exchange
offer. Any reference to "notes" in this prospectus refers to both old notes and
new notes, unless the context otherwise requires. You should read the
discussion under the heading "Description of New Notes" for further information
regarding the new notes.
The Exchange Offer...... We are offering to exchange $1,000 principal amount
of our 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009 that we have
registered under the Securities Act for each $1,000
principal amount of our outstanding 7 7/8% Senior
Notes Due 2009 that we issued in February 1999 in a
private placement and that have not been registered
1
<PAGE>
under the Securities Act. All outstanding old notes
that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn
will be exchanged. As of this date, there are
$450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our old
notes outstanding.
We will issue the new notes promptly after the ex-
piration of the exchange offer.
Resale..................
We believe that the new notes that you receive in
the exchange offer may be offered for resale, re-
sold and otherwise transferred by you without com-
pliance with the registration and prospectus deliv-
ery provisions of the Securities Act provided that:
. you are not an affiliate of our company, as the
term affiliate is defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act;
. you acquire the new notes in the ordinary course
of your business; and
. you are not participating, do not intend to par-
ticipate and have no arrangement or understand-
ing with any person to participate, in the dis-
tribution of the new notes.
If you do not meet the above conditions, you may
incur liability under the Securities Act if you
transfer any new note issued to you in the exchange
offer without delivering a prospectus meeting the
requirements of the Securities Act or without an
exemption from registration of your notes from such
requirements. We do not assume, or indemnify you
against, such liability.
If you are a broker-dealer and receive new notes in
the exchange offer for your own account in exchange
for old notes that you acquired as a result of mar-
ket-making or other trading activities, you must
acknowledge that you will deliver a prospectus
meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in
connection with any resale of those new notes. You
may use this prospectus for this purpose.
Expiration Date.........
The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on 1999, unless we decide to
extend the exchange offer. We do not intend to ex-
tend the exchange offer, although we reserve the
right to do so. In no event will we ex- tend the
exchange offer beyond , 1999.
Conditions to the
Exchange Offer..........
The exchange offer is subject to customary
conditions, any of which we may waive. The exchange
offer is not conditioned
2
<PAGE>
upon any minimum principal amount of notes being
tendered. See "The Exchange Offer--Conditions to
the Exchange Offer."
Procedures for
Tendering Notes.........
If you wish to tender your old notes for exchange,
you must transmit to Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati,
Ohio, as exchange agent, on or before the expira-
tion date, either
. a properly completed and duly executed letter of
transmittal, which accompanies this prospectus,
or a facsimile of the letter of transmittal, to-
gether with your old notes and any other re-
quired documentation; or
. a computer-generated message transmitted by
means of The Depository Trust Company's Auto-
mated Tender Offer Program system and forming a
part of a confirmation of book entry transfer in
which you acknowledge and agree to be bound by
the terms of the letter of transmittal.
If you cannot comply with either of these proce-
dures on a timely basis, then you should follow the
guaranteed delivery procedures described below.
By executing or agreeing to be bound by the terms
of the letter of transmittal, you will be deemed to
make the representations to us described in "The
Exchange Offer" section of this prospectus under
the heading "Procedures for Tendering."
Special Procedures for
Beneficial Owners.......
If you are a beneficial owner of old notes that are
registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commer-
cial bank, trust company or other nominee and you
wish to tender those old notes for exchange, you
should contact the registered holder promptly and
instruct the registered holder to tender those
notes on your behalf. If you wish to tender those
notes yourself, you must either make appropriate
arrangements to re-register ownership of the notes
in your own name or obtain a properly completed
bond power from the registered holder. The transfer
of registered ownership to your own name may take
considerable time and you may not be able to com-
plete the transfer prior to the expiration date.
Guaranteed Delivery
Procedures..............
If you wish to tender your old notes for exchange
and time will not permit the documents required by
the letter of transmittal to
3
<PAGE>
reach the exchange agent prior to the expiration
date, or you cannot complete the procedure for
book-entry transfer on a timely basis, you may ten-
der your notes according to the guaranteed delivery
procedures described in the instructions in the ac-
companying transmittal letter.
Acceptance of Tendered
Old Notes and Delivery
of New Notes.......
Subject to the conditions described in "The
Exchange Offer" section of this prospectus under
the heading "Conditions to the Exchange Offer", we
will accept for exchange any and all old notes that
are validly tendered in the exchange offer and not
withdrawn, prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the expiration date.
Withdrawal Rights....... You may withdraw the tender of your old notes at
any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on
the expiration date, subject to compliance with the
procedures for withdrawal described in "The Ex-
change Offer" section of this prospectus under the
heading "Withdrawal Rights."
Federal Income Tax
Considerations..........
The exchange of the old notes will not be a taxable
event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Exchange Agent..........
Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio, the trustee un-
der the indenture governing the notes, is serving
as the exchange agent. The address, telephone num-
ber and facsimile number of the exchange agent are
set forth in "The Exchange Offer" section of this
prospectus under the heading "Exchange Agent."
Consequences of Failure
to Exchange Notes.......
If you do not exchange your old notes for new
notes, your old notes will continue to be subject
to significant restrictions on resale. In general,
the old notes may not be offered or sold unless
registered under the Securities Act, except pursu-
ant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the Securities Act. We do not currently
plan to register the old notes under the Securities
Act.
Use of Proceeds......... We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange
offer.
4
<PAGE>
Summary of Terms of the New Notes
Issuer............. AK Steel Corporation.
Issue.............. $450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 7 7/8%
Senior Notes Due 2009.
Maturity Date........... February 15, 2009.
Interest Payment
Dates................... February 15 and August 15 of each year, beginning
August 15, 1999. Interest on the new notes that we
will issue will accrue from the last interest pay-
ment date on which interest was paid on the old
notes surrendered in exchange, or, if no interest
has been paid on the old notes, from February 10,
1999, which was the date of original issuance of
the old notes.
Optional Redemption.....
We may redeem the notes, in whole at any time or in
part from time to time, at our option, on or after
February 15, 2004, at the redemption prices set
forth in the "Description of New Notes" section of
this prospectus under the heading "Optional
Redemption." In addition, at any time on one or
more occasions before February 15, 2002, we may, at
our option, redeem up to a cumulative aggregate of
$157.5 million principal amount of the notes with
money that we raise in certain public or private
equity offerings, so long as:
. we pay to holders of the notes a redemption price
of 107.875% of the face amount of the notes we
redeem, plus accrued interest;
. we complete any such redemption within 60 days of
completing the related equity offering; and
. at least $292.5 aggregate principal amount of the
notes remains outstanding after the redemption.
Guarantee.......... The new notes will be unconditionally guaranteed on
a senior basis by our parent company, AK Steel
Holding Corporation. The guarantee will be equal in
right of payment with all other senior unsecured
indebtedness and guarantees issued by our parent
company.
Ranking.................
The new notes will be:
. senior unsecured obligations of our company and
will be equal in right of payment with all of our
other existing and future senior unsecured debt;
and
. effectively junior to all of our secured obliga-
tions to the extent of the collateral securing
those obligations, including the $250 million of
our currently outstanding Senior Secured Notes Due
2004.
5
<PAGE>
Change in Control.......
If a change in control of AK Steel occurs, you will
have the right to require us to repurchase your new
notes at a purchase price equal to 101% of their
aggregate principal amount on the date of repur-
chase, plus any accrued interest. If a change of
control were to occur, however, we may not have
sufficient funds to repurchase your notes at the
time we are required to do so.
Material Covenants......
The indenture governing the notes contains cove-
nants that, among other things, limit our ability
and the ability of our subsidiaries to:
. create liens on our assets to service certain
debt;
. incur additional indebtedness;
. make investments;
. issue or sell equity interests of subsidiaries;
. pay dividends or distributions on, or redeem or
repurchase, capital stock;
. redeem certain subordinated obligations;
. transfer or sell assets;
. engage in transactions with affiliates;
. engage in unrelated businesses; and
. consolidate, merge or transfer substantially all
of ourassets.
These covenants are subject to important exceptions
and qualifications, which are described in the "De-
scription of New Notes" section of this prospectus
under the heading "Material Covenants."
Form of New Notes....... The new notes will be represented by one or more
permanent global certificates, in fully registered
form, deposited with a custodian for, and regis-
tered in the name of a nominee of, DTC, as deposi-
tary. You will not receive notes in certificated
form unless there occurs one of the events set
forth in the "Description of New Notes" section of
this prospectus under the heading "Form of New
Notes." Instead, beneficial interests in the new
notes will be shown on, and transfers of these in-
terests will be effected only through, records
maintained in book-entry form by DTC and its par-
ticipants.
6
<PAGE>
Summary Historical Consolidated Financial Data
(dollars in millions, except per ton data)
The following summary historical consolidated financial data have been
derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, the consolidated
financial statements of AK Steel Holding Corporation included in its Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998 and its Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 1999.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Three Months
Years Ended December 31, Ended March 31,
---------------------------- ------------------
1996 1997 1998 1998 1999
-------- -------- -------- -------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Statement of Operations Data:
Net sales.................... $2,301.8 $2,440.5 $2,393.6 $ 588.2 $ 632.2
Cost of products sold........ 1,846.5 1,964.5 1,963.4 483.6 521.5
Selling and administrative
expenses.................... 114.7 114.8 118.8 29.2 30.2
Depreciation................. 76.1 79.8 97.8 21.2 33.2
Operating profit............. 264.5 281.4 213.6 54.2 47.3
Interest expense............. 39.8 76.3 56.0 15.7 24.7
Other income................. 12.3 36.4 18.6 6.9 3.2
Income before income taxes .. 237.0 241.5 176.2 45.4 25.8
Provision for income taxes... 91.1 90.6 61.7 17.0 (1.8)
Net income................... $ 145.9 $ 150.9 $ 114.5 $ 28.4 $ 27.6
<CAPTION>
As of December 31, As of March 31,
---------------------------- ------------------
1996 1997 1998 1998 1999
-------- -------- -------- -------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash, cash equivalents, and
short-term investments...... $ 739.3 $ 606.1 $ 83.0 $ 576.2 $ 498.2
Working capital.............. 1,005.1 658.2 276.1 643.2 386.7
Total assets................. 2,650.8 3,084.3 3,306.3 3,211.8 3,771.4
Current portion of long-term
debt(1)..................... -- -- -- -- 325.0
Long-term debt (excluding
current portion)............ 875.0 997.5 1,145.0 1,145.0 1,280.0
Current portion of pension
and postretirement benefit
obligations................. 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 --
Long-term pension and
postretirement benefit
obligations (excluding
current portion)............ 564.9 554.1 572.6 560.5 578.2
Stockholders' equity......... $ 777.0 $ 879.6 $ 929.5 $ 872.3 $ 952.9
<CAPTION>
Three Months
Years Ended December 31, Ended March 31,
---------------------------- ------------------
1996 1997 1998 1998 1999
-------- -------- -------- -------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Other Data:
Ratio of earnings to combined
fixed charges(2)............ 4.6x 2.9x 2.0x 2.1x 1.5x
EBITDA(3).................... $ 355.4 $ 399.7 $ 330.0 $ 82.3 $ 83.7
Ratio of EBITDA to interest
expense(4).................. 6.7x 3.8x 2.9x 2.9x 2.4x
Operating profit per ton .... $ 60 $ 61 $ 46 $ 50 $ 37
Capital investments.......... $ 141.6 $ 636.5 $ 772.6 $ 197.3 $ 84.1
Flat rolled shipments
(thousands of tons)......... 4,383 4,647 4,602 1,088 1,274
</TABLE>
- --------
Footnotes appear on following page.
7
<PAGE>
Notes:
(1) Proceeds from the sale of AK Steel's 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009 were
invested in short-term U.S. government obligations prior to being used to
finance the redemption on April 1, 1999 of $325.0 million in principal
amount of AK Steel's 10 3/4% Senior Notes Due 2004 at an aggregate cost of
$338.1 million.
(2) For the purpose of calculating the ratio of earnings to combined fixed
charges, (i) earnings consist of income before income taxes, extraordinary
items and effects of accounting change, the distributed income of less than
50%-owned affiliates, plus fixed charges and (ii) combined fixed charges
consist of interest, whether expensed or capitalized, and preferred stock
dividends. For two of the three months ended March 31, 1999, interest
expense was included for both the 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009 and the 10
3/4% Senior Notes Due 2004.
(3) EBITDA, an acronym that stands for earnings before interest expense,
provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, is a widely
accepted indicator of a company's ability to service its debt. EBITDA does
not represent net income or cash flow from operations as those items are
defined by generally accepted accounting principles. It should not be
considered by holders of the notes as an alternative to net income and does
not necessarily indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash
needs. The indenture governing the notes employs a modified definition of
EBITDA, under which non-cash post-employment benefits (other than pensions)
and non-cash special charges are added to earnings. The indenture provides
for the addition of these amounts because (i) a component of retiree
medical expense is a non-cash item (representing an estimate of future
medical costs) and (ii) certain of AK Steel's special charges are non-cash
items. EBITDA is calculated under the indenture as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December Three Months
31, Ended March 31,
-------------------- ---------------
1996 1997 1998 1998 1999
------ ------ ------ ------- -------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Net income............................ $145.9 $150.9 $114.5 $ 28.4 $ 27.6
Plus: Provision for income taxes...... 91.1 90.6 61.7 17.0 (1.8)
Depreciation....................... 76.1 79.8 97.8 21.2 33.2
Interest expense................... 39.8 76.3 56.0 15.7 24.7
Noncash OPEB....................... 2.5 2.1 -- -- --
------ ------ ------ ------- -------
EBITDA................................ $355.4 $399.7 $330.0 $ 82.3 $ 83.7
</TABLE>
Thus, EBITDA, as used in the indenture and as shown in this table, is not
comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. A full
definition of the term "EBITDA", as used in the indenture, appears under the
heading "Defined Terms" in the "Description of New Notes" section of this
prospectus. Under the indenture, subject to certain exceptions, AK Steel may
not incur additional indebtedness unless the ratio of pro forma consolidated
EBITDA to interest expense would be greater than 2.5 to 1.0.
(4) For the purpose of calculating the ratio of EBITDA to interest expense,
interest expense consists of interest, whether expensed or capitalized,
amortization of debt issuance costs and dividends on any preferred stock
that may be issued.
8
<PAGE>
RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks described below before making a
decision to tender your old notes for exchange. Any reference to "notes" in
this prospectus refers to both old notes and new notes, unless the context
otherwise requires.
We are substantially leveraged, which could adversely affect our ability to
fulfill our obligations under the notes.
Our substantial outstanding debt has important consequences to you, including
the risk that we may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to pay
principal and interest on our indebtedness, including the notes, or to invest
in our businesses. While we believe, based upon our historical and anticipated
performance, that we will be able to satisfy our obligations, including under
the notes, from our cash flow from operations and refinancings, we cannot
assure you of this ability. While we can raise cash to satisfy our obligations
through potential sales of assets or equity, our ability to raise funds by
selling either assets or equity depends on our results of operations, market
conditions, restrictions contained in the indentures relating to the notes and
our other outstanding senior notes and other factors. If we are unable to
refinance indebtedness or raise funds through sales of assets or equity or
otherwise, we may be unable to pay principal of and interest on the notes.
At March 31, 1998, we had total outstanding consolidated long-term debt of
approximately $1.28 billion, including approximately $250.0 million of secured
debt, and stockholders' equity of $952.9 million. Our interest expense was
$56.0 million for the year ended December 31, 1998 and $24.7 million for the
three months ended March 31, 1999. There is no outstanding debt senior to the
notes. In addition, subject to covenants contained in the indentures relating
to the notes and our other outstanding senior notes, we may incur additional
indebtedness. We are currently limited by covenants in these agreements from
incurring additional debt, except under limited circumstances. Any additional
indebtedness we may incur may rank equally or junior to the notes and will not
by its terms rank senior to the notes.
If a change of control occurs, we may be unable to repurchase your notes. This
failure would constitute an event of default under the indenture relating to
the notes and our other debt instruments.
If a change of control as defined in the indenture relating to the notes
occurs, we cannot assure you that we will have available, or be able to obtain,
sufficient funds, or will be permitted by our debt instruments, to repurchase
your notes. The indenture relating to the notes provides that if a change of
control occurs, you will have the right to require us to repurchase your notes
at 101% of their principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest to the
repurchase date. Our failure to repurchase your notes would constitute an event
of default under the indenture, which would in turn constitute a default under
the agreement governing our secured notes and the indentures governing our
other outstanding senior notes. See "Description of New Notes--Change in
Control Offer." If any of these events of default were to occur, we may be
unable to pay the accelerated principal amount of and interest on the notes.
The liquidity of any market for the old notes could be adversely affected after
completion of the exchange offer.
There has been no public market for the old notes. If most holders of the old
notes tender their notes in the exchange offer, the liquidity for the old notes
not tendered in the exchange offer could
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<PAGE>
be adversely affected upon completion of the exchange offer. In addition, we
cannot assure you with respect to:
(1) the liquidity of any market for the new notes that may develop,
(2) your ability to sell new notes or
(3) the price at which you will be able to sell those new notes.
If a public market were to exist, the new notes could trade at prices that
might be higher or lower than their principal amount or purchase price,
depending on many factors, including prevailing interest rates, the market for
similar notes, and our financial performance. We do not intend to list the new
notes to be issued to you in the exchange offer on any securities exchange or
to seek approval for quotations through any automated quotation system. No
active market for the new notes is currently anticipated. Credit Suisse First
Boston Corporation and PNC Capital Markets, Inc., the initial purchasers of the
old notes, have advised us that they currently anticipate making a secondary
market for the new notes, but they are not obligated to do so. We cannot assure
you that an active or liquid public trading market will develop for the new
notes.
There is limited support for our parent company's guarantee.
The new notes will be unconditionally guaranteed on a senior basis by our
parent company, AK Steel Holding Corporation. Our parent company derives all of
its operating income and cash flow from our company and our outstanding common
stock is its only material asset. The indenture governing the notes contains a
covenant restricting our parent company from holding any assets other than
securities of our company. Accordingly, its ability to perform on its guarantee
will be dependent on our own financial condition and net worth.
We rely heavily on the automotive industry, which has experienced significant
fluctuations in demand, and, therefore, our revenues in the future could
decline.
Our shipments of steel directly to the automotive market accounted for
approximately 55%, 56% and 60% of our net sales in 1996, 1997, and 1998,
respectively. Our shipments to General Motors Corporation, our largest customer
in each of the past three years, accounted for approximately 17%, 18% and 19%
of our net sales in 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. In addition, a
substantial amount of our sales to steel distributors and converters consists
of products that are resold, in original or modified form, to the automotive
industry.
Our strategy depends upon continued growth in demand for premium quality
coated and cold rolled carbon and stainless steel products, particularly from
the automotive industry. The domestic automotive industry has historically
experienced significant fluctuations in demand, based on such factors as
general economic conditions, interest rates and consumer confidence. In
addition, strikes, lock-outs, work stoppages or other production interruptions
in the automotive industry can adversely affect the demand for our products.
Since the beginning of 1994, automotive industry demand for flat rolled coated
steel products has been high, with consumption of galvanized and galvannealed
material increasing from approximately 4.3 million tons in 1992 to
approximately 6.7 million tons in 1997. A major factor contributing to this
growth has been the increase in construction and operation of U.S.-based
production facilities by foreign automotive manufacturers. Although several
foreign manufacturers have been expanding their production facilities in the
United States, there can be no assurance that demand for our coated and
stainless products will remain high or continue to grow.
10
<PAGE>
The forthcoming expiration of our union contracts raises uncertainties.
As of December 31, 1998, we had approximately 5,800 active employees, of whom
approximately 54% were represented by the Armco Employees Independent
Federation, Inc., 17% by the United Steelworkers of America and 6% by the Oil,
Chemical and Atomic Workers Union. The AEIF represents all hourly employees and
certain non-exempt salaried employees at our Middletown Works. The USWA
represents hourly steelmaking employees and certain non-exempt salaried
employees at our Ashland Works. The OCAW represents hourly employees at the
Ashland Works' coke manufacturing facility. Employees at our Rockport Works are
not represented by a union. The AEIF contract expires February 29, 2000, the
USWA contract expires September 1, 2000 and the OCAW contract expires April 1,
2001. We cannot assure you that these contracts will be successfully
renegotiated upon expiration or that a union will not seek to represent the
Rockport Works' employees at some future date nor can we predict the impact on
our operations and financial performance of our failure to successfully
renegotiate these contracts or of the unionization of our Rockport Works
employees.
We face intense competition, which could significantly reduce our
profitability.
Competition within the steel industry is intense. In the sale of flat rolled
carbon steel we compete primarily on the basis of product quality,
responsiveness to customer needs and price with other integrated steel
producers and, to a lesser extent, mini-mills. Mini-mills, which are relatively
efficient, low-cost producers that produce steel from scrap in electric
furnaces, have increased their ability to produce higher quality products,
which has enabled them to become more competitive with integrated steel
producers and, in periods of weak demand, has increased pressure on prices and
margins. Moreover, U.S. carbon steel producers have historically faced
significant competition from foreign producers, and the strength of the U.S.
dollar relative to certain foreign currencies has heightened this competition
in the United States in the past year.
We are currently cold rolling, aluminum coating and marketing Series 400
stainless steel, at an annual rate of approximately 70,000 tons, for use in
automotive exhaust systems. The Rockport Works is intended, in part, to enable
us to substantially expand our presence in the market for flat rolled stainless
steel, which is associated with higher margins than carbon steel, including the
premium grades. Total domestic consumption of flat rolled stainless steel was
over 1.7 million tons in 1997. We intend to cold roll and finish approximately
385,000 tons of stainless steel per year at the Rockport Works. However,
because the high margins associated with stainless steel significantly reduce
the relative impact of shipping costs on the producer, the domestic market for
stainless steel is far more vulnerable to foreign imports and the adverse
effects of a strengthening U.S. dollar than the market for carbon steel.
Imports represented 20%, 20% and 21% of the domestic flat rolled stainless
steel market in 1995, 1996 and 1997, respectively. In addition, there has been
an increase in the capacity of foreign producers in recent years, resulting in
downward pressure on domestic prices. It is difficult to predict the amount of
stainless steel that will be imported into the U.S. in the future. Increased
domestic and foreign production capacity and growth in imports will likely
result in greater competition and have a negative impact on prices. Our ability
to profitably sell our targeted quantity of flat rolled stainless steel in this
environment will depend on our ability to finish high quality stainless steel
at a cost that is equal to or below that of our principal competitors.
We are vulnerable to cyclical variations in supply and demand that could
negatively impact pricing and margins.
Historically, the steel industry has been cyclical in nature, reflecting the
cyclicality of many of the principal markets it serves, including the
automotive, appliance and construction industries, and
11
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changes in total industry capacity. Although total domestic steel industry
capacity was substantially reduced during the 1980s through extensive
restructuring, and demand has been particularly strong since 1993, we cannot
assure you that demand will continue at current levels or that recent restarts
of previously idled domestic facilities, the addition of new mini-mills and
increases in foreign imports will not adversely impact pricing and margins.
We must spend substantial sums to meet environmental regulations.
Domestic steel producers, including our company, are subject to stringent
federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of
human health and the environment. Like other domestic steel producers, we have
expended, and can be expected to expend in the future, substantial amounts for
compliance with these environmental laws and regulations.
We are vulnerable to the potential failure of computer systems to recognize the
year 2000.
In operating our business, we are dependent on information technology and
process control systems that employ computers as well as embedded
microprocessors. We also depend on the proper functioning of the business
systems of third parties, such as our suppliers and customers. Many computer
systems and microprocessors can only process dates in which the year is
represented by two digits. As a result, some of these systems and processors
may interpret "00" incorrectly as the year 1900 instead of the year 2000. The
failure of any of these systems to appropriately interpret the upcoming
calendar year 2000 could have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition, results of operations, cash flow and business prospects.
We have assessed and are modifying or upgrading our business and process
control systems to achieve year 2000 compliance. We also have taken steps to
determine whether our principal suppliers and customers are or expect to be
year 2000 compliant by the end of this year. Testing of our own systems, as
well as electronic data interchange testing with these suppliers and customers,
is expected to be substantially completed by September 30, 1999. We currently
expect our costs for year 2000 compliance to total approximately $5.0 million.
Additional expenditures beyond this amount could be required. We cannot assure
you that our year 2000 program or the programs of third parties who do business
with us will be effective, that our estimates as to the timing and cost of
completing our remediation program will be accurate, or that all remediation
will be complete by the end of the year.
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<PAGE>
USE OF PROCEEDS
This exchange offer does not involve the sale of securities for cash and,
accordingly, we will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of the new
notes in exchange for the old notes. The net proceeds from the sale of the old
notes were approximately $439.0 million, after deducting the discount to the
initial purchasers and other offering expenses that are payable by us. We used
these monies to finance the approximately $338.1 million cost of redeeming our
10 3/4% Senior Notes Due 2004 on April 1, 1999 and will use the balance for
general corporate purposes.
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth the consolidated capitalization of AK Steel
Holding Corporation, including our company, at March 31, 1999 as adjusted to
give pro forma effect to the redemption on April 1, 1999 of our 10 3/4% Senior
Notes Due 2009. The information presented below should be read in conjunction
with the consolidated financial statements included in AK Steel Holding
Corporation's 1998 Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 1999.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
As Adjusted
March 31, 1999
------------------
(amounts in millions)
<S> <C> <C>
Cash and short-term investments(1)..................... $ 152.1
=============
Long-term debt(2):
Senior Secured Notes Due 2004........................ $ 250.0
10 3/4% Senior Notes Due 2004........................ --
9 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2006......................... 550.0
7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009......................... 450.0
Other(3)............................................. 30.0
-------------
Total long-term debt............................... 1,280.0
-------------
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock--authorized 200,000,000 shares;
64,132,912 shares issued; 59,267,105 shares
outstanding......................................... 0.6
Additional paid-in capital........................... 725.9
Treasury stock--at cost--4,845,499 shares............ (88.2)
Retained earnings.................................... 302.6
-------------
Total stockholders' equity......................... 940.9
-------------
Total capitalization............................. $ 2,220.9
=============
</TABLE>
- --------
(1) Does not reflect the payment on April 1, 1999 of accrued interest on the 10
3/4% Senior Notes Due 2004.
(2) At March 31, 1999, we had no short-term debt outstanding and no current
obligations in respect of our long-term debt. We have a receivables
purchase and servicing agreement with a group of banks providing for an
aggregate financing commitment as of March 31, 1999 of $200.0 million,
inclusive of letters of credit. At March 31, 1999, letters of credit
aggregating $35.9 million were outstanding under this facility.
(3) Consists of tax-exempt industrial development bond obligations due in 2027,
2028 and 2029.
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<PAGE>
DESCRIPTION OF OUTSTANDING INDEBTEDNESS
The Secured Notes
We have outstanding a total of $250.0 million principal amount of our secured
notes. The secured notes bear interest at annual rates ranging from 8.48% to
9.05%, with a weighted average rate of 8.72%. The principal of the secured
notes is payable in four consecutive annual installments of $62.5 million
commencing in December 2001 with the final installment due in December 2004.
The secured notes are secured by a first priority lien on the continuous cold
mill and hot dip galvanizing line at our Rockport Works and a first mortgage on
the approximately three acres of land upon which those two components have been
constructed. The secured notes may be prepaid, in whole or in part, at any
time, at our option, at 100% of their principal amount plus a customary "make-
whole" premium equal to the excess, if any, of:
(1) the discounted value of the remaining scheduled payments with respect
to the principal amount of the secured notes to be prepaid, over
(2) the principal amount of those secured notes.
The secured notes are subject to the terms of a note purchase agreement
containing covenants substantially similar to those contained in the indenture
governing the old notes and new notes. Those covenants impose limitations on,
among other things,
.liens,
.sale/leaseback transactions,
.the incurrence of debt and the issuance of preferred equity interests by
our subsidiaries,
.transactions with affiliates,
.dividends and other restricted payments,
.sales of assets, including stock of subsidiaries,
.lines of business,
.restrictions on distributions from our subsidiaries and
.mergers and consolidations.
In addition, the note purchase agreement requires that we maintain
consolidated net worth of not less than the sum of $500.0 million plus an
aggregate amount equal to 25% of consolidated net income for each completed
fiscal year beginning after December 31, 1996. We also must maintain a ratio of
consolidated debt to consolidated capitalization of not more than .65 to 1.00
through December 31, 2001 and .55 to 1.00 thereafter until repayment in full of
the secured notes. These financial covenants are based on specific definitions
of the foregoing financial terms, which are set forth in the note purchase
agreement. The secured notes are subject to events of default that are
substantially similar to those applicable to the notes.
The 9 1/8% Notes
Our 9 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2006, of which $550.0 million aggregate principal
amount are outstanding, are non-callable prior to December 15, 2001.
Thereafter, the 9 1/8% notes are callable at our option at an initial
redemption price of 104.56% of their principal amount, declining annually
thereafter to 100% on and after December 15, 2004, together with accrued
interest to the redemption date. The 9 1/8% notes include change in control
repurchase provisions that are identical to those applicable to the old notes
and new notes and have the benefit of a guarantee by our parent company
15
<PAGE>
that is identical to its guarantee of the old notes and new notes. The
indenture relating to the 9 1/8% notes contains covenants substantially similar
to those contained in the indenture governing the old notes and new notes,
including limitations on, among other things,
.liens,
.sale/leaseback transactions,
.the incurrence of additional debt,
.the incurrence of debt and the issuance of equity interests by our
subsidiaries,
.restrictions on distributions from our subsidiaries,
.sales of assets, including subsidiary stock,
.dividends and other restricted payments,
.transactions with affiliates,
.lines of business,
.mergers and consolidations and
.activities and liabilities of our parent company.
The 9 1/8% notes also are subject to events of default that are identical to
those applicable to the old notes and new notes.
Accounts Receivable Facility
A wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary of our company is party to a
receivables purchase and servicing agreement with a group of banks, providing
for an aggregate financing commitment from and after January 15, 1999 of $200.0
million, inclusive of letters of credit outstanding as of March 31, 1999 in the
aggregate amount of $35.9 million. The banks' commitments will expire December
31, 2003. This subsidiary purchases our accounts receivable from us. It funds
those purchases with cash collections on the purchased accounts receivable and
the proceeds realized from selling interests in those accounts receivable to
the participating banks. We act as servicer of the accounts receivable,
including processing collections. At March 31, 1998, the participating banks
had no interests in any of our outstanding accounts receivable and our special
purpose subsidiary held a pool of eligible accounts receivable that was
sufficient to fully utilize the commitments of the banks.
16
<PAGE>
THE EXCHANGE OFFER
Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer
We sold the old notes on February 10, 1999 in a private placement. Therefore,
we did not register the old notes under the Securities Act. However, we entered
into the registration rights agreement for the benefit of the purchasers of the
old notes. That agreement requires that we file a registration statement under
the Securities Act with respect to an issue of new notes having terms that are
identical to those of the old notes and, upon the effectiveness of the
registration statement, offer to you the opportunity to exchange your old notes
for a like principal amount of the new notes. The new notes will be issued
without a restrictive legend and, except as set forth below, may be reoffered
and resold without restrictions or limitations under the Securities Act. After
we complete the exchange offer, our obligations under the registration rights
agreement will terminate, except as provided in the last paragraph of this
section. As a result of the timely filing and effectiveness of the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part, assuming we complete the exchange
offer by September 8, 1999, certain prospective increases in the interest rate
on the old notes that were provided for in the registration rights agreement
will not occur.
Based on an interpretation by the staff of the SEC set forth in no-action
letters issued to third parties, if you are not our "affiliate" within the
meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act or a broker-dealer referred to in
the next paragraph, we believe that the new notes you receive in the exchange
offer may be offered for sale, sold and otherwise transferred by you, without
compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery provisions of the
Securities Act. This interpretation, however, is based on your representation
that:
(1) the new notes you receive in the exchange offer will be acquired by
you in the ordinary course of your business; and
(2) you are not engaging in, do not intend to engage in, and have no
arrangement or understanding with any other person to participate in, a
distribution of those new notes.
If you tender your old notes in the exchange offer for the purpose of
participating in a distribution of the new notes that you will receive, you
cannot rely on this interpretation by the staff of the SEC. Under those
circumstances, you must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act in connection with a secondary resale
transaction. If you are a broker-dealer and receive new notes in the exchange
offer for your own account in exchange for old notes that you acquired as a
result of market-making or other trading activities, you must acknowledge that
you will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in
connection with any resales of those new notes. See "Plan of Distribution."
If, because of your particular circumstances, new notes that you received
cannot be freely resold by you or if you are not eligible to participate in the
exchange offer, you can elect, by indicating on the letter of transmittal and
providing certain additional necessary information, to have your old notes
registered in a "shelf" registration statement on an appropriate form pursuant
to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In the event that we are obligated to
file a shelf registration statement, we will be required to keep the shelf
registration statement effective for a period of two years or such shorter
period that will terminate when all of the old notes covered by the shelf
registration statement have been sold pursuant to the shelf registration
statement. Other than as set forth in this paragraph, you will not have the
right to require us to register your old notes under the Securities Act. See
"--Procedures for Tendering."
17
<PAGE>
Terms of the Exchange Offer
Upon satisfaction or waiver of the conditions of the exchange offer set forth
in this prospectus and in the accompanying letter of transmittal, we will
accept all old notes that are validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to 5:00
p.m. New York City time, on the expiration date. After authentication of the
new notes by the trustee, we will issue and deliver $1,000 principal amount of
new notes in exchange for each $1,000 principal amount of outstanding old notes
accepted in the exchange offer. You may tender some or all of your old notes
pursuant to the exchange offer in denominations of $1,000 and integral
multiples thereof.
By tendering old notes in exchange for new notes and by executing the letter
of transmittal, you will represent to us that:
(1) you are not our "affiliate," as defined under Rule 405 of the
Securities Act,
(2) any new notes that you receive in the exchange offer will be acquired
by you in the ordinary course of your business, and
(3) you have no intention to distribute, and have no arrangement or
understanding with any person to participate in the distribution of, the
new notes you acquire.
The form and terms of the new notes are the same as those of the old notes,
except that the new notes to be issued in the exchange offer have been
registered under the Securities Act and will not bear legends restricting their
transfer. The new notes will be issued pursuant to, and entitled to the
benefits of, the same indenture that governs the old notes. The new notes and
the old notes will be deemed one issue of notes under that indenture.
As of the date of this prospectus, $450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
old notes is outstanding. In connection with the issuance of the old notes, we
arranged for the old notes to be issued and transferable in book-entry form
through the facilities of DTC, acting as a depositary. The new notes will also
be issuable and transferable in book-entry form through DTC.
This prospectus, together with the accompanying letter of transmittal, is
initially being sent to all registered holders of the old notes as of the close
of business on , 1999. The exchange offer is not conditioned upon any
minimum aggregate principal amount of old notes being tendered. However, the
exchange offer is subject to certain customary conditions which may be waived
by us, and to the terms and provisions of the registration rights agreement.
See "--Conditions to the Exchange Offer" for a detailed description of those
conditions.
We will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered old notes when, as and if
we have given oral or written notice thereof to the exchange agent. The
exchange agent will receive the new notes from us and deliver them to the
tendering holders.
If we do not accept any tendered old notes for exchange because of an invalid
tender or because the conditions to the exchange offer have not been met,
certificates for any such unaccepted old notes will be returned, at our cost,
to the tendering holder thereof as promptly as practicable after the expiration
date.
You will not be required to pay brokerage commissions or fees or, subject to
the instructions in the letter of transmittal, transfer taxes with respect to
the exchange of your old notes pursuant to the exchange offer. We will pay all
charges and expenses, other than certain applicable taxes, in connection with
the exchange offer.
18
<PAGE>
Expiration Date; Extensions; Amendments
The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on ,
1999, unless we determine, in our sole discretion, to extend the exchange
offer, in which case it will expire at the later date and time to which it is
extended. We do not intend to extend the exchange offer, although we reserve
the right to do so. If we determine to extend the exchange offer, we do not
intend to extend it beyond , 1999. If we extend the exchange offer, we will
give oral or written notice of the extension to the exchange agent and give
each registered holder notice by means of a press release or other public
announcement of any extension prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the
next business day after the scheduled expiration date.
We also reserve the right, in our sole discretion,
(1) to delay accepting any old notes or, if any of the conditions set
forth below under "--Conditions" have not been satisfied or waived, to
terminate the exchange offer or
(2) to amend the terms of the exchange offer in any manner, by giving
oral or written notice of such delay or termination to the exchange agent,
and by complying with Rule 14e-1(d) under the Exchange Act to the extent
that rule applies.
We acknowledge and undertake to comply with the provisions of Rule 14e-1(c)
under the Exchange Act, which requires us to pay the consideration offered, or
return the old notes surrendered for exchange, promptly after the termination
or withdrawal of the exchange offer. We will notify you as promptly as we can
of any extension, termination or amendment.
Interest on the New Notes
Interest on the new notes will accrue from the last interest payment date on
which interest was paid on the old notes surrendered in exchange therefor or,
if no interest has been paid on the old notes, from February 10, 1999--the date
of original issuance of the old notes.
Procedures for Tendering
Book-Entry Interests
The old notes were issued as global securities in fully registered form
without interest coupons. Beneficial interests in the global securities, held
by direct or indirect participants in DTC, are shown on, and transfers of these
interests are effected only through, records maintained in book-entry form by
DTC with respect to its participants.
If you hold your old notes in the form of book-entry interests and you wish
to tender your old notes for exchange pursuant to the exchange offer, you must
transmit to the exchange agent on or prior to the expiration date either:
(1) a written or facsimile copy of a properly completed and duly executed
letter of transmittal, including all other documents required by such
letter of transmittal, to the exchange agent at the address set forth on
the cover page of the letter of transmittal; or
(2) a computer-generated message transmitted by means of DTC's Automated
Tender Offer Program system and received by the exchange agent and forming
a part of a confirmation of book-entry transfer, in which you acknowledge
and agree to be bound by the terms of the letter of transmittal.
19
<PAGE>
In addition, in order to deliver old notes held in the form of book-entry
interests:
(A) a timely confirmation of book-entry transfer of such notes into the
exchange agent's account at DTC pursuant to the procedure for book-entry
transfers described below under "--Book-Entry Transfer" must be received by
the exchange agent prior to the expiration date; or
(B) you must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described
below.
The method of delivery of old notes and the letter of transmittal and all
other required documents to the exchange agent is at your election and risk.
Instead of delivery by mail, we recommend that you use an overnight or hand
delivery service. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to assure
delivery to the exchange agent before the expiration date. You should not send
the letter of transmittal or old notes to us. You may request your broker,
dealer, commercial bank, trust company, or nominee to effect the above
transactions for you.
Certificated Old Notes
Only registered holders of certificated old notes may tender those notes in
the exchange offer. If your old notes are certificated notes and you wish to
tender those notes for exchange pursuant to the exchange offer, you must
transmit to the exchange agent on or prior to the expiration date, a written or
facsimile copy of a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal,
including all other required documents, to the address set forth below under
"--Exchange Agent." In addition, in order to validly tender your certificated
old notes:
(1) the certificates representing your old notes must be received by the
exchange agent prior to the expiration date or
(2) you must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described
below.
Procedures Applicable to All Holders
If you tender an old note and you do not withdraw the tender prior to the
expiration date, you will have made an agreement with us in accordance with the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus and in the
letter of transmittal.
If your old notes are registered in the name of a broker, commercial bank,
trust company or other nominee and you wish to tender your notes, you should
contact the registered holder promptly and instruct the registered holder to
tender on your behalf. If you wish to tender on your own behalf, prior to
completing and executing the letter of transmittal and delivering your old
notes, you must either make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of
the old notes in your name or obtain a properly completed bond power from the
registered holder. The transfer of record ownership may take considerable time.
Signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal must be
guaranteed by an eligible institution unless:
(A) old notes tendered in the exchange offer are tendered either
(1) by a registered holder who has not completed the box entitled
"Special Registration Instructions" or "Special Delivery Instructions"
on the letter of transmittal or
(2) for the account of an eligible institution; and
(B) the box entitled "Special Registration Instructions" on the letter of
transmittal has not been completed.
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<PAGE>
If signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal are
required to be guaranteed, the guarantee must be by a financial institution,
which includes most banks, savings and loan associations and brokerage houses,
that is a participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, the
New York Stock Exchange Medallion Program or the Stock Exchanges Medallion
Program.
If the letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than you, your old
notes must be endorsed or accompanied by a properly completed bond power and
signed by you as your name appears on those old notes.
If the letter of transmittal or any old notes or bond powers are signed by
trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of
corporations, or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, those
persons should so indicate when signing. Unless we waive this requirement, in
this instance you must submit with the letter of transmittal proper evidence
satisfactory to us of their authority to act on your behalf.
We will determine, in our sole discretion, all questions regarding the
validity, form, eligibility, including time of receipt, acceptance and
withdrawal of tendered old notes. This determination will be final and binding.
We reserve the absolute right to reject any and all old notes not properly
tendered or any old notes our acceptance of which would, in the opinion of our
counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the right to waive any defects,
irregularities or conditions of tender as to particular old notes. Our
interpretation of the terms and conditions of the exchange offer, including the
instructions in the letter of transmittal, will be final and binding on all
parties.
You must cure any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of
your old notes within the time period we will determine unless we waive that
defect or irregularity. Although we intend to notify you of defects or
irregularities with respect to your tender of old notes, neither we, the
exchange agent nor any other person will incur any liability for failure to
give this notification. Your tender will not be deemed to have been made and
your notes will be returned to you if:
(1) you improperly tender your old notes;
(2) you have not cured any defects or irregularities in your tender; and
(3) we have not waived those defects, irregularities or improper tender.
The exchange agent will return your notes, unless otherwise provided in the
letter of transmittal, as soon as practicable following the expiration of the
exchange offer.
In addition, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to:
(1) purchase or make offers for, or offer new notes for, any old notes
that remain outstanding subsequent to the expiration of the exchange offer;
(2) terminate the exchange offer; and
(3) to the extent permitted by applicable law, purchase notes in the open
market, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise.
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The terms of any such purchases or offers may differ from the terms of the
exchange offer.
In all cases, issuance of new notes for old notes that are accepted for
exchange in the exchange offer will be made only after timely receipt by the
exchange agent of certificates for your old notes or a timely book-entry
confirmation of your old notes into the exchange agent's account at DTC, a
properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal, or a computer-
generated message instead of the letter of transmittal, and all other required
documents. If any tendered old notes are not accepted for any reason set forth
in the terms and conditions of the exchange offer or if old notes are submitted
for a greater principal amount than you desire to exchange, the unaccepted or
non-exchanged old notes, or old notes in substitution therefor, will be
returned without expense to you. In addition, in the case of old notes tendered
by book-entry transfer into the exchange agent's account at DTC pursuant to the
book-entry transfer procedures described below, the non-exchanged old notes
will be credited to your account maintained with DTC, as promptly as
practicable after the expiration or termination of the exchange offer.
Guaranteed Delivery Procedures
If you desire to tender your old notes and your old notes are not immediately
available or one of the situations described in the immediately preceding
paragraph occurs, you may tender if:
(1) you tender through an eligible financial institution;
(2) on or prior to 12:00 Midnight, New York City time, on the expiration
date, the exchange agent receives from an eligible institution, a written
or facsimile copy of a properly completed and duly executed letter of
transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery, substantially in the form
provided by us; and
(3) the certificated for all certificated old notes, in proper form for
transfer, or a book-entry confirmation, and all other documents required by
the letter of transmittal, are received by the exchange agent within three
NYSE trading days after the date of execution of the notice of guaranteed
delivery.
The notice of guaranteed delivery may be sent by facsimile transmission, mail
or hand delivery. The notice of guaranteed delivery must set forth:
(1) your name and address;
(2) the amount of old notes you are tendering; and
(3) a statement that your tender is being made by the notice of
guaranteed delivery and that you guarantee that within three New York Stock
Exchange trading days after the execution of the notice of guaranteed
delivery, the eligible institution will deliver the following documents to
the exchange agent:
(A) the certificates for all certificated old notes being tendered,
in proper form for transfer or a book-entry confirmation of tender;
(B) a written or facsimile copy of the letter of transmittal, or a
book-entry confirmation instead of the letter of transmittal; and
(C) any of the documents required by the letter of transmittal.
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Book-Entry Transfer
The exchange agent will establish an account with respect to the book-entry
interests at DTC for purposes of the exchange offer promptly after the date of
this prospectus. You must deliver your book-entry interest by book-entry
transfer to the account maintained by the exchange agent at DTC. Any financial
institution that is a participant in DTC's systems may make book-entry delivery
of book-entry interests by causing DTC to transfer the book-entry interests
into the exchange agent's account at DTC in accordance with DTC's procedures
for transfer.
If one of the following situations occur:
(1) you cannot deliver a book-entry confirmation of book-entry delivery
of your book-entry interests into the exchange agent's account at DTC; or
(2) you cannot deliver all other documents required by the letter of
transmittal to the exchange agent prior to the expiration date,
then you must tender your book-entry interests according to the guaranteed
delivery procedures discussed above.
Withdrawal Rights
You may withdraw tenders of your old notes at any time prior to 5:00 p.m.,
New York City time, on the expiration date.
For your withdrawal to be effective, the exchange agent must receive a
written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal at its address set forth
below under "--Exchange Agent" prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the
expiration date.
The notice of withdrawal must:
(1) state your name;
(2) identify the specific old notes to be withdrawn, including the
certificate number or numbers and the principal amount of withdrawn notes;
(3) be signed by you in the same manner as you signed the letter of
transmittal when you tendered your old notes, including any required
signature guarantees or be accompanied by documents of transfer sufficient
for the exchange agent to register the transfer of the old notes into your
name; and
(4) specify the name in which the old notes are to be registered, if
different from yours.
We will determine all questions regarding the validity, form, and
eligibility, including time of receipt, of withdrawal notices. Our
determination will be final and binding on all parties. Any old notes withdrawn
will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for exchange for purposes of
the exchange offer. Any old notes which have been tendered for exchange but
which are not exchanged for any reason will be returned to you without cost as
soon as practicable after withdrawal, rejection of tender, or termination of
the exchange offer. Properly withdrawn old notes may be retendered by following
one of the procedures described under "--Procedures for Tendering" above at any
time on or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date.
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Conditions to the Exchange Offer
Notwithstanding any other term of the exchange offer, we will not be required
to accept any old notes for exchange, or to exchange new notes for any old
notes, and we may terminate or amend the exchange offer before the acceptance
of the old notes if:
(1) the exchange offer, or the making of any exchange by a holder,
violates any applicable law or any applicable interpretation of the staff
of the SEC, or
(2) any action or proceeding is instituted or threatened in any court or
by or before any governmental agency or body to enjoin or obtain damages in
respect of the exchange offer, or that can reasonably be expected to impair
our ability to proceed with the exchange offer.
If we determine that either of these events or circumstances has occurred or
exists, we may:
(1) refuse to accept any old notes and return to the holders any old
notes that have been tendered, or
(2) extend the exchange offer and retain all old notes tendered prior to
the original expiration date of the exchange offer, subject to the rights
of the holders of those notes to withdraw them, or
(3) waive the condition and accept all properly tendered old notes that
have not been withdrawn.
The exchange offer is not conditioned on any minimum aggregate principal
amount of old notes being tendered for exchange.
Exchange Agent
Fifth Third Bank, the trustee under the indenture, has been appointed as
exchange agent for the exchange offer. In that capacity, the exchange agent has
no fiduciary duties and will be acting solely on the basis of our directions.
Questions, requests for assistance and requests for additional copies of this
prospectus, the letter of transmittal and other related documents should be
directed to the exchange agent addressed as follows:
By registered or certified mail Fifth Third Bank
or by overnight courier: Attention: Geoff Clark
Corporate Trust Operations
ML 10AT66
38 Fountain Square Plaza
Cincinnati, Ohio 45263
By hand delivery: Fifth Third Bank
Attention: Geoff Clark
Corporate Trust Operations
580 Walnut Street - 4th Floor
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Facsimile transmission: (513) 744-8909
Information or confirmation by telephone: (513) 579-5320
Delivery to an address or facsimile number other than those listed above will
not constitute a valid delivery.
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Accounting Treatment
The exchange notes will be recorded at the same carrying value as the old
notes, as reflected in our accounting records on the date of the exchange.
Accordingly, no gain or loss for accounting purposes will be recognized by our
company as a result of the consummation of the exchange offer. The expenses of
the exchange offer will be amortized by us over the remaining term of the notes
issued in the exchange offer.
Consequences of Failure to Exchange
After we complete the exchange offer, if you have not tendered your old
notes, you will not have any further registration rights, except as set forth
above. Your old notes will continue to be subject to certain restrictions on
transfer. Therefore, the liquidity of the market for your old notes could be
adversely affected upon completion of the exchange offer if you do not
participate in the exchange offer. See the "Risk Factors" section of this
prospectus under the heading "The liquidity of any market for the old notes
could be adversely affected after completion of the exchange offer."
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DESCRIPTION OF NEW NOTES
You can find the definitions of certain terms used in this description under
the subheading "Defined Terms." In this section, the words "we," "our," "our
company" and "us" refer only to AK Steel Corporation, as a separate entity, and
do not include our parent company, AK Steel Holding Corporation, or any of our
subsidiaries. For convenience, and to more readily distinguish it from AK
Steel, we refer to AK Steel Holding Corporation in this description of the
notes as "AK Holding."
We will issue the new notes under the indenture we entered into with Fifth
Third Bank, as trustee in connection with the issuance of the old notes. A copy
of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of
which this prospectus is a part. The terms of the new notes include those
stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to
the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
The following description of the notes is only a summary of the material
provisions of the indenture. We urge you to read the indenture because that
document, and not this description, defines your rights as holders of the
notes. You may obtain a copy of the indenture by following the procedures set
forth under "Where You Can Find More Information."
Any reference to "notes" in this section refers to both old notes and new
notes, unless the context otherwise requires.
Brief Description of the New Notes and the Guarantee
The new notes:
. are our senior unsecured obligations;
. rank equally in right of payment with all of our senior unsecured
debt;
. rank senior in right of payment to all of our subordinated debt;
. are effectively junior to all of our secured obligations, including
the $250.0 million of our outstanding senior secured notes, to the
extent of the collateral securing those obligations; and
. are unconditionally guaranteed by our parent company, AK Holding.
The guarantee:
. is a senior unsecured obligation of AK Holding;
. ranks equally in right of payment with all of AK Holding's senior
unsecured debt;
. ranks senior in right of payment to all of AK Holding's subordinated
debt; and
. is effectively junior to all of its secured obligations, to the
extent of the collateral securing those obligations.
At March 31, 1999, after giving pro forma effect to the redemption on April
1, 1999 of our outstanding 10 3/4% Senior Notes Due 2004, the aggregate
principal amount of our outstanding senior debt was approximately $1.28
billion, of which $250.0 million was secured. All but $30 million of our senior
debt is guaranteed by AK Holding.
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Principal, Maturity and Interest
We will issue new notes with a maximum aggregate principal amount of $450
million in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000. The
notes will mature on February 15, 2009.
Interest on the new notes will accrue at the rate of 7 7/8% per annum and
will be payable semi-annually on February 15 and August 15 of each year,
commencing on August 15, 1999. We will make each interest payment to the
holders of record of the notes on the immediately preceding February 1 and
August 1.
Interest on the new notes will accrue from February 10, 1999 or, if interest
has already been paid, from the date it was most recently paid. If you tender
your old notes and they are accepted for exchange, you will receive accrued
interest on your old notes to, but not including, the date of issuance of the
new notes. This interest will be payable with the first interest payment on the
new notes and you will not receive any payment in respect of interest on your
old notes accrued after the issuance of such new notes. Interest will be
computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.
Optional Redemption
Except as set forth below, we will not be entitled to redeem the new notes at
our option prior to February 15, 2004.
The new notes will be redeemable at our option, at any time on or after
February 15, 2004 as a whole or from time to time in part, upon not less than
30 nor more than 60 days' notice mailed to each holder of new notes to be
redeemed at the holder's address appearing in the register, at the following
redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) if redeemed
during the 12-month period beginning February 15 of the years indicated below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Redemption
Year Price
---- ----------
<S> <C>
2004.......................................................... 103.938%
2005.......................................................... 102.625%
2006.......................................................... 101.313%
2007 and thereafter........................................... 100.000%
</TABLE>
together in the case of any such redemption with accrued interest (if any) to
the redemption date.
In addition, at any time and on more than one occasion prior to February 15,
2002, we may redeem up to $157.5 million aggregate principal amount of the
outstanding notes with the proceeds of one or more Public Equity Offerings, at
a redemption price of 107.875% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued
interest to the redemption date; provided, that:
(1) at least $292.5 million aggregate principal amount of the notes remains
outstanding immediately after each such redemption, other than notes
held, directly or indirectly, by us or our affiliates; and
(2) each such redemption occurs within 60 days after the completion of the
related Public Equity Offering.
If less than all of the outstanding notes are to be redeemed, the notes will
be chosen for redemption by the trustee and the depository on a pro rata basis
or by lot or by a method that complies with applicable legal requirements and
stock exchange rules.
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Change in Control Offer
If a Change of Control occurs, you will have the right to require us to
repurchase all or any part, equal to $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000,
of your notes on the date specified in the Change of Control notice, which may
not be earlier than 45 days nor latter than 60 days from the date the Change of
Control notice is mailed or required to be mailed. In the Change of Control
offer, we will offer cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of
notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest on the repurchased notes, if
any, to the payment date. Within 30 days following any Change of Control, we
will mail a notice to you describing the transaction or transactions that
constitute the Change of Control and offering to repurchase notes on the
payment date specified in the Change of Control notice. The procedures for this
purchase will be described in the notice. We will comply with all applicable
federal and state securities laws in connection with the repurchase of the
notes as a result of a Change of Control.
If a Change in Control offer is made, there can be no assurance that we will
have funds sufficient to pay the purchase price for all the notes that might be
delivered by holders seeking to accept the Change in Control offer. See the
"Risk Factors" section of this prospectus under the heading "We are
substantially leveraged which could affect our ability to fulfill our
obligations under the notes." Our failure to repurchase notes in accordance
with this provision would constitute an event of default under the indenture.
See "--Events of Default."
Guarantee
AK Holding will guarantee our payment and performance of the Obligations and
will pay all expenses, including fees and disbursements of counsel, paid or
incurred by the trustee or the holders of the notes in enforcing their rights
under that guarantee. The guarantee will be a senior unsecured obligation of AK
Holding and will rank equally with its other senior unsecured Debt.
AK Holding's principal asset is the outstanding common stock of AK Steel, and
virtually all of AK Holding's operations are conducted through AK Steel. Under
the indenture, AK Holding has agreed not to engage in any activities other than
owning outstanding securities of AK Steel as well as those activities
incidental to its status as a public company, and not to incur any liabilities
other than those relating to its guarantee of the notes and certain other
indebtedness of AK Steel as well as those liabilities incidental to its status
as a public company. See "--Material Covenants--Restrictions on Activities of
AK Holding."
At present, none of AK Steel's operations is conducted through subsidiaries.
If in the future any operations of AK Steel are conducted through a subsidiary,
other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary, that subsidiary will be required to
guarantee the payment and performance of the Obligations on the same terms as,
and on a basis that is joint and several with, AK Holding's guarantee.
Claims of creditors of AK Steel's subsidiaries, including trade creditors,
will have priority over creditors and equity holders of AK Steel, including
holders of the notes. Although holders of the notes will be direct creditors of
any subsidiary that guarantees the notes by virtue of that guarantee, existing
or future creditors of that subsidiary could attempt to avoid or subordinate
guarantees of the notes, in whole or in part, under fraudulent conveyance laws.
To the extent any subsidiary's guarantee is avoided as a fraudulent conveyance
or held unenforceable for any other reason, the holders of the notes would
cease to be creditors of that subsidiary and would be solely creditors of AK
Steel and of any other Guarantor Subsidiary whose guarantee was not voided or
held
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unenforceable. Similarly, the notes will be effectively subordinated to the
creditors of AK Steel's subsidiaries to the extent those subsidiaries are not
Guarantor Subsidiaries.
Form of New Notes
The certificates representing the new notes will be issued in fully
registered form, without coupons. Except as described in the next paragraph,
the new notes will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC, and registered in
the name of Cede & Co., as DTC's nominee in the form of a global note. Holders
of the new notes will own book-entry interests in the global note evidenced by
records maintained by DTC.
Book-entry interests may be exchange for certificated notes of like tenor and
equal aggregate principal amount, if
(1) DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as
depositary for the global securities or DTC at any time ceases to be a
clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act,
(2) we determine that the book-entry interests will no longer be
represented by global notes and we execute and deliver to the trustee
instructions to that effect or
(3) a default has occurred that entitles the holders of the notes to
accelerate their maturity and that default is continuing.
As of the date of this prospectus, no certificated notes are issued and
outstanding.
Material Covenants
The indenture contains the following material covenants:
Commission Reports. Even if AK Holding ceases to be subject to the reporting
requirements of Section 13 of the Exchange Act, AK Holding must continue to
file with the SEC and provide the trustee and holders of the notes with the
same reports, information and other documents as are specified in Section 13 of
the Exchange Act.
Limitation on Liens. The indenture provides that we shall not, and shall not
permit any of our subsidiaries to, create or permit to exist any lien upon any
of their respective property or assets, now owned or hereafter acquired,
securing any obligation unless concurrently with the creation of the lien
effective provision is made to secure the notes equally and ratably with that
obligation for so long as the obligation is so secured. Any lien securing
subordinated Debt must
(1) be subordinated and junior to the lien securing the notes and
(2) have the same or lesser relative priority as the subordinated Debt
shall have with respect to the notes.
The preceding restrictions shall not require us or any of our subsidiaries to
equally and ratably secure the notes if the lien consists of the following:
(1) liens created by the indenture, liens existing as of the date on
which the old notes were originally issued and liens to secure Debt in
respect of our outstanding secured notes as described under "Description of
Outstanding Indebtedness--The Secured Notes";
(2) Permitted Liens;
(3) liens to secure Debt issued by us for the purpose of financing all or
a part of the purchase price of assets or property acquired or constructed
after the date on which the old notes were originally issued; provided that
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(a) the aggregate principal amount or accreted value of Debt so
issued does not exceed the lesser of cost or fair market value, as
determined in good faith by the board of directors of AK Holding, of
the assets or property that are acquired or constructed,
(b) either
(x) the liens secure Debt permitted by clause (5) under the
"Limitation on Debt" covenant or
(y) the liens secure additional Debt which, at the time of
determination on a pro forma basis, would not exceed, in the case
of Normal Replacement Assets, 50%, or in the case of Special
Assets, 100%, of the aggregate principal amount of Debt permitted
at such time under the Consolidated EBITDA Coverage Ratio as set
forth in the first paragraph of the "Limitation on Debt" covenant
at an interest rate equal to the rate of interest on the additional
Debt to be secured by such liens,
(c) the liens do not encumber any other assets or property of our
company or any of our subsidiaries other than the assets or property
that are acquired or constructed or any improvement on those assets or
property and
(d) the liens attach to the assets or property within 90 days of the
construction or acquisition of the assets or property;
(4) liens on the assets or property of a subsidiary of AK Steel existing
at the time the subsidiary became a subsidiary, provided that the liens
(a) were not issued as a result of, or in connection with or in
anticipation of, the subsidiary becoming a subsidiary of AK Steel, and
(b) do not extend to or cover any other property or assets of AK
Steel or any of its other subsidiaries;
(5) liens on the Inventory or accounts receivable of our company or any
Significant Subsidiary that is a Guarantor Subsidiary securing Debt under
any Permitted Credit Facility; provided that any lien on Intangible
Property limits the rights of the holder of such Lien to the use of such
Intangible Property to manufacture, process and sell the Inventory with
respect to which such holder has a lien;
(6) liens securing industrial revenue or pollution control bonds issued
by us, provided that
(a) the aggregate principal amount of Debt secured by the liens does
not exceed the lesser of cost or fair market value, as determined in
good faith by the board of directors of AK Holding, of the assets or
property so financed, and
(b) the liens do not encumber any other property or assets of our
company or any of our subsidiaries;
(7) liens securing Debt issued to refinance Debt which has been secured
by a lien permitted under the indenture and is permitted to be refinanced
under the indenture, provided that the liens do not extend to or cover any
property or assets of AK Steel or any of its subsidiaries not securing the
Debt that is refinanced, and the principal amount or accreted value of the
Debt so secured is not increased except as otherwise permitted pursuant to
the indenture;
(8) liens on the Equity Interests, assets or property of a Non-Recourse
Subsidiary securing Non-Recourse Debt; or
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(9) liens securing Debt which, together with all other Debt secured by
Liens (excluding Debt secured by liens permitted by clauses (1) through (8)
above) at the time of determination do not exceed the greater of
(x) $100.0 million and
(y) 5% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets of AK Holding, in each
case, at any one time outstanding;
provided that the Attributable Debt in connection with sale/leaseback
transactions permitted under clause (3) of the "Limitation on
Sale/Leaseback Transactions" covenant will be included in the determination
and treated as Debt secured by a Lien not otherwise permitted by clauses
(1) through (8) above.
For the avoidance of ambiguity, it is understood that liens referred to in
clauses (1) through (9) of this covenant description may secure, in addition to
the principal of and premium, if any, on Debt referred to in those clauses,
interest and all other obligations on and in respect of that Debt.
Limitation on Sale/Leaseback Transactions. The indenture provides that we
shall not, and shall not permit any of our subsidiaries to, enter into,
Guarantee or otherwise become liable with respect to any sale/leaseback
transaction unless at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:
(1) the lease is between our company and a Wholly Owned Guarantor
Subsidiary, or between Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiaries, provided that
the provisions of this clause (1) shall no longer be applicable to that
lease and the lease shall be deemed for purposes of this paragraph to
constitute the entering into of such sale/leaseback transaction by the
parties thereto upon either
(a) the transfer or other disposition by such Wholly Owned Guarantor
Subsidiary of the lease to a person other than our company or another
Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary or
(b) the issuance, sale, lease, transfer or other disposition of
Equity Interests, including by consolidation or merger, of the Wholly
Owned Guarantor Subsidiary to a person other than our company or
another such Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary;
(2) clauses (2) through (8) of the "Limitation on Liens" covenant would
permit the creation of a lien on the property to secure Debt in an amount
at least equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of such sale/leaseback
transaction and our company or our subsidiary, as the case may be, receives
consideration at least equal to the fair market value, as determined in
good faith by the board of directors of AK Holding, of the property
transferred;
(3) clause (9) of the "Limitation on Liens" covenant would permit the
creation of a lien on the property to secure Debt at least equal to the
Attributable Debt in respect of that sale/leaseback transaction and our
company or our subsidiary, as the case may be, receives consideration at
least equal to the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the
board of directors of AK Holding, of the property transferred; or
(4) the sale/leaseback transaction is treated as an Asset Disposition and
all the conditions of the "Limitation on Sales of Assets and Equity
Interests of Subsidiaries" covenant are satisfied with respect to that
sale/leaseback transaction, without giving effect to the exceptions for Net
Available Cash in amounts less than $25.0 million or $10.0 million, as set
forth in the last paragraph of the "Limitation on Sales of Assets and
Equity Interests of Subsidiaries" covenant.
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<PAGE>
Limitation on Debt. The indenture provides that we shall not issue, directly
or indirectly, any Debt unless, immediately after giving effect to the issuance
of the Debt and the receipt and application of the proceeds thereof, the pro
forma Consolidated EBITDA Coverage Ratio would be greater than 2.5 to 1.0.
Notwithstanding the foregoing limitation, we may issue the following Debt:
(1) Debt issued by us pursuant to Permitted Credit Facilities and
guarantees by our company of obligations in respect of bonds or notes (in
an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $60.0 million) payable solely
from the proceeds of (a) taxes payable by us on real or depreciable
personal property relating to the Rockport Works or (b) charges payable by
us for sewer and water services relating to the Rockport Works and, to the
extent that the taxes or charges are insufficient to make those payments,
payments under the guarantees by our company; provided that the payments
under the bonds or notes or the guarantees are not required to be prefunded
by more than an aggregate amount equal to one year of debt service on those
bonds or notes and are not subject to acceleration by the express terms
thereof or otherwise;
(2) Debt issued by us owed to and held by a Wholly Owned Subsidiary;
provided that any subsequent issuance or transfer of any Equity Interests
that results in the Wholly Owned Subsidiary ceasing to be a Wholly Owned
Subsidiary or any transfer of that Debt (other than to another Wholly Owned
Subsidiary) shall be deemed, in each case, to constitute the issuance of
that Debt by us;
(3) The notes;
(4) Debt outstanding on the date on which the old notes were originally
issued, other than Debt described in clauses (1) or (2) of this covenant
description;
(5) Debt issued by us, whether or not secured by a lien, constituting all
or a part of the purchase price of assets or property acquired or
constructed after the date on which the old notes were originally issued;
provided that Debt issued under this clause (5) in any calendar year shall
not exceed in aggregate principal amount the sum of
(a) $50.0 million for each of 1999, 2000 and 2001, and $35.0 million
for each calendar year from and including 2002 to and including 2008
plus
(b) the excess of the aggregate principal amount otherwise permitted
to be issued under this clause (5) in all previous calendar years to
and including the calendar year in which the old notes were originally
issued less
(c) the aggregate principal amount actually issued by us during such
period under this clause (5);
(6) Refinancing Debt in respect of any Debt permitted pursuant to the
first paragraph of this covenant description or any Debt permitted pursuant
to clause (3), (4) or (5) of this covenant description or this clause (6);
(7) Obligations of our company pursuant to
(a) interest rate swap or similar agreements designed to protect our
company against fluctuations in interest rates in respect of our Debt
to the extent the notional principal amount of such obligation does not
exceed the aggregate principal amount of the Debt to which such
interest rate contracts relate, and
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(b) foreign exchange or commodity hedge, exchange or similar
agreements designed to protect our company against fluctuations in
foreign currency exchange rates or commodity prices in respect of
foreign exchange or commodity exposures incurred by us in the ordinary
course of our business; or
(8) Debt that is not otherwise permitted to be issued pursuant to clauses
(1) through (7) of this covenant description in an aggregate principal
amount which, together with (a) any other outstanding Debt issued by AK
Steel pursuant to this clause (8) and (b) Debt issued and Preferred Equity
Interests then outstanding and issued by Subsidiaries pursuant to clause
(8) of "--Limitation on Debt and Preferred Equity Interests of
Subsidiaries," does not exceed $100.0 million at any one time outstanding.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may not issue any Refinancing Debt in
respect of subordinated Debt unless the Refinancing Debt is subordinated to the
notes to at least the same extent as such subordinated Debt.
Limitation on Debt and Preferred Equity Interests of Subsidiaries. The
indenture provides that we shall not permit any of our subsidiaries to issue,
directly or indirectly, any Debt or Preferred Equity Interests except:
(1) Debt or Preferred Equity Interests issued to and held by us or a
Wholly Owned Subsidiary; provided that (a) any subsequent issuance or
transfer of any Equity Interests that results in any such Wholly Owned
Subsidiary ceasing to be a Wholly Owned Subsidiary or (b) any subsequent
transfer of the Debt or Preferred Equity Interests (other than to our
company or a Wholly Owned Subsidiary) shall be deemed, in each case, to
constitute the issuance of those Debt or Preferred Equity Interests by the
issuer thereof;
(2) Debt or Preferred Equity Interests, other than any described in
clause (1) above, outstanding on the date on which the old notes were
originally issued;
(3) Debt or Preferred Equity Interests of a subsidiary of our company
issued and outstanding on or prior to the date on which the subsidiary
became our subsidiary, other than Debt or Preferred Equity Interests issued
as consideration in, or to provide all or any portion of the funds or
credit support utilized to consummate, the transaction or series of related
transactions pursuant to which the subsidiary became our Subsidiary;
(4) Debt or Preferred Equity Interests issued to refinance Debt or
Preferred Equity Interests referred to in clause (2) or (3) of this
covenant description; provided that the Debt or Preferred Equity Interests
that are issued
(a) are in a principal amount, or have a liquidation value, that does
not exceed the principal amount of, and premiums, if any, and accrued
interest, or the liquidation value and premiums, if any, and
accumulated dividends, with respect to the Debt or Preferred Equity
Interests that are refinanced by application of the net proceeds of the
Debt or Preferred Equity Interests so issued and reasonable fees,
expenses, commissions and costs incurred in connection with the
issuance of such Debt or Preferred Equity Interests and
(b) have a stated maturity later than the stated maturity of the Debt
or Preferred Equity Interests being refinanced and
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(c) have an Average Life equal to or greater than the remaining
Average Life of the Debt or Preferred Equity Interests being
refinanced;
(5) Non-Recourse Debt or Preferred Equity Interests of a Non-Recourse
Subsidiary issued after the date on which the old notes were originally
issued; provided that if the Debt or Preferred Equity Interests thereafter
ceases to be Non-Recourse Debt or Preferred Equity Interests of a Non-
Recourse Subsidiary, then that event will be deemed to constitute the
issuance of the Debt or Preferred Equity Interests by the issuer thereof;
(6) Guarantees of the notes or Refinancing Debt in respect of Debt
permitted under clause (3) of the "Limitation on Debt" covenant;
(7) Guarantees issued by any Guarantor Subsidiary of any Debt issued by
our company as permitted under "Limitation on Debt" covenant; or
(8) Debt or Preferred Equity Interests not otherwise permitted to be
issued pursuant to clauses (1) through (7) above, which, together with (a)
any other outstanding Debt or Preferred Equity Interests issued pursuant to
this clause (8) and (b) Debt issued by our company pursuant to clause (8)
under the "Limitation on Debt" covenant, does not exceed $60.0 million at
any one time outstanding.
Limitation on Restricted Payments. The indenture provides that AK Holding
shall not, and shall not permit any of its subsidiaries to, directly or
indirectly:
(1) declare or pay any dividend or make any distribution on or in respect
of, or make any distribution to the holders of, Equity Interests of AK
Holding except
(a) dividends or distributions payable solely in its Non-Convertible
Equity Interests or in options, warrants or other rights to acquire its
Non-Convertible Equity Interests and
(b) dividends or distributions payable to a Wholly Owned Guarantor
Subsidiary;
(2) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Equity
Interests of AK Holding;
(3) declare or pay any dividend or make any distribution on or in respect
of, or make any distribution to holders of, Equity Interests of any
subsidiary of AK Holding (other than with respect to any such Equity
Interests held by our company, AK Holding, any Wholly Owned Guarantor
Subsidiary or any Wholly Owned Non-Recourse Subsidiary) or purchase, redeem
or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Equity Interests of any
subsidiary of AK Holding (other than those Equity Interests held by our
company, AK Holding, any Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary or any Wholly
Owned Non-Recourse Subsidiary);
(4) purchase, repurchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire
for value, prior to scheduled maturity, scheduled repayment or scheduled
sinking fund payment, any subordinated Debt (other than the purchase,
repurchase or other acquisition of subordinated Debt purchased in
anticipation of satisfying a sinking fund obligation, principal installment
or final maturity, in each case due within one year of the date of
acquisition); or
(5) make any Investment other than Permitted Investments (any such
dividend, distribution, purchase, redemption, repurchase, defeasance, other
acquisition, retirement or Investment being herein referred to as a
"Restricted Payment") if:
(a) a default or event of default shall have occurred and be
continuing or would result therefrom;
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(b) upon giving effect to such Restricted Payment, on a pro forma
basis, we are not able to issue an additional $1.00 of Debt pursuant to
the Consolidated EBITDA Coverage Ratio as set forth in the first
paragraph of the "Limitation on Debt" covenant; or
(c) upon giving effect to the Restricted Payment, the aggregate
amount of that Restricted Payment and all other Restricted Payments
since October 1, 1996 would exceed the sum of:
(A) 50% of the Consolidated Net Income of AK Holding accrued
during the period (treated as one accounting period) from October
1, 1996 through the last full fiscal quarter for which quarterly or
annual financial statements are available prior to the date of the
Restricted Payment (or, in case such Consolidated Net Income shall
be a deficit, minus 100% of such deficit), plus
(B) the aggregate Net Cash Proceeds received by us from the issue
or sale of our Equity Interests (other than Redeemable Equity
Interests or Exchangeable Equity Interests) subsequent to October
1, 1996 (other than to a subsidiary of our company or an employee
stock ownership plan or similar trust), plus
(C) the aggregate Net Cash Proceeds received by us from the issue
or sale of our Equity Interests (other than Redeemable Equity
Interests or Exchangeable Equity Interests) to an employee stock
ownership plan subsequent to October 1, 1996, but, if the employee
stock ownership plan issues any Debt, only to the extent that the
proceeds are equal to any increase in the Consolidated Net Worth of
AK Holding resulting from principal repayments made by the employee
stock ownership plan with respect to Debt issued by it to finance
the purchase of such Equity Interests, plus
(D) the amount by which consolidated Debt of our company is
reduced on AK Holding's balance sheet upon the conversion or
exchange (other than by a subsidiary of AK Steel), subsequent to
October 1, 1996, of any Debt of our company or any of our
subsidiaries convertible or exchangeable for Equity Interests
(other than Redeemable Equity Interests or Exchangeable Equity
Interests) of our company (less the amount of any cash, or other
property, distributed by us or any of our subsidiaries upon such
conversion or exchange).
So long as no default or event of default has occurred that is continuing or
would result therefrom, the foregoing limitations on Restricted Payments shall
not prohibit:
(1) any purchase or redemption of Equity Interests of AK Holding or
subordinated Debt made by exchange for, or out of the proceeds of the
substantially concurrent sale of, Equity Interests of AK Holding (other
than Redeemable Equity Interests or Exchangeable Equity Interests and other
than Equity Interests issued or sold to a subsidiary of AK Steel or an
employee stock ownership plan); provided that
(a) the purchase or redemption shall be excluded in the calculation
of the amount of Restricted Payments and
(b) the Net Cash Proceeds from the sale shall be excluded from
clauses (c)(B) and (c)(C) of the preceding paragraph;
(2) any purchase or redemption of subordinated Debt (other than
Redeemable Equity Interests) made by exchange for, or out of the proceeds
of the substantially concurrent sale of, Debt of our company other than to
our subsidiaries; provided that
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(a) the Debt is subordinated to the notes to at least the same extent
as the Subordinated Obligations so exchanged, purchased or redeemed,
(b) the Debt has a stated maturity later than the stated maturity of
the notes,
(c) the Debt has an Average Life greater than the remaining Average
Life of the notes and
(d) the purchase or redemption shall be excluded in the calculation
of the amount of Restricted Payments;
(3) any purchase or redemption of subordinated Debt from Net Available
Cash to the extent permitted under the "Limitation on Sales of Assets and
Equity Interests of Subsidiaries" covenant; provided that such purchase or
redemption shall be excluded in the calculation of the amount of Restricted
Payments;
(4) dividends paid within 60 days after the date of declaration if at
such date of declaration such dividend would have complied with this
provision; provided that
(a) at the time of payment of the dividend, no default or event of
default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom
and
(b) the dividend shall be included in the calculation of the amount
of Restricted Payments;
(5) any repurchase by AK Holding of employee stock granted under an
employee stock option plan; provided that
(a) the aggregate amount of repurchases in any calendar year shall
not exceed $1.0 million per employee,
(b) the aggregate amount of all repurchases in any calendar year
shall not exceed $5.0 million (it being understood that the excess of
any such amounts permitted to be expended under clause (5)(a) above and
this clause (5)(b) during any calendar year over the amount actually
expended during such period shall not be carried forward) and
(c) the repurchases shall be included in the calculation of the
amount of Restricted Payments;
(6) any purchase, repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition
by any Non-Recourse Subsidiary of Non-Recourse Debt of such Non-Recourse
Subsidiary; provided that the amount of that purchase, repurchase,
redemption, defeasance or other acquisition shall be excluded in the
calculation of the amount of Restricted Payments.
So long as none of the conditions described above in clauses (5)(a) and (b)
of the first sentence of this covenant description exist, the foregoing
limitations on Restricted Payments does not prohibit the declaration and
payment of one or more dividends on or before February 28, 2001 in an aggregate
amount not to exceed $50.0 million; provided that all such dividends shall be
excluded in the calculation of the amount of Restricted Payments.
Limitation on Issuance and Sale of Equity Interests of Subsidiaries. The
indenture provides that we shall not permit any of our subsidiaries to issue or
sell any Equity Interests to any person, or permit any person in either case,
other than our company and its subsidiaries, to own or hold an interest, other
than any interest owned or held on the date on which the notes were originally
issued by a person other than our company and its subsidiaries, in any Equity
Interests of any of our
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subsidiaries (other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary or a JV Subsidiary);
provided that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to
(1) the sale of all but not less than all of the Equity Interests of any
of our subsidiaries made in accordance with the "Limitation on Sales of
Assets and Equity Interests of Subsidiaries" covenant,
(2) issuances of Preferred Equity Interests permitted pursuant to clauses
(3), (5) and (7) under the "Limitation on Debt and Preferred Equity
Interests of Subsidiaries" covenant and
(3) the ownership or holding of an interest by any person, other than our
company and its subsidiaries, in any Equity Interests of any of our
subsidiaries issued pursuant to clause (2) above.
Limitation on Restrictions on Distributions from Subsidiaries. The indenture
provides that we shall not, and shall not permit any of our subsidiaries to,
create or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or
restriction on the ability of any of our subsidiaries to
(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Equity Interests
or pay any Debt or other obligation owed to us or any of our subsidiaries,
(2) make any Investment in us or any of our subsidiaries or
(3) transfer any of its property or assets to us or any of our
subsidiaries.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, and may allow any of our subsidiaries
to, permit to exist such an encumbrance or restriction:
(1) pursuant to an agreement in effect at or entered into on the date on
which the old notes were originally issued;
(2) with respect to any of our subsidiaries pursuant to an agreement
relating to any Debt issued by the subsidiary on or prior to the date on
which the subsidiary became a subsidiary of our company (other than Debt
issued as consideration in, or to provide all or any portion of the funds
utilized to consummate, the transaction or series of related transactions
pursuant to which the subsidiary became a subsidiary of our company) and
outstanding on such date;
(3) pursuant to an agreement effecting a refinancing of Debt issued
pursuant to an agreement referred to in clause (1) or (2) or contained in
any amendment to an agreement referred to in clause (1) or (2), provided
that the encumbrances and restrictions contained in the refinancing
agreement or amendment are no less favorable to the holders of notes than
encumbrances and restrictions contained in such agreements;
(4) consisting of customary nonassignment provisions in leases governing
leasehold interests to the extent those provisions restrict the transfer of
the lease;
(5) in the case of clause (3) of the preceding paragraph, restrictions
contained in security agreements securing Debt of a subsidiary of our
company otherwise permitted under the indenture, to the extent those
restrictions restrict the transfer of the property subject to the security
agreements; or
(6) relating to a Non-Recourse Subsidiary.
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Limitation on Sales of Assets and Equity Interests of Subsidiaries. The
indenture provides that we shall not, and shall not permit any subsidiary of
our company (other than Non-Recourse Subsidiaries) to, make any Asset
Disposition unless:
(1) We or our subsidiary receive consideration at the time of such Asset
Disposition at least equal to the fair market value, as determined in good
faith by the board of directors of AK Holding (including as to the value of
all non-cash consideration), of the shares and assets subject to such Asset
Disposition and at least 75% of the consideration is in the form of cash or
Cash Equivalents; and
(2) An amount equal to 100% of the Net Available Cash from such Asset
Disposition is applied by us or our subsidiary, as the case may be,
(a) first, to the extent we elect (or are required by the terms of
any Debt), to prepay, repay or purchase Debt (other than any Redeemable
Equity Interests or Non-Recourse Debt) of our company, that subsidiary
or a Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary (in each case other than Debt
owed to us or an Affiliate of ours) within 60 days from the later of
the date of the Asset Disposition or the receipt of such Net Available
Cash;
(b) second, to the extent of the balance of such Net Available Cash
after application in accordance with clause (a), at our election, to
the investment by our company or that subsidiary or any Wholly Owned
Guarantor Subsidiary in assets to replace the assets that were the
subject of such Asset Disposition or an asset that (as determined by
the board of directors of AK Holding) will be used in the business of
our company and the Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiaries existing on the
date on which the old notes were originally issued or in businesses
reasonably related thereto, in each case within the later of one year
from the date of the Asset Disposition or the receipt of such Net
Available Cash; and
(c) third, to the extent of the balance of such Net Available Cash
after application in accordance with clauses (a) and (b), to make an
offer to purchase notes at par;
provided that in connection with any prepayment, repayment or purchase of Debt
pursuant to clause (a) above, we must cause the related loan commitment, if
any, to be permanently reduced in an amount equal to the principal amount that
is prepaid, repaid or purchased.
Notwithstanding the requirement in clause (1) above that at least 75% of
consideration consist of cash or Cash Equivalents, we and our subsidiaries may
make one or more Asset Dispositions for which the consideration, in addition to
the non-cash consideration permitted by such clause, consists of or includes
(A) non-cash consideration, the aggregate fair market value (as
determined in good faith by the board of directors of AK Holding) of which,
for all Asset Dispositions made after the date on which the old notes were
originally issued, does not exceed $10.0 million, and
(B) non-cash consideration, the aggregate fair market value (as
determined in good faith by the board of directors of AK Holding) of which,
for all Asset Dispositions made after the date on which the old notes were
originally issued, does not exceed $50.0 million, consisting of the
cancellation of Debt of our company or its subsidiaries existing on the
date on which the notes were originally issued;
provided that in connection with any such cancellation of Debt, we or our
subsidiary must cause the related loan commitment, if any, to be permanently
reduced in an amount equal to the principal so canceled.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of clause (2) above, in the event that the Net
Available Cash resulting from any Asset Disposition is less than $25.0 million,
the application of an amount equal to that Net Available Cash in accordance
with this covenant may be deferred until such time as the Net Available Cash
from any prior or subsequent Asset Dispositions not otherwise applied in
accordance with this covenant, is at least equal to $25.0 million. In the event
that the Net Available Cash resulting from any Asset Disposition, after giving
effect to clauses (2)(a) and (b) above, is less than $10.0 million, the
application of the amount equal to such Net Available Cash to make an offer to
purchase notes in accordance with clause (2)(c) may be deferred until such time
as that Net Available Cash, together with Net Available Cash from any prior or
subsequent Asset Dispositions not otherwise applied in accordance with this
covenant, is at least equal to $10.0 million. Pending application of Net
Available Cash pursuant to this covenant, the Net Available Cash shall be
invested in Cash Equivalents. To the extent any portion of the amount of Net
Available Cash remains after compliance with this covenant, and provided that
all holders of notes have been given the opportunity to tender their notes for
repurchase as provided in clause (2)(c) above, we may use such remaining amount
for general corporate purposes.
Limitation on Transactions with Affiliates. The indenture provides that we
shall not, and shall not permit any of our subsidiaries to, conduct any
business or enter into any transaction or series of similar transactions
(including the purchase, sale, lease or exchange of any property or the
rendering of any service) with any affiliate of our compnay or any legal or
beneficial owner of 5% or more of any class of Equity Interests of AK Holding
or with an affiliate of any such owner (other than a Wholly Owned Subsidiary or
any employee stock ownership plan for the benefit of our company or its
subsidiary's employees) unless the terms of the business, transaction or series
of transactions are
(1) set forth in writing, and
(2) not less favorable to our company or such subsidiary, as the case may
be, than terms that would be obtainable at the time for a comparable
transaction or series of similar transactions in arms-length dealings with
an unrelated third person.
In addition, if the business, transaction or series of transactions involves
in excess of
(A) $5.0 million, the board of directors of AK Holding must, by
resolution, determine in good faith that the business or transaction or
series of transactions meets the criteria set forth in clause (2) above,or
(B) $25.0 million and as to which there are no disinterested directors,
we must obtain an opinion of a nationally recognized expert with experience
in appraising the terms and conditions of the type of business or
transaction or series of transactions stating that the business or
transaction or series of transactions is fair, from a financial point of
view, to our company or its subsidiary, as the case may be.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph do not apply to
performance of contractual obligations with respect to Eveleth Mines existing
as of the date of the indenture under which the notes were originally issued.
Lines of Business. The indenture provides that we shall not, and shall not
permit any of our subsidiaries to, enter into any business, either directly or
through any subsidiary, except for those businesses in which our company and
its subsidiaries were engaged on the date on which the notes were originally
issued or businesses reasonably related thereto.
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Restrictions on Activities of AK Holding. The terms of the indenture prohibit
AK Holding from
(1) engaging in any activities or holding any assets other than
(a) holding 100% of the Equity Interests of our company and debt
securities of our company that were held by AK Holding at the date of
the indenture and
(b) those activities incidental to maintaining its status as a public
company, and
(2) incurring any liabilities other than liabilities relating to AK
Holding's guarantee of the notes or any guarantees by AK Holding of any
Permitted Credit Facility, any other Debt of our company or any Debt of any
Significant Subsidiary that is guaranteed by us and any other obligations
or liabilities incidental to holding 100% of the Equity Interests of our
company and those liabilities incidental to its status as a public company.
For purposes of this covenant, the term "liabilities" does not include any
liability for the declaration and payment of dividends on any Equity Interests
of AK Holding. The indenture also provides that if AK Holding merges into our
company, this covenant shall no longer be applicable.
Defined Terms
Certain terms defined in the indenture are summarized below. Reference is
made to the indenture for the formal definition of these terms, as well as
other terms used herein for which no definition is provided.
"Asset Disposition" means any sale, lease, transfer or other disposition (or
series of related sales, leases, transfers or dispositions) of Equity Interests
of a subsidiary (other than directors' qualifying shares), property or other
assets (each referred to for the purposes of this definition as a
"disposition") by AK Steel or any of its subsidiaries, including any
disposition by means of a merger, consolidation or similar transaction, other
than:
(1) a disposition by AK Steel or a subsidiary to AK Steel or a Wholly
Owned Guarantor Subsidiary;
(2) a disposition of property or assets at fair market value (as
determined in good faith by the board of directors of AK Holding) in the
ordinary course of business;
(3) a disposition of obsolete assets in the ordinary course of business;
(4) a disposition that constitutes a Restricted Payment or a
sale/leaseback transaction;
(5) a sale of accounts receivable under a Permitted Credit Facility; and
(6) a transfer of accounts receivable that constitutes a Permitted
Investment under clause (5) or (6) of the definition of Permitted
Investments.
"Attributable Debt" in respect of a sale/leaseback transaction means, as of
the date of determination, the present value (discounted at the lower of the
interest rate of such sale/leaseback transaction and the interest rate borne by
the notes, compounded annually) of the total obligations of the lessee for
rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in the
sale/leaseback transaction, including any period for which the lease has been
extended.
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"Average Life" means, as of the date of determination, with respect to any
Debt, the quotient obtained by dividing
(x) the sum of the products of the numbers of years from the date of
determination to the dates of each successive scheduled principal payment
of the Debt multiplied by the amount of such principal payment by
(y) the sum of all such principal payments.
"Capital Lease Obligations" of a person means any obligation which is
required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on the face of a
balance sheet of that person prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles; the amount of the obligation shall be the capitalized
amount thereof, determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles; and the stated maturity thereof shall be the date of the last
payment of rent or any other amount due under the lease prior to the first date
upon which the lease may be terminated by the lessee without payment of a
penalty.
"Cash Equivalents" means:
(1) Investments in U.S. government obligations maturing within 365 days
of the date of acquisition thereof;
(2) Investments in certificates of deposit or Eurodollar deposits
maturing within 365 days of the date of acquisition thereof issued by a
bank or trust company which is organized under the laws of the United
States or any state thereof and which has a combined capital and surplus of
at least $1.0 billion and rated at least A3 by Moody's Investors Service,
Inc.;
(3) Investments in repurchase agreements, involving Investments in U.S.
government obligations or other Cash Equivalents entered into with any
bank, trust company or investment bank rated at least A- and A-1 by
Standard & Poor's and at least A3 and P-1 by Moody's Investors Service,
Inc.;
(4) Investments in commercial paper maturing not more than 90 days from
the date of acquisition thereof and having one of the two highest ratings
obtainable from each of Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service,
Inc. issued by a corporation (except AK Steel or an Affiliate of AK Steel)
that is organized under the laws of any state of the United States or the
District of Columbia; and
(5) Investments in money market accounts or funds whose assets consist
solely of cash or Cash Equivalents.
"Change in Control" means the occurrence of any of the following events:
(1) any "person" (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the
Exchange Act) is or becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3
and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act, except that a person shall be deemed to
have "beneficial ownership" of all shares that the person has the right to
acquire, whether that right is exercisable immediately or only after the
passage of time), directly or indirectly, of more than 40% of the total
voting power of the Voting Equity Interests of AK Holding; provided that
the person shall not be deemed the beneficial owner of shares tendered
pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by that person or any Affiliate
of that person until the tendered shares are accepted for purchase or
exchange;
(2) during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the
beginning of that period constituted the board of directors of AK Holding
(together with any new directors whose election by that board of directors
of AK Holding, or whose nomination for election by the
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shareholders of AK Holding, as the case may be, was approved by a vote of
66 2/3% of the directors then still in office who were either directors at
the beginning of that period or whose election or nomination for election
was previously so approved) cease for any reason to constitute a majority
of the board of directors of AK Holding then in office; or
(3) AK Holding fails to own 100% of the Equity Interests of AK Steel;
provided that it shall not be deemed a Change in Control if AK Holding
merges into AK Steel except that, in that case, AK Steel shall be
substituted for AK Holding for purposes of this definition of "Change in
Control" and this clause (3) shall no longer be applicable.
"Consolidated EBITDA Coverage Ratio" as of any date of determination means
the ratio of (x) the aggregate amount of EBITDA for the period of the most
recent four consecutive fiscal quarters ending at least 45 days prior to the
date of such determination to (y) Consolidated Interest Expense for such four
fiscal quarters; provided that:
(1) if AK Steel or any of its subsidiaries has issued any Debt since the
beginning of that period that remains outstanding or if the transaction
giving rise to the need to calculate the Consolidated EBITDA Coverage Ratio
is an issuance of Debt, or both, EBITDA and Consolidated Interest Expense
for that period shall be calculated after giving effect on a pro forma
basis to that Debt as if the Debt had been issued on the first day of that
period and the discharge of any other Debt repaid, repurchased, defeased or
otherwise discharged with the proceeds of that new Debt as if such
discharge had occurred on the first day of such period;
(2) if since the beginning of such period AK Steel or any of its
subsidiaries shall have made any Asset Disposition, the EBITDA for that
period shall be reduced by an amount equal to the EBITDA (if positive)
directly attributable to the assets that are the subject of the Asset
Disposition for that period, or increased by an amount equal to the EBITDA
(if negative), directly attributable thereto for that period, and
Consolidated Interest Expense for that period shall be reduced by an amount
equal to the Consolidated Interest Expense directly attributable to any
Debt of AK Steel or any of its subsidiaries repaid, repurchased, defeased
or otherwise discharged with respect to AK Steel and its continuing
subsidiaries in connection with the Asset Dispositions for that period (or,
if the Equity Interests of any subsidiary of AK Steel are sold, the
Consolidated Interest Expense for that period directly attributable to the
Debt of that subsidiary to the extent AK Steel and its continuing
subsidiaries are no longer liable for the Debt after the sale);
(3) if since the beginning of that period AK Steel or any of its
subsidiaries, by merger or otherwise, shall have made an Investment in any
subsidiary of AK Steel, or any person that becomes a subsidiary of AK
Steel, or an acquisition of assets, including any acquisition of assets
occurring in connection with a transaction causing a calculation to be made
hereunder, that constitutes all or substantially all of an operating unit
of a business, EBITDA and Consolidated Interest Expense for that period
shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto, including the
issuance of any Debt, as if such Investment or acquisition occurred on the
first day of that period; and
(4) if since the beginning of that period any person (that subsequently
became a subsidiary of AK Steel or was merged with or into AK Steel or any
subsidiary of AK Steel since the beginning of that period) shall have made
any Asset Disposition or any Investment that would have required an
adjustment pursuant to clause (2) or (3) above if made by AK Steel or a
subsidiary of AK Steel during such period, EBITDA and Consolidated Interest
Expense for
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that period shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto as if
the Asset Disposition or Investment occurred on the first day of that
period.
For purposes of this definition, whenever pro forma effect is to be given
to an acquisition of assets, the amount of income or earnings relating
thereto, and the amount of Consolidated Interest Expense associated with
any Debt issued in connection therewith, the pro forma calculations shall
be determined in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting
Officer of AK Steel. If any Debt bears a floating rate of interest and is
being given pro forma effect, the interest on such Debt shall be calculated
as if the rate in effect on the date of determination had been the
applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Interest
Rate Protection Agreement applicable to such Debt if such Interest Rate
Protection Agreement has a remaining term in excess of 12 months).
"Consolidated Interest Expense" means, for any period, the total interest
expense of AK Holding and its consolidated subsidiaries (other than Non-
Recourse Subsidiaries), including:
(1) interest expense attributable to capital leases;
(2) amortization of debt discount and debt issuance cost;
(3) capitalized interest;
(4) non-cash interest payments;
(5) commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect
to letters of credit and bankers' acceptance financing;
(6) net costs under Interest Rate Protection Agreements, including
amortization of fees;
(7) Preferred Equity Interests dividends or distributions in respect of
all Preferred Equity Interests held by Persons other than AK Steel or a
Wholly Owned Subsidiary;
(8) interest allocated in connection with investments in discontinued
operations; and
(9) interest actually paid by AK Holding or any of its consolidated
subsidiaries, other than Non-Recourse Subsidiaries, under any guarantee of
Debt or other obligation of any other Person.
"Consolidated Net Income" means, for any period, the net income or loss of AK
Holding and its consolidated subsidiaries; provided, that there shall not be
included in such Consolidated Net Income:
(1) any net income or loss of any person if such person is not a
subsidiary of AK Steel, except that AK Steel's equity in the net income of
the person for that period shall be included in such Consolidated Net
Income up to the aggregate amount of cash actually distributed by the
person during that period to AK Steel or a subsidiary of AK Steel (other
than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary) as a dividend or other distribution
(subject, in the case of a dividend or other distribution to a subsidiary
of AK Steel, to the limitations contained in clause (3) below);
(2) any net income or loss of any person acquired by AK Steel or a
subsidiary of AK Steel in a pooling of interests transaction for any period
prior to the date of such acquisition;
(3) any net income of any subsidiary of AK Steel if the subsidiary is
subject to restrictions, directly or indirectly, on the payment of
dividends or the making of distributions by the subsidiary, directly or
indirectly, to AK Steel, except that
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(a) AK Steel's equity in the net income of the subsidiary for that
period shall be included in such Consolidated Net Income up to the
aggregate amount of cash actually distributed by the subsidiary during
that period to AK Steel or another subsidiary of AK Steel as a dividend
or other distribution (subject, in the case of a dividend or other
distribution to another subsidiary, to the limitation contained in this
clause) and
(b) AK Steel's equity in a net loss of the subsidiary for that period
shall be included in determining such Consolidated Net Income;
(4) any gain or loss realized upon the sale or other disposition of any
property, plant or equipment of AK Steel or its consolidated subsidiaries
(including pursuant to any sale/leaseback transaction) that is not sold or
otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business and any gain or
loss realized upon the sale or other disposition of any Equity Interests of
any person;
(5) any net income or loss of any Non-Recourse Subsidiary, except that AK
Steel's equity in the net income of the Non-Recourse Subsidiary for that
period shall be included in such Consolidated Net Income up to the
aggregate amount of cash actually distributed by the Non-Recourse
Subsidiary during that period to AK Steel as a dividend or other
distribution; and
(6) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles.
"Consolidated Net Tangible Assets" of any person means the total assets of
that person and its consolidated subsidiaries after deducting therefrom all
intangible assets, current liabilities (excluding any thereof which are by
their terms extendible or renewable at the option of the obligor thereon to a
time more than 12 months after the time as of which the amount thereof is being
computed) and minority interests, if any, in any assets of that person's
subsidiaries.
"Consolidated Net Worth" of any person means the total of the amounts shown
on the balance sheet of that person and its consolidated subsidiaries,
determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, as of the end of the most recent fiscal quarter of that
person ending at least 45 days prior to the taking of any action for the
purpose of which the determination is being made, as:
(1) the par or stated value of all outstanding Equity Interests of such
person; plus
(2) paid-in capital or capital surplus relating to such Equity Interests;
plus
(3) any retained earnings or earned surplus; less (x) any accumulated
deficit, (y) any amounts attributable to Redeemable Equity Interests and
(z) any amounts attributable to Exchangeable Equity Interests.
"Debt" of any person means, without duplication,
(1) the principal of and premium, if any, in respect of (a) indebtedness
of such person for money borrowed and (b) indebtedness evidenced by notes,
debentures, bonds or other similar instruments for the payment of which
that person is responsible or liable;
(2) all Capital Lease Obligations of that person;
(3) all obligations of that person issued or assumed as the deferred
purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations of that person
and all obligations of that person under any title retention agreement, but
excluding trade accounts payable arising in the ordinary course of
business;
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(4) all obligations of that person for the reimbursement of any obligor
on any letter of credit, banker's acceptance or similar credit transaction
(other than obligations with respect to letters of credit securing
obligations, other than obligations described in clauses (1) through (3)
above, entered into in the ordinary course of business of that person to
the extent such letters of credit are not drawn upon or, if and to the
extent drawn upon, such drawing is reimbursed no later than the third
business day following receipt by that person of a demand for reimbursement
following payment on the letter of credit);
(5) the amount of all obligations of that person with respect to the
redemption, repayment or other repurchase of any Redeemable Equity
Interests, but excluding any accrued dividends;
(6) all obligations of that person under interest rate swap or similar
agreements, or foreign currency or commodity hedge, exchange or similar
agreements of such person;
(7) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (1) through (6) of
other persons and all dividends of other persons for the payment of which,
in either case, that person is responsible or liable, directly or
indirectly, as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, including by means of any
guarantee; and
(8) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (1) through (7) of
other persons secured by any lien on any property or asset of that person,
whether or not such obligation is assumed by that person, the amount of
that obligation being deemed to be the lesser of the value of the property
or assets or the amount of the obligation so secured.
"Defaulting Subsidiary" means any subsidiary of AK Steel, other than a Non-
Recourse Subsidiary, with respect to which a default or event of default has
occurred.
"EBITDA" for any period means the Consolidated Net Income of AK Holding for
that period (but without giving effect to adjustments, accruals, deductions or
entries resulting from purchase accounting, extraordinary losses or gains and
any gains or losses from any Asset Dispositions), plus
(1) the following to the extent deducted in calculating such Consolidated
Net Income:
(a) income tax expense,
(b) Consolidated Interest Expense,
(c) depreciation expense,
(d) amortization expense,
(e) the non-cash portion of postretirement benefits other than
pensions and
(f) special charges taken after December 31, 1996 in respect of which
AK Holding has delivered to the trustee
(x) an officers' certificate setting forth estimates, made in
good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of AK
Holding, of the cash costs estimated, at the time those special
charges are recorded, to be paid during any period for those
special charges and containing an undertaking of AK Holding to
deliver to the trustee, as soon as practicable after AK Holding
determines that those estimates are not appropriate, a supplemental
officers' certificate setting forth appropriate adjustments to
those estimates and
(y) together with any officers' certificate or supplemental
officers' certificate referred to in clause (x), a report prepared
by AK Holding's independent auditors
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setting forth the procedures performed by the auditors in
connection with those special charges and the related cash costs
estimated to be paid during any period for those charges
minus
(2) to the extent not deducted in calculating such Consolidated Net
Income, cash costs estimated to be paid during that period for special
charges taken during any period as set forth in the officers' certificate
most recently delivered to the trustee in respect of those special charges
pursuant to clause (1)(f) of this definition.
"Equity Interests" means any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase,
warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in
(however designated) corporate stock or other equity participations, including
partnership interests, whether general or limited, including any Preferred
Equity Interests.
"Exchangeable Equity Interests" of any person means any Equity Interest that
is exchangeable for or convertible into another security, other than any Equity
Interest of such person which is neither an Exchangeable Equity Interest nor a
Redeemable Equity Interest.
"Guarantor Subsidiary" means any subsidiary of AK Steel, other than a Non-
Recourse Subsidiary, that executes a supplement to the indenture pursuant to
which the subsidiary jointly and severally unconditionally guarantees the due
and punctual payment and performance of the Obligations and assumes the other
obligations of a Guarantor Subsidiary pursuant to the indenture, in the manner
provided by the indenture.
"Interest Rate Protection Agreement" means any interest rate swap agreement,
interest rate cap agreement or other financial agreement or arrangement
designed to protect AK Steel or any subsidiary of AK Steel against fluctuations
in interest rates.
"Inventory" of any person means any and all inventory of any kind of that
person, including any or all of the following: inventory, merchandise, goods
and other tangible personal property that are held for sale or lease by that
person; all materials used or consumed in the business of that person, but
excluding from the foregoing equipment of that person; all trademarks,
servicemarks, trade names and similar intangible property owned or used by that
person in its business, together with the goodwill of the business symbolized
thereby and all rights relating thereto ("Intangible Property"); and all books
and records relating to the foregoing and the proceeds thereof.
"Investment" in any person means any loan or advance to, any acquisition of
Equity Interests, equity interest, obligation or other security of, or capital
contribution or other investment in, that person.
"Issue" means issue, assume, guarantee, incur or otherwise become liable for;
provided that any Debt or Equity Interests of a person existing at the time the
person becomes a subsidiary of AK Steel (whether by merger, consolidation,
acquisition or otherwise) shall be deemed to be issued by the subsidiary at the
time it becomes a subsidiary of AK Steel.
"JV Subsidiary" means a Guarantor Subsidiary which (1) was created or became
a subsidiary of AK Steel after the date on which the old notes were originally
issued and (2) has not acquired any assets directly or indirectly from AK Steel
or any subsidiary of AK Steel, other than (a) cash constituting a Restricted
Payment or (b) assets, in an Asset Disposition, which were acquired by AK Steel
and its subsidiaries within one year prior to such Asset Disposition.
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"Net Available Cash" from an Asset Disposition means cash payments received
therefrom, including any cash payments received by way of deferred payment of
principal pursuant to a note or installment receivable or otherwise, but only
as and when received, but excluding any other consideration received in the
form of assumption by the acquiring person of Debt or other obligations
relating to such properties or assets or received in any other noncash form).
In each case, the amount of Net Available Cash shall be net of the following:
(1) all legal, title and recording tax expenses, commissions and other
fees and expenses incurred,
(2) all Federal, state, provincial, foreign and local taxes required to
be accrued as a liability under generally accepted accounting principles,
as a consequence of the Asset Disposition,
(3) all payments made on any Debt that is secured by any assets subject
to the Asset Disposition, in accordance with the terms of any lien upon or
other security agreement of any kind with respect to those assets, or which
must by its terms, or in order to obtain a necessary consent to the Asset
Disposition, or by applicable law be repaid out of the proceeds from the
Asset Disposition, and
(4) of all distributions and other payments required to be made to
minority interest holders in subsidiaries or joint ventures as a result of
the Asset Disposition.
"Net Cash Proceeds" with respect to any issuance or sale of Equity Interests
means the cash proceeds of that issuance or sale net of attorneys' fees,
accountants' fees, underwriters' or placement agents' fees, discounts or
commissions and brokerage, consultant and other fees actually incurred in
connection with that issuance or sale and net of taxes paid or payable as a
result thereof.
"Non-Convertible Equity Interests" means, with respect to any person, any
non-convertible Equity Interests of that person and any Equity Interests of
such person convertible solely into non-convertible Equity Interests of that
person; provided that Non-Convertible Equity Interests shall not include any
Redeemable Equity Interests or Exchangeable Equity Interests.
"Non-Recourse Debt" means Debt or that portion of Debt
(1) issued to a person other than AK Holding, AK Steel or any subsidiary
of AK Steel, other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary and
(2) no default with respect to which (including any rights which the
holders thereof may have to take enforcement action against a Non-Recourse
Subsidiary) would permit, upon notice, lapse of time or both, any holder of
any other Debt of AK Holding, AK Steel or any subsidiary of AK Steel (other
than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary) to declare a default on that other Debt or
cause the payment thereof to be accelerated or payable prior to its stated
maturity.
"Non-Recourse Subsidiary" means a subsidiary of AK Steel in respect of any
obligation of which neither AK Holding, AK Steel nor any subsidiary of AK Steel
(other than another Non-Recourse Subsidiary) has issued a Guarantee, and which
(1) has not acquired any assets directly or indirectly from AK Holding,
AK Steel or any subsidiary of AK Steel, other than
(a) cash constituting a Restricted Payment and
(b) Accounts Receivable that have been sold or otherwise transferred
to such subsidiary in an Accounts Receivable financing for AK Steel or
such other subsidiary,
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(2) only owns properties acquired after the date on which the notes were
originally issued and
(3) has no Debt other than Non-Recourse Debt and Debt issued to AK Steel
or a Significant Subsidiary which constitutes a Permitted Investment under
clause (5) of the definition of Permitted Investment.
"Normal Replacement Assets" means any assets other than Special Assets.
"Obligations" means:
(1) the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the notes,
(2) all other amounts due and payable under the indenture and the notes,
and
(3) all other obligations and liabilities of AK Steel whether direct or
indirect, absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or
hereafter issued, which may arise under, out of or in connection with the
indenture and the notes or any other documents made, delivered or given in
connection therewith, (a) whether on account of principal, premium, if any,
interest, reimbursement obligations, fees, indemnities, costs, expenses
(including all fees and disbursements of counsel to the trustee or the
holders for which AK Steel has become obligated pursuant to the terms of
the indenture) or otherwise and (b) whether or not an allowable claim
against AK Steel under the Bankruptcy Law or otherwise enforceable against
AK Steel, and including, in any event, interest and other liabilities
accruing or arising after the filing by or against AK Steel of a petition
under the Bankruptcy Law or that would have so accrued or arisen but for
the filing of such a petition.
"Permitted Credit Facility" or "Facilities" means any agreement or agreements
providing for
(1) the making of a loan or loans or the advancing of credit,
(2) the sale of accounts receivable of AK Steel or any Significant
Subsidiary under any asset securitization facility or other financing
facility for the financing of accounts receivable of AK Steel or any
Significant Subsidiary or
(3) the issuance of letters of credit and/or the creation of bankers'
acceptances,
under which the aggregate amount that may be issued or otherwise obtained,
in the case of clauses (1), (2) and (3), is based upon eligible accounts
receivable and eligible Inventory and the aggregate principal amount of
Debt, or (in the case of clause (2)) aggregate Investments outstanding,
excluding Permitted Investments under clause (5) or (6) of the definition
of "Permitted Investments" in respect of the asset securitization facility,
shall not at any time exceed the greater of (a) $75.0 million and (b) an
amount equal to
(w) 100% of the book value of the consolidated accounts receivable of
AK Steel and its Significant Subsidiaries that are Guarantor
Subsidiaries or Non-Recourse Subsidiaries, plus
(x) 100% of the book value, excluding last-in-first-out reserves, of
the consolidated Inventory of AK Steel and its Subsidiaries that are
Guarantor Subsidiaries, minus
(y) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Debt secured by any
accounts receivable or Inventory of AK Steel or any of its
subsidiaries, other than Debt outstanding under any Permitted Credit
Facility, minus
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(z) other outstanding Investments (other than Debt under a Permitted
Credit Facility or Debt described in clause (y) above or Permitted
Investments under clause (5) and (6) of the definition of "Permitted
Investments") under any asset securitization or similar facility in
respect of accounts receivable or Inventory of AK Steel or any of its
subsidiaries.
"Permitted Investments" means:
(1) Cash Equivalents;
(2) Investments in AK Steel, any Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary or any
person which will become a Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary as a result of
that Investment;
(3) loans and reasonable advances to employees of AK Steel or its
subsidiaries for travel, entertainment and relocation expenses in the
ordinary course of business;
(4) Investments in obligations the interest on which is excluded from
income for Federal or state income tax purposes and that have been issued
or guaranteed by any state of the United States of America, the District of
Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any political subdivision,
agency, authority or instrumentality of any of the foregoing, provided that
at the date of acquisition of that obligation
(a) its remaining life to maturity shall be less than one year and
(b) the issuer or guarantor thereof shall have one of the two highest
short-term debt ratings obtainable from each of Standard & Poor's and
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.;
(5) Investments resulting from the transfer of accounts receivable of AK
Steel or its Significant Subsidiaries that are Guarantor Subsidiaries to a
Non-Recourse Subsidiary, the only business of which is the acquisition and
financing of such Accounts Receivable under a Permitted Credit Facility;
(6) Investments resulting from the transfer of accounts receivable of AK
Steel or its Significant Subsidiaries that are Guarantor Subsidiaries or
Non-Recourse Subsidiaries to a trust, the only purpose of which is the
acquisition and financing of those accounts receivable, provided that the
aggregate amount of outstanding Debt issued by such trust to, and
outstanding Investments in such trust made by, persons other than AK Steel
and its Significant Subsidiaries that are Guarantor Subsidiaries or Non-
Recourse Subsidiaries shall not at any time exceed the greater of $75.0
million and an amount equal to
(w) 85% of the book value of the consolidated accounts receivable of
AK Steel and its Significant Subsidiaries that are Guarantor
Subsidiaries or Non-Recourse Subsidiaries, plus
(x) 100% of the book value, excluding last-in-first-out reserves, of
the consolidated Inventory of AK Steel and its subsidiaries that are
Guarantor Subsidiaries, minus
(y) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Debt secured by any
accounts receivable or Inventory of AK Steel or any of its
subsidiaries, other than to the extent included in clause (z) below,
minus
(z) other outstanding Investments, excluding Investments in such
trust, under any asset securitization or similar facility in respect of
accounts receivable or Inventory of AK Steel or any of its
subsidiaries; and
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(7) until December 31, 1999, Investments, not to exceed $200.0 million at
any time, in publicly traded debt obligations issued or guaranteed by a
corporation other than AK Steel that is organized under the laws of any
state of the United States of America and subject to the reporting
requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, provided that
(a) the debt obligations are acquired by AK Steel in the open market
and not directly from the issuer thereof or an affiliate of such issuer
or from an underwriter thereof,
(b) the debt obligations, at the date of acquisition thereof by AK
Steel, shall have a remaining life to maturity of not more than five
years, shall provide for payments of principal and interest solely in
cash and shall be rated at least BB by Standard & Poor's and Ba2 by
Moody's Investors Service, Inc. and
(c) not more than $15.0 million of those Investments at any time
shall consist of debt obligations issued or guaranteed by the same
corporation and not more than 20% of those Investments at any time
shall consist of debt obligations issued or guaranteed by corporations
within the same industry, as determined by Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code.
"Permitted Liens" means, with respect to any person:
(1) pledges or deposits incurred in the ordinary course of business by
such person that are:
(a) made under workers' compensation laws, unemployment insurance
laws or similar legislation,
(b) made in good faith in connection with bids, tenders, contracts
(other than for the payment of Debt) or leases to which that
person is a party,
(c) given to secure public or statutory obligations of that person,
(d) in the form of property, cash or United States government bonds
given to secure surety or appeal bonds to which that person is a
party, or
(e) given as security for contested taxes or import duties or for the
payment of rent;
(2) liens imposed by law, such as carriers', warehousemen's and
mechanics' liens, in each case for sums not yet due or being contested in
good faith by appropriate proceedings; or other liens arising out of
judgments or awards against that person with respect to which that person
shall then be proceeding with an appeal or other proceedings for review or
time for appeal has not yet expired;
(3) liens for property taxes not yet subject to penalties for non-payment
or which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;
(4) liens in favor of issuers of surety bonds or letters of credit issued
pursuant to the request of and for the account of that person in the
ordinary course of its business; provided that the letters of credit do not
constitute Debt;
(5) survey exceptions, encumbrances, easements or reservations of, or
rights of others for, licenses, rights of way, sewers, electric lines,
telegraph and telephone lines and other similar purposes, or zoning or
other restrictions as to the use of real properties or liens incidental to
the conduct of the business of that person or to the ownership of its
properties which were not incurred in connection with Debt and which do not
in the aggregate materially adversely affect the value of said properties
or materially impair their use in the operation of the business of that
person;
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(6) liens securing an Interest Rate Protection Agreement so long as the
related Debt is, and is permitted to be under the indenture, secured by a
Lien on the same property securing the Interest Rate Protection Agreement;
and
(7) leases and subleases of real property which do not interfere with the
ordinary conduct of the business of AK Steel or any of its subsidiaries,
and which are made on customary and usual terms applicable to similar
properties.
"Preferred Equity Interests" as applied to the Equity Interests of any person
means Equity Interests of any class or classes (however designated) which is
preferred as to the payment of dividends or distributions, or as to the
distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or
dissolution of that person, over Equity Interests of any other class of that
person.
"Public Equity Offering" means an underwritten primary public offering of
common stock of AK Holding pursuant to an effective registration statement
under the Securities Act.
"Redeemable Equity Interests" means any Equity Interest that by its terms or
otherwise is required to be redeemed on or prior to the first anniversary of
the stated maturity of the notes or is redeemable at the option of the holder
thereof at any time on or prior to the first anniversary of the stated maturity
of the notes.
"Refinancing Debt" means Debt issued by AK Steel to refinance any Debt of AK
Steel, including Debt that is issued by AK Steel to refinance any Refinancing
Debt; provided that
(1) the principal amount of the Debt that is issued shall not exceed the
principal amount of, and premiums, if any, and accrued interest with
respect to, the refinanced Debt and reasonable fees, expenses, commissions
and costs incurred in connection with the issuance of such Debt and
(2) the Debt that is issued
(a) shall not mature prior to the Stated Maturity of the refinanced
Debt and
(b) shall have an Average Life equal to or greater than the remaining
Average Life of the refinanced Debt.
"Significant Subsidiary" means
(1) any domestic subsidiary of AK Steel (other than a Non-Recourse
Subsidiary) that, at the time of determination, either
(a) had assets that, as of the date of the Holding's most recent
quarterly consolidated balance sheet, constituted at least 5% of AK
Holding's total assets on a consolidated basis as of that date, or
(b) had revenues for the 12-month period ending on the date of AK
Holding's most recent quarterly consolidated statement of income which
constituted at least 5% of AK Holding's total revenues on a
consolidated basis for that period,
(2) any foreign subsidiary (other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary) of AK
Steel that at the time of determination either
(a) had assets which, as of the date of AK Holding's most recent
quarterly consolidated balance sheet, constituted at least 5% of AK
Holding's total assets on a consolidated basis as of that date,
determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
or
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(b) had revenues for the 12-month period ending on the date of AK
Holding's most recent quarterly consolidated statement of income which
constituted at least 5% of Holding's total revenues on a consolidated
basis for that period, or
(3) any subsidiary (other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary) of AK Steel
that, if merged with all Defaulting Subsidiaries of AK Steel, would at the
time of determination either
(a) have had assets which, as of the date of AK Holding's most recent
quarterly consolidated balance sheet, would have constituted at least
10% of AK Holding's total assets on a consolidated basis as of that
date or
(b) have had revenues for the 12-month period ending on the date of
AK Holding's most recent quarterly consolidated statement of income
which would have constituted at least 10% of AK Holding's total
revenues on a consolidated basis for that period (each such
determination being made in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles).
"Special Assets" means a capital asset, or series of related capital assets,
with an aggregate purchase price in excess of $20.0 million that enhances the
competitiveness or productivity of the business of AK Steel and its
subsidiaries or is required so that AK Steel and its subsidiaries will be able
to remain in compliance with all material requirements of applicable law.
"Voting Equity Interests" of a corporation or other entity means all classes
of Equity Interests of a corporation or other entity then outstanding and
normally entitled to vote in the election of directors or other governing body
of such corporation or other entity.
"Wholly Owned Guarantor Subsidiary" means any Wholly Owned Subsidiary that is
a Guarantor Subsidiary.
"Wholly Owned Subsidiary" of a person means a subsidiary of that person
(other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary) all the Equity Interests (other than
non-voting, money market preferred shares) of which (other than directors'
qualifying shares) are owned by that person or another Wholly Owned Subsidiary
of that person. Unless otherwise qualified, all references to a "Wholly Owned
Subsidiary" or to "Wholly Owned Subsidiaries" shall refer to a Wholly Owned
Subsidiary or Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of AK Steel.
Events of Default
An event of default will occur under the indenture if:
(1) we fail to pay interest on any note when the same becomes due and
payable, and the failure continues for a period of 30 days;
(2) we fail to pay the principal of any note when the note becomes due
and payable at its stated maturity, upon redemption, upon declaration or
otherwise;
(3) we fail to redeem or purchase notes when required pursuant to the
indenture and the notes;
(4) we fail to
(a) comply with the covenant described under "--When AK Steel or Any
of Its Subsidiaries May Merge or Transfer Assets,"
(b) make or consummate an Offer in accordance with the provisions of
"--Material Covenants--Limitation on Sales of Assets and Equity
Interests of Subsidiaries" or
(c) make or consummate a Change in Control Offer in accordance with
the provisions of "--Change in Control Offer";
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(5) we fail to observe or comply with any of the agreements in the notes
or the indenture (other than those referred to in clauses (1), (2), (3) or
(4) above), which continues for 60 days after there has been given to us by
the trustee or to us and the trustee by the holders of at least 25% in
principal amount of notes then outstanding a written notice specifying the
failure;
(6) Debt of our company or any Significant Subsidiary is not paid within
any applicable grace period after final maturity or is accelerated by the
holders thereof because of a default, and the total amount of such Debt
unpaid or accelerated exceeds $10.0 million or its foreign currency
equivalent;
(7) any guarantee of the notes issued by AK Holding or any Significant
Subsidiary ceases to be in full force and effect other than in accordance
with its terms, or AK Holding or any Significant Subsidiary or any person
acting on behalf of AK Holding or that Significant Subsidiary denies or
disaffirms its obligations under its guarantee of the notes;
(8) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur with
respect to our company, AK Holding or any Significant Subsidiary; and
(9) any judgment or decree for the payment of money in excess of $10.0
million is rendered against our company, AK Holding or any Significant
Subsidiary and is not discharged and either
(a) an enforcement proceeding has been commenced by any creditor upon
that judgment or decree or
(b) there is a period of 60 days following that judgment during which
the judgment or decree is not discharged, waived or the execution
thereof stayed.
If an event of default shall occur and be continuing, either the trustee or
the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the notes then outstanding
may accelerate the maturity of all notes and thereupon the principal of,
premium, if any, and any accrued and unpaid interest on the notes shall become
due and payable immediately; provided that in the case of any bankruptcy,
insolvency or reorganization event of default, the amount shall become
immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of
the trustee or any holder. The holders of at least a majority in principal
amount of the then outstanding notes may, under certain circumstances, rescind
the acceleration and its consequences if the rescission would not conflict with
any judgment or decree and if all events of default, other than the nonpayment
of accelerated principal of, premium, if any, and interest on notes, have been
cured or waived as provided in the indenture. The holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may waive any past
default under the indenture, except a default in the payment of principal,
premium or interest on a note or default with respect to certain covenants
under the indenture.
Subject to provisions for the indemnification of the trustee, the holders of
at least a majority in principal amount of the notes will have the right to
direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy
available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the
trustee, subject to certain limitations contained in the indenture.
No holder of any note will have any right to pursue any remedy with respect
to the indenture or the notes unless:
(1) that holder shall have previously given to the trustee written notice
of a continuing event of default;
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<PAGE>
(2) the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the notes shall
have made written request to the trustee to pursue the remedy;
(3) that holder shall have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity
against any liability;
(4) the trustee shall have failed to comply with the request within 60
days after the receipt of that request and the offer of indemnity; and
(5) no written direction inconsistent with that request shall have been
given to the trustee during that 60-day period by the holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the notes.
We, AK Holding as guarantor and any other guarantor of the notes will be
required to furnish to the trustee annually a statement as to the performance
by us and the guarantors of certain of the obligations under the indenture and
as to any default in such performance. Upon becoming aware of any default, we
and each guarantor of the notes will be required to deliver an officers'
certificate to the trustee setting forth the details of that default and the
action which we, AK Holding or any other guarantor proposes to take with
respect thereto.
Modification and Waiver
Amendments of the indenture or the notes may be made by us, the guarantors of
the notes and the trustee with the consent of the holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the notes; provided that no modification or
amendment may, without the consent of the holder of each note affected thereby:
(1) reduce the amount of notes whose holders must consent to an
amendment;
(2) reduce the rate or extend the interest payment time of any note;
(3) reduce the principal amount of or extend the stated maturity of any
note;
(4) reduce the premium payable upon redemption or change the time at
which any note may be redeemed;
(5) change the currency of payment of any note;
(6) make any change in the provisions concerning waiver of defaults by
holders of the notes or the rights of holders to receive payments of
principal or interest;
(7) make any change in provisions regarding Change in Control; or
(8) make any change in this provision.
Without the consent of any holder of the notes, we, the guarantors of the
notes and the trustee may amend the indenture or the notes:
(1) to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency;
(2) to comply with, among other things, the provisions discussed under
"--When AK Steel or Any of Its Subsidiaries May Merge or Transfer Assets";
(3) to provide for uncertificated notes in addition to or in place of
certificated notes as provided in the indenture;
(4) to add guarantees with respect to the notes;
(5) to add to the covenants of our company or the guarantors for the
benefit of the holders or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us
or the guarantors in the indenture;
(6) to reflect the release or addition of a guarantor pursuant to the
terms of the indenture;
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<PAGE>
(7) to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with
qualifying the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; or
(8) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any
holder of the notes.
When AK Steel or Any of Its Subsidiaries May Merge or Transfer Assets
The indenture provides that we shall not
(1) consolidate with or merge with or into any other person,
(2) permit any other person to consolidate with or merge into (a) our
company or (b) any subsidiary of our company in a transaction in which the
subsidiary or successor person remains or becomes a subsidiary of our
company,
(3) directly or indirectly, transfer, convey, sell, lease or otherwise
dispose of all or substantially all of its properties and assets,
(4) directly or indirectly, (a) acquire Equity Interests or other
ownership interests of any other person, other than as a Permitted
Investment as defined in clause (5) of the definition of Permitted
Investments, such that the person becomes a subsidiary of our company or
(b) purchase, lease or otherwise acquire all or substantially all of the
property and assets of any person or any existing business (whether
existing as a separate entity, subsidiary, division, unit or otherwise) of
any person, or
(5) permit any subsidiaries of our company to enter into any such
transaction unless:
(a) We or the subsidiary shall be the continuing entity or the
resulting, surviving or transferee person, if not our company or a
subsidiary of our company, shall be a person organized and existing
under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or
the District of Columbia and that person shall expressly assume, by an
indenture supplemental to the indenture, executed and delivered to the
trustee, all the obligations of our company or its subsidiary, as the
case may be, under the notes and the indenture;
(b) Immediately after giving effect to the transaction (and treating
any Debt which becomes an obligation of the resulting, surviving or
transferee person or any of our subsidiaries as a result of such
transaction as having been issued by such person or the subsidiary at
the time of such transaction), no default under the identure shall have
occurred and be continuing;
(c) Immediately after giving effect to the transaction, on a pro
forma basis, we (or the resulting, surviving or transferee person, if
not our company) would be able to issue at least $1.00 of Debt pursuant
to the Consolidated EBITDA Coverage Ratio set forth in the first
paragraph of "--Material Covenants--Limitation on Debt";
(d) Immediately after giving effect to the transaction, AK Holding
shall have Consolidated Net Worth which is not less than the
Consolidated Net Worth of AK Holding immediately prior to the
transaction;
(e) Each guarantor, unless it is the other party to the transactions
described above, shall expressly confirm, by an indenture supplemental
to the indenture, executed and delivered to the trustee, that its
guarantee shall apply to such person's obligations under the notes; and
(f) We shall have delivered to the trustee an officers' certificate
and an opinion of counsel, each stating that the consolidation, merger
or transfer and the supplemental indentures, if any, comply with the
indenture;
55
<PAGE>
provided, however, that clauses (c) and (d) shall not apply to
(x) the consolidation or merger of any Wholly Owned Subsidiary with
or into any other Wholly Owned Subsidiary or our company,
(y) the transfer, conveyance, sale, lease or other disposal of all or
substantially all of the properties or assets of a Non-Recourse
Subsidiary or a subsidiary which is not a Significant Subsidiary,
including any disposition by means of a merger, consolidation or
similar transaction, or
(z) the merger of AK Holding into our company.
If after the date on which the old notes were originally issued any person
shall become our subsidiary, other than a Non-Recourse Subsidiary, that person
shall
(1) unconditionally guarantee, by an indenture supplemental to the
indenture, executed and delivered to the trustee, all of our obligations
under the notes on the terms set forth in the indenture and
(2) deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that such
supplemental indenture has been duly authorized and constitutes the
enforceable obligations of that person.
Defeasance
We may terminate at any time all our obligations under the notes and the
indenture, except for certain obligations, including those relating to the
defeasance trust and obligations to register the transfer or exchange of the
notes, to replace mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes and to maintain a
registrar and paying agent in respect of the notes. This is known as "legal
defeasance." At any time we may terminate our obligations under the covenants
described under "--Material Covenants" and "--Change in Control Offer" above.
We may exercise the legal defeasance option notwithstanding the prior exercise
of the covenant defeasance option. If we exercise the legal defeasance option,
payment of the notes may not be accelerated because of an event of default. If
we exercise the covenant defeasance option, payment of the notes may not be
accelerated because of certain events of default by AK Steel specified in
clause (4) or (5) of the first paragraph of "--Events of Default" above.
In order to exercise our defeasance options, we must irrevocably deposit in
trust with the trustee money or U.S. Government Obligations for the payment of
principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the notes to maturity or
redemption, as the case may be, and must comply with certain other conditions,
including delivery to the trustee of an opinion of counsel to the effect that
holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income
tax purposes as a result of the defeasance and will be subject to federal
income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as
would have been the case if the defeasance had not occurred (and, in the case
of legal defeasance only, the opinion of counsel must be based on a ruling of
the Internal Revenue Service or other change in applicable federal income tax
law).
Concerning the Trustee
The trustee may become owner or pledgee of notes and may otherwise deal with
either AK Holding or affiliates of AK Holding with the same rights it would
have if it were not trustee.
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<PAGE>
The indenture provides that in case an event of default shall occur and be
continuing, the trustee will exercise the rights and powers vested in it by the
indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a
prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of
that person's own affairs.
Fifth Third Bank also serves as trustee under the indenture governing AK
Steel's 9 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2006, and as transfer agent for AK Holding's
common stock.
Governing Law
The indenture, the notes and AK Holding's guarantee of the notes are governed
by the laws of the State of New York.
57
<PAGE>
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
The following is a summary of the material United States federal income tax
consequences generally applicable to the exchange offer. The statements of
United States tax law set forth below are based on the laws, regulations and
administrative and judicial decisions applicable as of the date of this
prospectus, and are subject to any changes in relevant United States
authorities occurring after that date. Any such changes, which could be
retroactive, could affect the continuing validity of this discussion.
The exchange of old notes for new notes in the exchange offer will not be a
taxable exchange for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, there will
be no federal income tax consequences to a holder exchanging an old
unregistered note for a new registered note in the exchange offer. A holder
should have the same adjusted basis and holding period in the new note as it
had in the old note immediately before the exchange.
The preceding paragraph summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences associated with the exchange of the old notes for new notes in the
exchange offer. This summary applies only to those persons who are the initial
holders of old notes, who acquired old notes for cash and who hold old notes as
capital assets, and assumes that the old notes were not issued with "original
issue discount," as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. This summary
also does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the exchange
of notes not held as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the
Code, or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to investors subject to
special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as dealers in
securities or foreign currency, tax-exempt entities, banks, thrifts, insurance
companies, persons that hold the notes as part of a "straddle," a "hedge"
against currency risk or a "conversion transaction," persons that have a
"functional currency" other than the U.S. dollar and investors in pass-through
entities. It also does not address any consequences arising under U.S. federal
gift and estate taxes or under the tax laws of any state, local or foreign
jurisdiction.
Persons considering the exchange of old notes for new notes in the exchange
offer should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of
United States federal income tax laws, as well as the laws of any state, local,
or other taxing jurisdiction applicable to their particular situations.
58
<PAGE>
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Each broker-dealer that receives new notes for its own account pursuant to
the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting
the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of new
notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time,
may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of new notes received
in exchange for old notes that had been acquired as a result of market-making
or other trading activities. We have agreed that, for a period of 180 days
after the expiration date of the exchange offer, we will make this prospectus,
as it may be amended or supplemented, available to any broker-dealer for use in
connection with those resales.
We will not receive any proceeds from any sales of new notes by broker-
dealers. Registered notes received by broker-dealers for their own account
pursuant to the exchange offer may be sold from time to time in one or more
transactions in the over-the-counter market, in negotiated transactions,
through the writing of options on those notes or a combination of those
methods, at market prices prevailing at the time of resale, at prices related
to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Those resales may be made
directly to purchasers or to or through brokers or dealers who may receive
compensation in the form of commissions or concessions from the selling broker-
dealer or the purchasers of those notes. Any broker-dealer that resells new
notes that it received for its own account pursuant to the exchange offer and
any broker or dealer that participates in a distribution of those notes may be
deemed to be an "underwriter" within the meaning of the Securities Act and any
profit on any such resale of those notes and any commission or concessions
received by any participating broker or dealer may be deemed to be underwriting
compensation under the Securities Act. The letter of transmittal states that,
by acknowledging that it will deliver and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-
dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an "underwriter" within the
meaning of the Securities Act.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the notes offered hereby is being passed upon for us by Weil,
Gotshal & Manges LLP, New York, New York.
EXPERTS
The financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference from AK
Steel Holding Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1998 have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent
auditors, as stated in their report, which also is incorporated herein by
reference, and have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of that
firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All
statements in this prospectus, including statements in the 1998 Annual Report
on Form 10-K of AK Steel Holding Corporation that we have incorporated in this
prospectus by reference, other than statements of historical fact, including,
without limitation, the statements in the 1998 Annual Report on Form 10-K under
"Management's
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<PAGE>
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--
Liquidity and Capital Resources," regarding AK Steel's profitability, financial
position, liquidity and capital requirements, as well as the anticipated
product mix, costs, tonnage capabilities, performance characteristics and
benefits of Rockport Works, are forward-looking statements. The words
"estimate," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "expect" and similar
expressions used in this prospectus and the 1998 Annual Report on Form 10-K are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we
cannot assure you that those expectations will prove to have been correct.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
management's expectations are disclosed in this prospectus, including, without
limitation, under "Risk Factors." These factors include, but are not
necessarily limited to, the following:
. the effect of unplanned outages with respect to our operations;
. the highly cyclical nature of the domestic steel industry and many of the
markets supplied by us and the effect of that cyclicality on prices and volume;
. the potential impact of strikes or work stoppages at facilities of our
customers and suppliers;
. the sensitivity of our results to changes in the prices obtained by us for
our products;
. intense competition due to world steel overcapacity, new domestic capacity
over the next several years and imports;
. the high capital requirements associated with integrated steel facilities;
. the significant costs associated with environmental controls and
remediation expenditures and the uncertainty of future environmental control
requirements;
. employment matters, including costs and uncertainties associated with our
collective bargaining agreements, and employee postretirement obligations;
. our highly leveraged capital structure;
. the effect of our customers and suppliers not becoming Year 2000 compliant
in a timely manner;
. the effect of existing and possible future lawsuits filed against us; and
. general economic and business conditions, including changes in the
condition of the capital markets and equity markets.
All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements by or attributable
to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety
by these factors.
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[LOGO]
AK Steel Corporation
<PAGE>
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 20. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
AK Steel Corporation and AK Steel Holding Corporation ("Holding") are each
Delaware corporations. Subsection (b)(7) of Section 102 of the Delaware
General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), enables a corporation in its original
certificate of incorporation or an amendment thereto to eliminate or limit the
personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for
monetary damages for violations of the director's fiduciary duty, except (i)
for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its
stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve
intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to
Section 174 of the DGCL (providing for liability of directors for unlawful
payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for
any transaction from which a director derived an improper personal benefit.
The Certificate of Incorporation of each of AK Steel and Holding has
eliminated the personal liability of its directors to the fullest extent
permitted by law.
Subsection (a) of Section 145 of the DGCL empowers a corporation to
indemnify any director or officer, or former director or officer, who was or
is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or
completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative
or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation)
by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the
corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a
director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including
attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding
provided that such director or officer acted in good faith in a manner
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the
corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, provided
further that such director or officer had no reasonable cause to believe his
conduct was unlawful.
Subsection (b) of Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any
director or officer, or former director or officer, who was or is a party or
is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed
action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in
its favor by reason of the fact that such person acted in any of the
capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorneys' fees)
actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement
of such action or suit provided that such director or officer acted in good
faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the
best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification may be made
in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such director or officer
shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to
the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or
suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the
adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case,
such director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for
such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem
proper.
Section 145 further provides that to the extent a director or officer of a
corporation has been successful in the defense of any action, suit or
proceeding referred to in subsections (a) or (b) or in the defense of any
claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses
(including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in
connection therewith; that indemnification and advancement of expenses
provided for, by, or granted pursuant to, Section 145 shall not be deemed
exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled;
and empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of
any person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or
was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee
or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise against any liability asserted against him or incurred by him in
any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the
corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liabilities
under Section 145.
II-1
<PAGE>
Article Seven of the Certificate of Incorporation of each of AK Steel and
Holding states that the corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a
party or is threatened to be made a party to, or testifies in, any threatened,
pending, or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative in nature, by reason of the fact that such
person is or was a director, officer or employee of the corporation, or is or
was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer or
employee of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and
amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in
connection with such action, suit or proceeding to the full extent permitted
by law, and the corporation may adopt by-laws or enter into agreements with
any such person for the purpose of providing such indemnification.
Item 21. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Exhibits
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit
Number Description
------- -----------
<C> <S>
4.1 --Indenture, dated as of December 17, 1996 (the "1996 Indenture"),
relating to AK Steel's 9 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2006 (including form of
notes) (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to AK Steel's
Registration Statement on Form S-4, No. 333-19781 ("Registration No. 333-
19781")).
4.2 --Indenture, dated as of February 10, 1999, relating to AK Steel's 7 7/8%
Senior Notes Due 2009 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1 to
Holding's Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 17, 1999.
4.3 --Form of Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 17, 1996, with
respect to AK Steel's Senior Secured Notes Due 2004 (incorporated herein
by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to Registration No. 333-19781).
5 --Opinion of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.*
12 --Ratio of Earnings to Combined Fixed Charges.*
23.1 --Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.**
23.2 --Consent of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP (included in Exhibit 5).*
24 --Power of Attorney (included on signature pages).
25 --Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 of Fifth Third Bank.*
99.1 --Form of Letter of Transmittal.**
99.2 --Form of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.**
</TABLE>
- --------
* Previously filed.
** Filed herewith.
(b) Schedules
All schedules are omitted as the required information is presented in
Holding's consolidated financial statements or related notes or such schedules
are not applicable.
Item 22. Undertakings.
(a) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of
the registrants pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
registrants have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such
II-2
<PAGE>
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by a registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of that
registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with
the securities being registered, the registrants will, unless in the opinion
of their counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit
to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be
governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(b) Each of the undersigned registrants hereby undertakes to respond to
requests for information that is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus
pursuant to Item 4, 10(b), 11 or 13 of this form, within one business day of
receipt of such request, and to send the incorporated documents by first class
mail or other equally prompt means. This includes information contained in
documents filed subsequent to the effective date of the Registration Statement
through the date of responding to the request.
(c) Each of the undersigned registrants hereby undertakes to supply by means
of a post-effective amendment all information concerning a transaction, and
the company being acquired involved therein, that was not the subject of and
included in the Registration Statement when it became effective.
(d) Each of the undersigned registrants hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus inquired by Section 10(a)(3) of the
Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after
the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent
post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any
increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total
dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was
registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated
maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the
changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change
in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation
of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement;
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of
distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or
any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (d)(l)(i) and (d)(l)(ii) do not apply if
the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form F-3, and the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the
Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the
registration statement.
(2) That for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities
Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.
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<PAGE>
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, AK
Steel Corporation has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of
Middletown, State of Ohio.
AK STEEL CORPORATION
Date: June 30, 1999
/s/ James L. Wainscott
By: _________________________________
James L. Wainscott
Vice President, Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer
Signature Title Date
Chairman and Chief
* Executive Officer June 30, 1999
- ------------------------------------- (Principal
Richard M. Wardrop, Jr. Executive Officer)
Vice President,
* Treasurer and Chief June 30, 1999
- ------------------------------------- Financial Officer
James L. Wainscott (Principal
Financial Officer)
Controller
* (Principal June 30, 1999
- ------------------------------------- Accounting Officer)
Donald B. Korade
Director
- -------------------------------------
Allen Born
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
John A. Georges
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Dr. Bonnie G. Hill
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Robert H. Jenkins
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Lawrence A. Leser
/s/ James L. Wainscott
*By: ___________________________
James L. Wainscott
Attorney-in-fact
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<PAGE>
Signature Title Date
Director
- -------------------------------------
Robert E. Northam
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Cyrus Tang
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
James A. Thomson, Ph.D.
/s/ James L. Wainscott
*By: ___________________________
James L. Wainscott
Attorney-in-fact
II-5
<PAGE>
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, AK
Steel Holding Corporation has duly caused this Registration Statement to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the
City of Middletown, State of Ohio.
Date: June 30, 1999 AK STEEL HOLDING CORPORATION
/s/ James L. Wainscott
By: _________________________________
James L. Wainscott
Vice President, Treasurer andChief
Financial Officer
Signature Title Date
Chairman and
* ChiefExecutive June 30, 1999
- ------------------------------------- Officer (Principal
Richard M. Wardrop, Jr. Executive Officer)
Vice President,
* Treasurer and Chief June 30, 1999
- ------------------------------------- Financial Officer
James L. Wainscott (Principal
Financial Officer)
Controller
* (Principal June 30, 1999
- ------------------------------------- Accounting Officer)
Donald B. Korade
Director
- -------------------------------------
Allen Born
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
John A. Georges
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Dr. Bonnie G. Hill
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Robert H. Jenkins
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Lawrence A. Leser
Director
- -------------------------------------
Robert E. Northan
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
Cyrus Tang
Director
* June 30, 1999
- -------------------------------------
James A. Thomson, Ph.D.
/s/ James L. Wainscott
*By: ___________________________
James L. Wainscott
Attorney-in-fact
II-6
<PAGE>
EXHIBIT INDEX
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit
Number Description
------- -----------
<C> <S>
4.1 --Indenture, dated as of December 17, 1996 (the "1996 Indenture"),
relating to AK Steel's 9 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2006 (including form of
notes) (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to AK Steel's
Registration Statement on Form S-4, No. 333-19781 ("Registration No. 333-
19781")).
4.2 --Indenture, dated as of February 10, 1999, relating to AK Steel's 7 7/8%
Senior Notes Due 2009 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1 to
Holding's Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 17, 1999.
4.3 --Form of Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 17, 1996, with
respect to AK Steel's Senior Secured Notes Due 2004 (incorporated herein
by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to Registration No. 333-19781).
5 --Opinion of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.*
12 --Ratio of Earnings to Combined Fixed Charges.*
23.1 --Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.**
23.2 --Consent of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP (included in Exhibit 5).*
24 --Power of Attorney (included on signature pages).
25 --Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 of Fifth Third Bank.*
99.1 --Form of Letter of Transmittal.**
99.2 --Form of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.**
</TABLE>
- --------
* Previously filed.
** Filed herewith.
<PAGE>
EXHIBIT 23.1
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Amendment No. 1 to the
Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Nos. 333-75451 and 333-75451-01) of AK
Steel Corporation and AK Steel Holding Corporation of our report dated January
20, 1999, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of AK Steel Holding
Corporation for the year ended December 31, 1998, and to the reference to us
under the heading "Experts" in the Prospectus, which is part of this
Registration Statement.
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
June 29, 1999
<PAGE>
EXHIBIT 99.1
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
AK STEEL CORPORATION
Offer to Exchange its 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009, which are fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by AK Steel Holding Corporation and have
been registered under the Securities Act, for its 7 7/8% Senior
Notes Due 2009, which are fully and unconditionally
guaranteed by AK Steel Holding Corporation and have
not been so registered.
Pursuant to the Prospectus, dated , 1999
THE EXCHANGE OFFER WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M. NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON ,
1999, UNLESS EXTENDED (THE "EXPIRATION DATE"). TENDERS MAY BE WITHDRAWN
PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON THE EXPIRATION DATE.
Fifth Third Bank, Exchange Agent
By Mail or Overnight By Hand Delivery: By Facsimile:
Courier:
Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bank (513) 744-8909
Attention: Geoff Clark Attention: Geoff Clark
Corporate Trust Operations Corporate Trust Confirm by Telephone:
ML 10AT66 Operations
580 Walnut Street -- 4th
38 Fountain Square Plaza Floor
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 579-5320
Cincinnati, Ohio 45263
DELIVERY OF THIS INSTRUMENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE, OR
TRANSMISSION OF INSTRUCTIONS VIA FACSIMILE OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE, WILL
NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY.
The undersigned acknowledges that he or she has received and reviewed the
Prospectus, dated , 1999 (the "Prospectus"), of AK Steel Corporation, a
Delaware corporation ("AK Steel"), and this Letter of Transmittal (the
"Letter"), which together constitute AK Steel's offer (the "Exchange Offer")
to exchange up to $450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of AK Steel's 7 7/8%
Senior Notes Due 2009 (the "New Notes"), which have been registered under the
Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), for a like principal amount of
AK Steel's issued and outstanding 7 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2009 (the "Old
Notes"), which have not been so registered. Both the Old Notes and the New
Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by AK Steel Holding
Corporation.
For each Old Note accepted for exchange, the registered holder of such Old
Note (collectively with all other registered holders of Old Notes, the
"Holders") will receive a New Note having a principal amount equal to that of
the surrendered Old Note. Accordingly, registered holders of New Notes on the
relevant record date for the first interest payment date following the
consummation of the Exchange Offer will receive interest accruing from the
most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been
paid, from February 10, 1999. Old Notes accepted for exchange will cease to
accrue interest from and after the date of consummation of the Exchange Offer.
Holders whose Old Notes are accepted for exchange will not receive any payment
in respect of accrued interest on such Old Notes otherwise payable on any
interest payment date the record date for which occurs on or after
consummation of the Exchange Offer.
This Letter is to be completed by a Holder of Old Notes (except those
Holders delivering an Agent's Message in lieu thereof) either if certificates
are to be forwarded herewith or if a tender of certificates for Old Notes, if
available, is to be made by book-entry transfer to the account maintained by
the Exchange Agent at The Depository Trust Company (the "Book-Entry Transfer
Facility") pursuant to the procedures set forth in "The Exchange Offer--Book-
Entry Transfer" section of the Prospectus. Holders of Old Notes whose
certificates are not immediately available, or who are unable to deliver their
certificates or confirmation of the book-entry tender of their Old Notes into
the Exchange Agent's account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (a "Book-
Entry Confirmation") and all other documents required by this Letter to the
Exchange Agent on or prior to the Expiration Date, must tender their Old Notes
according to the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth in "The Exchange
Offer--Procedures for Tendering--Guaranteed Delivery Procedures". Delivery of
documents to the Book-Entry Transfer Facility does not constitute delivery to
the Exchange Agent.
<PAGE>
In lieu of delivering this Letter, an Agent's Message will constitute valid
delivery. The term "Agent's Message" means a message, transmitted by the Book-
Entry Transfer Facility and received by the Exchange Agent and forming a part
of a Book-Entry Confirmation, which states that the Book-Entry Transfer
Facility has received an express acknowledgement from a participant tendering
Old Notes that are the subject of such Book-Entry Confirmation that such
participant has received and agrees to be bound by this Letter and that we may
enforce such agreement against such participant.
The undersigned has completed the appropriate boxes below and signed this
Letter to indicate the action the undersigned desires to take with respect to
the Exchange Offer.
List below the Old Notes to which this Letter relates. If the space provided
below is inadequate, the certificate numbers and principal amount of Old Notes
should be listed on a separate signed schedule affixed hereto.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
DESCRIPTION OF OLD NOTES DELIVERED
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Name(s)
and
Address of
Registered
Holder
(Please
fill in, Certificate Aggregate Principal Amount
if blank) Number(s)* Principal Amount Tendered**
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Totals:
</TABLE>
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Need not be completed if Old Notes are being tendered by book-entry
transfer.
** Unless otherwise indicated in this column, a holder will be deemed to
have tendered ALL of the Old Notes represented by the listed
certificates. See Instruction 2. Old Notes tendered hereby must be in
denominations of principal amount of $1,000 and any integral multiple
thereof. See Instruction 1.
[_] CHECK HERE IF TENDERED OLD NOTES ARE BEING DELIVERED BY BOOK-ENTRY
TRANSFER MADE TO THE ACCOUNT MAINTAINED BY THE EXCHANGE AGENT WITH THE
BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER FACILITY AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING:
Name of Tendering Institution ______________________________________________
Account Number __________________Transaction Code Number __________________
[_] CHECK HERE IF TENDERED OLD NOTES ARE BEING DELIVERED PURSUANT TO A NOTICE
OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY PREVIOUSLY SENT TO THE EXCHANGE AGENT AND COMPLETE
THE FOLLOWING:
Name of Registered Holder __________________________________________________
Window Ticket Number (if any) ______________________________________________
Date of Execution of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery _________________________
Name of Institution Which Guaranteed Delivery ______________________________
If Delivered by Book-Entry Transfer, Complete the Following:
Account Number __________________Transaction Code Number ___________________
[_] CHECK HERE IF YOU ARE A BROKER-DEALER AND WISH TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL
COPIES OF THE PROSPECTUS AND ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO. (UNLESS
OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, 10 ADDITIONAL COPIES WILL BE FURNISHED.)
Name _______________________________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________________________
<PAGE>
PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Exchange Offer, the
undersigned hereby tenders to AK Steel the aggregate principal amount of Old
Notes indicated below. Subject to, and effective upon, the acceptance for
exchange of the Old Notes tendered hereby, the undersigned hereby sells,
assigns and transfers to, or upon the order of AK Steel all right, title and
interest in and to such Old Notes as are being tendered hereby.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full
power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer the Old Notes
tendered hereby and that AK Steel will acquire good and unencumbered title
thereto, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances
and not subject to any adverse claim when the same are accepted by AK Steel.
The undersigned hereby further represents that any New Notes acquired in
exchange for Old Notes tendered hereby will have been acquired in the ordinary
course of business of the person receiving such New Notes, whether or not such
person is the undersigned, that neither the Holder of such Old Notes nor any
such other person has an arrangement or understanding with any person to
participate in the distribution of such New Notes and that neither the Holder
of such Old Notes nor any such other person is an "affiliate" (as defined in
Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of AK Steel.
The undersigned also acknowledges that this Exchange Offer is being made in
reliance on interpretations by the staff of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC"), as set forth in no-action letters issued to third
parties, that the New Notes issued pursuant to the Exchange Offer in exchange
for the Old Notes may be offered for resale, resold and otherwise transferred
by a Holder thereof (other than a Holder that is an "affiliate" of AK Steel
within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) without compliance
with the registration and prospectus delivery provisions of the Securities
Act, provided that such New Notes are acquired in the ordinary course of such
Holder's business and such Holder has no arrangement with any person to
participate in a distribution of such New Notes. However, the SEC has not
considered the Exchange Offer in the context of a no-action letter and there
can be no assurance that the staff of the SEC would make a similar
determination with respect to the Exchange Offer as in other circumstances. If
the undersigned is not a broker-dealer, the undersigned represents that it is
not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, a distribution of New Notes
and has no arrangement or understanding to participate in a distribution of
New Notes. If any Holder is an affiliate of AK Steel, is engaged in or intends
to engage in, or has any arrangement or understanding with any person to
participate in, a distribution of the New Notes to be acquired pursuant to the
Exchange Offer, such Holder could not rely on the applicable interpretations
of the staff of the SEC and must comply with the registration and prospectus
delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale
transaction. If the undersigned is a broker-dealer that will receive New Notes
for its own account in exchange for Old Notes that were acquired as a result
of market-making activities or other trading activities, it acknowledges that
it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in
connection with any resale of such New Notes. However, by so acknowledging and
by delivering a prospectus, the undersigned will not be deemed to admit that
it is an "underwriter" within the meaning of the Securities Act.
The undersigned will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional
documents deemed by AK Steel to be necessary or desirable to complete the
sale, assignment and transfer of the Old Notes tendered hereby. All authority
conferred or agreed to be conferred in this Letter and every obligation of the
undersigned hereunder shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs,
executors, administrators, trustees in bankruptcy and legal representatives of
the undersigned and shall not be affected by, and shall survive, the death or
incapacity of the undersigned. This tender may be withdrawn only by written
notice from the undersigned to the Exchange Agent, received prior to 5:00
p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. Such written notice, if not
by an Eligible Institution, will have the signature guaranteed by an Eligible
Institution, and shall specify the name and number of the account at the Book-
Entry Transfer Facility to be credited with the withdrawn notes. If the
certificates have been delivered to the Exchange Agent, then the withdrawal
notice must set forth the serial numbers of the particular certificates to be
withdrawn.
Unless otherwise indicated herein in the box entitled "Special Issuance
Instruction" below, please issue the New Notes (and, if applicable, substitute
certificates representing Old Notes for any Old Notes not exchanged) in the
name of the undersigned or, in the case of a book-entry delivery of Old Notes,
please credit the account indicated above maintained at the Book-Entry
Transfer Facility. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated under the box
entitled "Special Delivery Instructions" below, please send the New Notes
(and, if applicable, substitute certificates representing Old Notes for any
Old Notes not exchanged) to the undersigned at the address shown above in the
box entitled "Description of Old Notes Delivered."
<PAGE>
THE UNDERSIGNED ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE EXCHANGE OFFER IS SUBJECT TO THE MORE
DETAILED TERMS SET FORTH IN THE PROSPECTUS AND, IN THE CASE OF ANY CONFLICT
BETWEEN THE TERMS OF THE PROSPECTUS AND THIS LETTER, THE PROSPECTUS SHALL
PREVAIL.
THE UNDERSIGNED, BY COMPLETING THE BOX ABOVE ENTITLED "DESCRIPTION OF OLD
NOTES DELIVERED" BELOW AND SIGNING THIS LETTER, WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE
TENDERED OLD NOTES AS SET FORTH IN SUCH BOX.
SPECIAL ISSUANCE INSTRUCTIONS (See SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions 3 and 4) (See Instructions 3 and 4)
To be completed ONLY if certif- To be completed ONLY if certif-
icates for Old Notes not ex- icates for Old Notes not ex-
changed and/or New Notes are to changed and/or New Notes are to
be issued in the name of someone be sent to someone other than
other than the person or persons the person or persons whose sig-
whose signature(s) appear(s) on nature(s) appear(s) on this Let-
this Letter below, or if Old ter below or to such person or
Notes delivered by book-entry persons at an address other than
transfer which are not accepted shown in the box entitled "De-
for exchange are to be returned scription of Old Notes" on this
by credit to an account main- Letter above.
tained at the Book-Entry Trans-
fer Facility other than the ac-
count indicated above.
Mail New Notes and/or Old Notes
to:
Name ____________________________
Issue New Notes and/or Old Notes (Please Type or Print)
to: _________________________________
Name ____________________________ Address _________________________
(Please Type or Print) _________________________________
_________________________________ (Zip Code)
Address _________________________
_________________________________
(Zip Code)
(Complete Substitute Form W-9)
[_]Credit unexchanged Old Notes
delivered by book-entry
transfer to the Book-Entry
Transfer Facility account set
forth below.
_________________________________
(Book-Entry Transfer Facility)
IMPORTANT: THIS LETTER OR A FACSIMILE HEREOF (TOGETHER WITH THE CERTIFICATES
FOR OLD NOTES OR A BOOK-ENTRY CONFIRMATION AND ALL OTHER REQUIRED DOCUMENTS OR
THE NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY) MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE EXCHANGE AGENT
PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON THE EXPIRATION DATE.
<PAGE>
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL CAREFULLY BEFORE COMPLETING ANY
BOX ABOVE
PLEASE SIGN HERE
(TO BE COMPLETED BY ALL TENDERING HOLDERS)
(Complete Accompanying Substitute Form W-9 on reverse side)
Dated: ____________________, 1999
X ___________________________________,
X ___________________________________,
Signature(s)
Area Code and Telephone Number: _________________________
If a holder is tendering any Old Notes, this letter must be signed by
the registered holder(s) as the name(s) appear(s) on the certificate(s)
for the Old Notes or by any person(s) authorized to become registered
holder(s) by endorsements and documents transmitted herewith. If signature
is by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, officer or other
person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, please set forth
full title. See Instruction 3.
Name:______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
(Please Type or Print)
Capacity (full title):_____________________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Telephone:_________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE GUARANTEE (If required by Instruction 3)
Signature(s) Guaranteed by an Eligible Institution: _______________________
(Authorized Signature)
___________________________________________________________________________
(Title)
___________________________________________________________________________
(Name and Firm)
Dated: ______________________________________________________________, 1999
<PAGE>
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Delivery of this Letter and Notes; Guaranteed Delivery Procedures.
This Letter is to be completed by holders of Old Notes (except those Holders
delivering an Agent's Message in lieu thereof) either if certificates are to
be forwarded herewith or if tenders are to be made pursuant to the procedures
for delivery by book-entry transfer set forth in "The Exchange Offer--Book-
Entry Transfer" section of the Prospectus. Certificates for all physically
tendered Old Notes, or Book-Entry Confirmation, as the case may be, as well as
a properly completed and duly executed Letter (or manually signed facsimile
hereof), with any required signature guarantees (unless an Agent's Message is
transmitted in lieu thereof), and any other documents required by this Letter,
must be received by the Exchange Agent at the address set forth herein on or
prior to the Expiration Date, or the tendering holder must comply with the
guaranteed delivery procedures set forth below. Old Notes tendered hereby must
be in denominations of principal amount of $1,000 and any integral multiple
thereof.
Holders whose certificates for Old Notes are not immediately available or
who cannot deliver their certificates and all other required documents to the
Exchange Agent on or prior to the Expiration Date, or who cannot complete the
procedure for book-entry transfer on a timely basis, may tender their Old
Notes pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth in "The
Exchange Offer--Procedures for Tendering--Guaranteed Delivery Procedures"
section of the Prospectus. Pursuant to such procedures, a tender may be
effected if (i) such tender is made through an Eligible Institution, (ii) on
or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date, the
Exchange Agent receives from such Eligible Institution a properly completed
and duly executed Letter (or a facsimile thereof or an Agent's Message in lieu
thereof) and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (or an Agent's Message with respect
to guaranteed delivery in lieu thereof), substantially in the form provided by
AK Steel (by telegram, telex, facsimile transmission, mail or hand delivery),
setting forth the name and address of the holder of Old Notes and the amount
of Old Notes tendered, stating that the tender is being made thereby and
guaranteeing that within three New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") trading days
after the date of execution of the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, the
certificates for all physically tendered Old Notes, in proper form for
transfer, or a Book-Entry Confirmation (including by means of an Agent's
Message), as the case may be, together with this Letter (or a facsimile hereof
or an Agent's Message in lieu thereof) and any other documents required by
this Letter will be deposited by the Eligible Institution with the Exchange
Agent, and (iii) the certificates for all physically tendered Old Notes, in
proper form for transfer, or Book-Entry Confirmation, as the case may be, and
all other documents required by this Letter, are deposited by the Eligible
Institution within three NYSE trading days after the date of execution of the
Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.
THE METHOD OF DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER, THE OLD NOTES AND ALL OTHER REQUIRED
DOCUMENTS IS AT THE ELECTION AND RISK OF THE TENDERING HOLDERS, BUT THE
DELIVERY WILL BE DEEMED MADE ONLY WHEN ACTUALLY RECEIVED OR CONFIRMED BY THE
EXCHANGE AGENT. IF OLD NOTES ARE SENT BY MAIL, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE
MAILING BE REGISTERED MAIL, PROPERLY INSURED, WITH RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED,
AND MADE SUFFICIENTLY IN ADVANCE OF THE EXPIRATION DATE TO PERMIT DELIVERY TO
THE EXCHANGE AGENT PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON THE EXPIRATION
DATE. NO LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL OR OLD NOTES SHOULD BE SENT TO AK STEEL.
See "The Exchange Offer" section of the Prospectus.
2. Partial Tenders (not applicable to noteholders who tender by book-entry
transfer).
If less than all of the Old Notes evidenced by a submitted certificate are
to be tendered, the tendering holder(s) should fill in the aggregate principal
amount of Old Notes to be tendered in the box above entitled "Description of
Old Notes Delivered--Principal Amount Tendered." A reissued certificate
representing the balance of nontendered Old Notes will be sent to such
tendering holder, unless otherwise provided in the appropriate box of this
Letter, promptly after the Expiration Date. All of the Old Notes delivered to
the Exchange Agent will be deemed to have been tendered unless otherwise
indicated.
3. Signatures on this Letter, Bond Powers and Endorsements, Guarantee of
Signatures.
If this Letter is signed by the registered holder of the Old Notes tendered
hereby, the signature must correspond exactly with the name as written on the
face of the certificates without any change whatsoever.
If any tendered Old Notes are owned of record by two or more joint owners,
all of such owners must sign this Letter.
<PAGE>
If any tendered Old Notes are registered in different names on several
certificates, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many
separate copies of this letter as there are different registrations of
certificates.
When this letter is signed by the registered holder or holders of the Old
Notes specified herein and tendered hereby, no endorsements of certificates or
separate bond powers are required. If however, the New Notes are to be issued,
or any untendered Old Notes are to be reissued, to a person other than the
registered holder, then endorsements of any certificates transmitted hereby or
separate bond powers are required. Signatures on such certificates(s) must be
guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.
If this letter is signed by a person other than the registered holder or
holders of any certificate(s) specified herein, such certificate(s) must be
endorsed accompanied by appropriate bond powers, in either case signed exactly
as the name or names of the registered holder or holders appear(s) on the
certificate(s) and signatures on such certificate(s) must be guaranteed by an
Eligible Institution.
If this Letter or any certificates or bond powers are signed by trustees,
executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of
corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such
persons should so indicate when signing, and, unless waived by the Company,
proper evidence satisfactory to the Company of their authority to so act must
be submitted.
Endorsements on certificates for Old Notes or signatures on bond powers
required by this Instruction 3 must be guaranteed by a financial institution
(including most banks, savings and loan associations and brokerage houses)
that is a participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, the
New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program or the Stock Exchanges
Medallion Program (each, an "Eligible Institution").
Signatures on this Letter need not be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution,
provided the Old Notes are tendered: (i) by a registered holder of Old Notes
(which term, for purposes of the Exchange Offer, includes any participant in
the Book-Entry Transfer Facility system whose name appears on a security
position listings as the holder of such Old Notes) who has not completed the
box entitled "Special Issuance Instructions" or "Special Delivery
Instructions" on this Letter, or (ii) for the account of an Eligible
Institution.
4. Special Issuance and Delivery Instructions.
Tendered holders of Old Notes should indicate in the applicable box the name
and address to which New Notes issued pursuant to the Exchange Offer and/or
substitute certificates evidencing Old Notes not exchanged are to be issued or
sent, if different from the name or address of the person signing this Letter.
In the case of issuance in a different name, the employer identification or
social security number of the person named must also be indicated. Noteholders
tendering Old Notes by book-entry transfer may request that Old Notes not
exchanged be credited to such account maintained at the Book-Entry Transfer
Facility as such noteholder may designate hereon. If no such instructions are
given, such Old Notes not exchanged will be returned to the name and address
of the person signing this Letter.
5. Transfer Taxes.
The Company will pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the transfer
of Old Notes to it or its order pursuant to the Exchange Offer. If, however,
New Notes and/or substitute Old Notes not exchanged are to be delivered to, or
are to be registered or issued in the name of, any person other than the
registered holder of the Old Notes tendered hereby, or if tendered Old Notes
are registered in the name of any person other than the person signing this
Letter, or if a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the transfer
of Old Notes to the Company or its order pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the
amount of any such transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder or
any other persons) will be payable by the tendering holder. If satisfactory
evidence of payment of such taxes or exemption therefrom is not submitted
herewith, the amount of such transfer taxes will be billed to such tendering
holder and the Exchange Agent will retain possession of an amount of New Notes
with a face amount equal to the amount of such transfer taxes due by such
tendering holder pending receipt by the Exchange Agent of the amount of such
taxes.
Except as provided in this Instruction 5, it will not be necessary for
transfer tax stamps to be affixed to the Old Notes specified in this Letter.
<PAGE>
6. Waiver of Conditions.
The Company reserves the absolute right to waive satisfaction of any or all
conditions enumerated in the Prospectus.
7. No Conditional Tenders.
No alternative, conditional, irregular or contingent tenders will be
accepted. All tendering holders of Old Notes, by execution of this Letter,
shall waive any right to receive notice of the acceptance of their Old Notes
for exchange.
Although the Company intends to notify holders of defects or irregularities
with respect to tenders of Old Notes, neither the Company, the Exchange Agent
nor any other person shall incur any liability for failure to give any such
notice.
8. Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Old Notes.
Any holder whose Old Notes have been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed
should contact the Exchange Agent at the address indicated above for further
instructions.
9. Withdrawal of Tenders.
Tenders of Old Notes may be withdrawn at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on the Expiration Date.
For a withdrawal of a tender of Old Notes to be effective, a written or
facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal must be received by the Exchange
Agent at its address set forth above prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the Expiration Date. Any such notice of withdrawal must (i) specify the
name of the person having deposited the Old Notes to be withdrawn (the
"Depositor"), (ii) identify the Old Notes to be withdrawn (including the
certificate number or numbers and principal amount of such Old Notes), (iii)
be signed by the holder in the same manner as the original signature on this
Letter (including any required signature guarantees) or be accompanied by
documents of transfer sufficient to have the trustee under the Indenture
register the transfer of such Old Notes into the name of the person
withdrawing the tender and (iv) specify the name in which any such Old Notes
are to be registered, if different from that of the Depositor. All questions
as to the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) of such
notices will be determined by the Company, whose determination shall be final
and binding on all parties. Any Old Notes so withdrawn will be deemed not to
have been validly tendered for exchange for purposes of the Exchange Offer.
Any Old Notes that have been tendered for exchange but which are not exchanged
for any reason will be returned to the holder thereof without cost to such
holder as soon as practicable after withdrawal, rejection of tender or
termination of the Exchange Offer. Properly withdrawn Old Notes may be
retendered by following the procedures described above at any time on or prior
to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date.
10. Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies.
Questions relating to the procedure for tendering, as well as requests for
additional copies of the Prospectus, this Letter and other related documents
may be directed to the Exchange Agent, at (513) 579-5320.
<PAGE>
IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION
Under current federal income tax law, a holder of New Notes is required to
provide the Company (as payor) with such holder's correct taxpayer
identification number ("TIN") on Substitute Form W-9 or otherwise establish a
basis for exemption from backup withholding to prevent backup withholding on
any New Notes delivered pursuant to the Exchange Offer and any payments
received in respect of the New Notes. If a holder of New Notes is an
individual, the TIN is such holder's social security number. If the Company is
not provided with the correct taxpayer identification number, a holder of New
Notes may be subject to a $50 penalty imposed by the Internal Revenue Service.
Accordingly, each prospective holder of New Notes to be issued pursuant to
Special Issuance Instructions should complete the attached Substitute Form W-
9. The Substitute Form W-9 need not be completed if the box entitled Special
Issuance Instructions has not been completed.
Certain holders of New Notes (including, among others, all corporations and
certain foreign individuals) are not subject to these backup withholding and
reporting requirements. Exempt prospective holders of New Notes should
indicate their exempt status on Substitute Form W-9. A foreign individual may
qualify as an exempt recipient by submitting to the Company, through the
Exchange Agent, a properly completed Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 (which
the Exchange Agent will provide upon request) signed under penalty of perjury,
attesting to the holder's exempt status. See the enclosed Guidelines for
Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9 for
additional instructions.
If backup withholding applies, the Company is required to withhold 31% of
any payment made to the holder of New Notes or other payee. Backup withholding
is not an additional federal income tax. Rather, the federal income tax
liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the
amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a
refund may be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service.
Purpose of Substitute Form W-9
To prevent backup withholding on any New Notes delivered pursuant to the
Exchange Offer and any payments received in respect of the New Notes, each
prospective holder of New Notes to be issued pursuant to Special Issuance
Instructions should provide the Company, through the Exchange Agent, with
either: (i) such prospective holder's correct TIN by completing the form
below, certifying that the TIN provided on Substitute Form W-9 is correct (or
that such prospective holder is awaiting a TIN) and that (A) such prospective
holder has not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that he or she is
subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest
or dividends or (B) the Internal Revenue Service has notified such prospective
holder that he or she is no longer subject to backup withholding; or (ii) an
adequate basis for exemption.
What Number to Give the Exchange Agent
The prospective holder of New Notes to be issued pursuant to Special
Issuance Instructions is required to give the Exchange Agent the TIN (e.g.,
social security number or employer identification number) of the prospective
record owner of the New Notes. If the New Notes will be held in more than one
name or are not held in the name of the actual owner, consult the enclosed
Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute
Form W-9 for additional guidance regarding which number to report.
To prevent backup withholding, each tendering holder of Old Notes must
provide its correct TIN by completing the Substitute Form W-9 set forth below,
certifying that the TIN provided is correct (or that such holder is awaiting a
TIN) and that (i) the holder is exempt from backup withholding, or (ii) the
holder has not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that such holder
is subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all
interest or dividends or (iii) the Internal Revenue Service has notified the
holder that such holder is no longer subject to backup withholding. If the
tendering holder of Old Notes is a nonresident alien or foreign entity not
subject to backup withholding, such holder must give the Company a completed
Form W-8, Certificate of Foreign Status. These forms may be obtained from the
Exchange Agent. If the Old Notes are in more than one name or are not in the
name of the actual owner, such holder should consult the W-9 Guidelines for
information on which TIN to report. If such holder does not have a TIN, such
holder should consult the W-9 Guidelines for instructions on applying for a
TIN, check the box in Part 2 of the Substitute Form W-9 and write "applied
for" in lieu of its TIN. Note: Checking this box and writing "applied for" on
the form means that such holder has already applied for a TIN or that such
holder intends to apply for one in the near future. If such holder does not
provide its TIN to the Company within 60 days, backup withholding will begin
and continue until such holder furnishes its TIN to the Company.
<PAGE>
TO BE COMPLETED BY ALL TENDERING HOLDERS
(See Instruction 5)
PAYOR'S NAME: FIFTH THIRD BANK
PART I--PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR
TIN IN THE BOX AT RIGHT AND TIN: _________________
CERTIFY BY SIGNING AND Social Security Number
DATING BELOW. or Employer
Identification Number
SUBSTITUTE --------------------------------------------------------
FORM W-9 PART II--TIN Applied for [_]
CERTIFICATION--UNDER PENALTIES OF PERJURY, I CERTIFY
THAT:
Department of --------------------------------------------------------
the Treasury (1) The number shown on this form is my correct
Internal Taxpayer Identification Number (or I am waiting
Revenue for a number to be issued to me);
Service (2) I am not subject to backup withholding either
because: (a) I am exempt from backup
Payor's Request withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by
for Taxpayer the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") that I
Identification am subject to backup withholding as a result of
Number ("TIN") failure to report all interest or dividends, or
and Certification (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer
subject to backup withholding; and
(3) any other information provided on this form is
true and correct.
Signature: _____________ Date: ______
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You must cross out item (2) of the above certification if you have been
notified by the IRS that you are subject to backup withholding because of
underreporting of interest or dividends on your tax return and you have not
been notified by the IRS that you are no longer subject to backup
withholding.
YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATE IF YOU CHECKED THE BOX IN PART 2 OF
SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9
CERTIFICATE OF AWAITING TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
I certify under penalties of perjury that a taxpayer identification number
has not been issued to me, and either (a) I have mailed or delivered an
application to receive a taxpayer identification number to the appropriate
Internal Revenue Service Center or Social Security Administration Office or
(b) I intend to mail or deliver an application in the near future. I
understand that if I do not provide a taxpayer identification number by the
time of the exchange, 31 percent of all reportable payments made to me
thereafter will be withheld until I provide a number.
______________________________________ ____________________________________
Signature Date
<PAGE>
Exhibit 99.2
NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY
for Tender of
7 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2009
(including those in book-entry form)
of
AK STEEL CORPORATION
This form or one substantially equivalent hereto must be used to accept the
Exchange Offer relating to the tender of 7 1/8% Senior Notes Due 2009 (the
"Old Notes") of AK Steel Corporation ("AK Steel") made pursuant to the
Prospectus, dated , 1999 (the "Prospectus"), if certificates for Old
Notes of AK Steel are not immediately available or if the procedure for book-
entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis or time will not permit
all required documents to reach the Exchange Agent prior to 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on , 1999 (the "Expiration Date"). Such form may be
delivered or transmitted by facsimile transmission, mail or hand delivery to
the Fifth Third Bank (the "Exchange Agent") as set forth below. In addition,
in order to utilize the guaranteed delivery procedure to tender Old Notes
pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the Exchange Agent must receive from a
financial institution (including most banks, savings and loan associations and
brokerage houses) that is a participant in the Securities Transfer Agents
Medallion Program, the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program or
the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the Expiration Date, a completed, signed and dated Letter of Transmittal
relating to the Old Notes (or a facsimile thereof or an Agent's Message (as
defined in the Letter of Transmittal accompanying the Prospectus) in lieu
thereof). Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein are used as so
defined in the Prospectus.
Fifth Third Bank, Exchange Agent
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C>
By Mail or Overnight Courier: By Hand Delivery: By Facsimile:
Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bank (513) 744-8909
Attention: Geoff Clark Attention: Geoff Clark Confirm by Telephone:
Corporate Trust Operations Corporate Trust Operations (513) 579-5320
ML 10AT66 580 Walnut Street--4th Floor
38 Fountain Square Plaza Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Cincinnati, Ohio 45263
</TABLE>
DELIVERY OF THIS NOTICE TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE, OR
TRANSMISSION OF THIS NOTICE VIA FACSIMILE OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE, WILL
NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY.
This form is not to be used to guarantee signatures. If a signature on a
Letter of Transmittal is required to be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution
(as defined therein) under the instructions thereto, such signature guarantee
must appear in the applicable space provided in the signature box on the
Letter of Transmittal.
<PAGE>
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned hereby tenders to AK Steel Corporation, a Delaware
corporation ("AK Steel"), in accordance with AK Steel's offer, upon the terms
and subject to the conditions set forth in the Prospectus dated , 1999
(the "Prospectus"), and in the accompanying Letter of Transmittal, receipt of
which is hereby acknowledged, $ in aggregate principal amount of Old
Notes pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the
Prospectus.
Name(s) of Record Holder(s) __________________________________________________
(Please Type or Print)
Address ______________________________________________________________________
Area Code & Telephone No. ____________________________________________________
Certificate Number(s) for Old Notes (if available) ___________________________
Total Principal Amount Represented by Certificate(s):
$_____________________________________________________________________________
All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred shall survive the
death or incapacity of the undersigned and every obligation of the undersigned
hereunder shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives,
successors and assigns of the undersigned.
PLEASE SIGN HERE
X ____________________________________________________________________
X ____________________________________________________________________
Signature(s) of Holder(s) Date
Must be signed by the holder(s) of Old Notes as their name(s)
appear(s) on certificates for Old Notes or on a security position
listing, or by person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by
endorsement and documents transmitted with this Notice of Guaranteed
Delivery. If signature is by a trustee, executor, administrator,
guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer or other person acting in a
fiduciary or representative capacity, such person must set forth his or
her full title below.
______________________________________________________________________
Please print name(s) and address(es)
Name(s): _____________________________________________________________
Capacity: ____________________________________________________________
Address(es): _________________________________________________________
[_] The Depository Trust Company _____________________________________
(Check if Old Notes will be tendered by book-entry transfer)
Account Number _______________________________________________________
THE GUARANTEE ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE MUST BE COMPLETED
2
<PAGE>
GUARANTEE
(Not to be used for signature guarantee)
The undersigned, a financial institution (including most banks, savings and
loan associations and brokerage houses) that is a participant in the
Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, the New York Stock Exchange
Medallion Signature Program or the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program, hereby
guarantees that the undersigned will deliver to the Exchange Agent the
certificates representing the Old Notes being tendered hereby or confirmation
of book-entry transfer of such Old Notes into the Exchange Agent's account at
The Depository Trust Company, in proper form for transfer, together with the
Letter of Transmittal (or a facsimile thereof or an Agent's Message in lieu
thereof) any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal within
three New York Stock Exchange trading days after the Expiration Date.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name of Firm Authorized Signature
_____________________________________________________________________________
Address Title
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name:
_____________________________________________________________________________
Zip Code (Please Type or Print)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Area Code and Tel. No. Dated:
NOTE: DO NOT SEND CERTIFICATES OF OLD NOTES WITH THIS FORM. CERTIFICATES OF
OLD NOTES SHOULD BE SENT ONLY WITH A COPY OF THE PREVIOUSLY EXECUTED
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.
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