14. Definitions
As used in this Agreement:—
“Additional Representation” has the meaning specified in Section 3.
“Additional Termination Event” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b).
“Affected Party” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b) (Termination Events).
“Affected Transactions” means (a) with respect to any Termination Event consisting of an Illegality, Force Majeure Event, Tax Event or Tax Event Upon Merger, all Transactions affected by the occurrence of such Termination Event (which, in the case of an Illegality under Section 5(b)(i)(2) or a Force Majeure Event under Section 5(b)(ii)(2), means all Transactions unless the relevant Credit Support Document references only certain Transactions, in which case those Transactions and, if the relevant Credit Support Document constitutes a Confirmation for a Transaction, that Transaction) and (b) with respect to any other Termination Event, all Transactions.
“Affiliate” means, subject to the Schedule, in relation to any person, any entity controlled, directly or indirectly, by the person, any entity that controls, directly or indirectly, the person or any entity directly or indirectly under common control with the person. For this purpose, “control” of any entity or person means ownership of a majority of the voting power of the entity or person.
“Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 1(c).
“Applicable Close-out Rate” means:—
- (a) in respect of the determination of an Unpaid Amount:—
- (i) in respect of obligations payable or deliverable (or which would have been but for Section 2(a)(iii)) by a Defaulting Party, the Default Rate;
- (ii) in respect of obligations payable or deliverable (or which would have been but for Section 2(a)(iii)) by a Non-defaulting Party, the Non-default Rate;
- (iii) in respect of obligations deferred pursuant to Section 5(d), if there is no Defaulting Party and for so long as the deferral period continues, the Applicable Deferral Rate; and
- (iv) in all other cases following the occurrence of a Termination Event (except where interest accrues pursuant to clause (iii) above), the Applicable Deferral Rate; and
- (b) in respect of an Early Termination Amount:—
- (i) for the period from (and including) the relevant Early Termination Date to (but excluding) the date (determined in accordance with Section 6(d)(ii)) on which that amount is payable:—
- (1) if the Early Termination Amount is payable by a Defaulting Party, the Default Rate;
- (2) if the Early Termination Amount is payable by a Non-defaulting Party, the Non-default Rate; and
- (3) in all other cases, the Applicable Deferral Rate; and
- (ii) for the period from (and including) the date (determined in accordance with Section 6(d)(ii)) on which that amount is payable to (but excluding) the date of actual payment:—
- (1) if a party fails to pay the Early Termination Amount due to the occurrence of an event or circumstance which would, if it occurred with respect to a payment or delivery under a Transaction, constitute or give rise to an Illegality or a Force Majeure Event, and for so long as the Early Termination Amount remains unpaid due to the continuing existence of such event or circumstance, the Applicable Deferral Rate;
- (2) if the Early Termination Amount is payable by a Defaulting Party (but excluding any period in respect of which clause (1) above applies), the Default Rate;
- (3) if the Early Termination Amount is payable by a Non-defaulting Party (but excluding any period in respect of which clause (1) above applies), the Non-default Rate; and
- (4) in all other cases, the Termination Rate.
“Applicable Deferral Rate” means:—
- (a) for the purpose of Section 9(h)(i)(3)(A), the rate certified by the relevant payer to be a rate offered to the payer by a major bank in a relevant interbank market for overnight deposits in the applicable currency, such bank to be selected in good faith by the payer for the purpose of obtaining a representative rate that will reasonably reflect conditions prevailing at the time in that relevant market;
- (b) for purposes of Section 9(h)(i)(3)(B) and clause (a)(iii) of the definition of Applicable Close-out Rate, the rate certified by the relevant payer to be a rate offered to prime banks by a major bank in a relevant interbank market for overnight deposits in the applicable currency, such bank to be selected in good faith by the payer after consultation with the other party, if practicable, for the purpose of obtaining a representative rate that will reasonably reflect conditions prevailing at the time in that relevant market; and
- (c) for purposes of Section 9(h)(i)(3)(C) and clauses (a)(iv), (b)(i)(3) and (b)(ii)(l) of the definition of Applicable Close-out Rate, a rate equal to the arithmetic mean of the rate determined pursuant to clause (a) above and a rate per annum equal to the cost (without proof or evidence of any actual cost) to the relevant payee (as certified by it) if it were to fund or of funding the relevant amount.
“Automatic Early Termination” has the meaning specified in Section 6(a).
“Burdened Party” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b)(iv).
“Change in Tax Law” means the enactment, promulgation, execution or ratification of, or any change in or amendment to, any law (or in the application or official interpretation of any law) that occurs after the parties enter into the relevant Transaction.
Close-out Amount means, with respect to each Terminated Transaction or each group of Terminated Transactions and a Determining Party, the amount of the losses or costs of the Determining Party that are or would be incurred under then prevailing circumstances (expressed as a positive number) or gains of the Determining Party that are or would be realised under then prevailing circumstances (expressed as a negative number) in replacing, or in providing for the Determining Party the economic equivalent of, (a) the material terms of that Terminated Transaction or group of Terminated Transactions, including the payments and deliveries by the parties under Section 2(a)(i) in respect of that Terminated Transaction or group of Terminated Transactions that would, but for the occurrence of the relevant Early Termination Date, have been required after that date (assuming satisfaction of the conditions precedent in Section 2(a)(iii)) and (b) the option rights of the parties in respect of that Terminated Transaction or group of Terminated Transactions.
Any Close-out Amount will be determined by the Determining Party (or its agent), which will act in good faith and use commercially reasonable procedures in order to produce a commercially reasonable result. The Determining Party may determine a Close-out Amount for any group of Terminated Transactions or any individual Terminated Transaction but, in the aggregate, for not less than all Terminated Transactions. Each Close-out Amount will be determined as of the Early Termination Date or, if that would not be commercially reasonable, as of the date or dates following the Early Termination Date as would be commercially reasonable.
Unpaid Amounts in respect of a Terminated Transaction or group of Terminated Transactions and legal fees and out- of-pocket expenses referred to in Section 11 are to be excluded in all determinations of Close-out Amounts.
In determining a Close-out Amount, the Determining Party may consider any relevant information, including, without limitation, one or more of the following types of information:―
- (i) quotations (either firm or indicative) for replacement transactions supplied by one or more third parties that may take into account the creditworthiness of the Determining Party at the time the quotation is provided and the terms of any relevant documentation, including credit support documentation, between the Determining Party and the third party providing the quotation;
- (ii) information consisting of relevant market data in the relevant market supplied by one or more third parties including, without limitation, relevant rates, prices, yields, yield curves, volatilities, spreads, correlations or other relevant market data in the relevant market; or
- (iii) information of the types described in clause (i) or (ii) above from internal sources (including any of the Determining Party’s Affiliates) if that information is of the same type used by the Determining Party in the regular course of its business for the valuation of similar transactions.
The Determining Party will consider, taking into account the standards and procedures described in this definition, quotations pursuant to clause (i) above or relevant market data pursuant to clause (ii) above unless the Determining Party reasonably believes in good faith that such quotations or relevant market data are not readily available or would produce a result that would not satisfy those standards. When considering information described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Determining Party may include costs of funding, to the extent costs of funding are not and would not be a component of the other information being utilised. Third parties supplying quotations pursuant to clause (i) above or market data pursuant to clause (ii) above may include, without limitation, dealers in the relevant markets, end-users of the relevant product, information vendors, brokers and other sources of market information.
Without duplication of amounts calculated based on information described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, or other relevant information, and when it is commercially reasonable to do so, the Determining Party may in addition consider in calculating a Close-out Amount any loss or cost incurred in connection with its terminating, liquidating or re-establishing any hedge related to a Terminated Transaction or group of Terminated Transactions (or any gain resulting from any of them).
Commercially reasonable procedures used in determining a Close-out Amount may include the following:―
- (1) application to relevant market data from third parties pursuant to clause (ii) above or information from internal sources pursuant to clause (iii) above of pricing or other valuation models that are, at the time of the determination of the Close-out Amount, used by the Determining Party in the regular course of its business in pricing or valuing transactions between the Determining Party and unrelated third parties that are similar to the Terminated Transaction or group of Terminated Transactions; and
- (2) application of different valuation methods to Terminated Transactions or groups of Terminated Transactions depending on the type, complexity, size or number of the Terminated Transactions or group of Terminated Transactions.
“Confirmation” has the meaning specified in the preamble.
“consent” includes a consent, approval, action, authorisation, exemption, notice, filing, registration or exchange control consent.
“Contractual Currency” has the meaning specified in Section 8(a).
“Convention Court” means any court which is bound to apply to the Proceedings either Article 17 of the 1968 Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters or Article 17 of the 1988 Lugano Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters.
“Credit Event Upon Merger” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b).
“Credit Support Document” means any agreement or instrument that is specified as such in this Agreement.
“Credit Support Provider” has the meaning specified in the Schedule.
“Cross-Default” means the event specified in Section 5(a)(vi).
“Default Rate” means a rate per annum equal to the cost (without proof or evidence of any actual cost) to the relevant payee (as certified by it) if it were to fund or of funding the relevant amount plus 1% per annum.
“Defaulting Party” has the meaning specified in Section 6(a).
- A “Designated Event” with respect to X means that:―
- (1) X consolidates or amalgamates with, or merges with or into, or transfers all or substantially all its assets (or any substantial part of the assets comprising the business conducted by X as of the date of this ISDA Master Agreement) to, or reorganises, reincorporates or reconstitutes into or as, another entity;
- (2) any person, related group of persons or entity acquires directly or indirectly the beneficial ownership of (A) equity securities having the power to elect a majority of the board of directors (or its equivalent) of X or (B) any other ownership interest enabling it to exercise control of X; or
- (3) X effects any substantial change in its capital structure by means of the issuance, incurrence or guarantee of debt or the issuance of (A) preferred stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for debt or preferred stock or (B) in the case of entities other than corporations, any other form of ownership interest; or
“Determining Party” means the party determining a Close-out Amount.
“Early Termination Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 6(e).
“Early Termination Date” means the date determined in accordance with Section 6(a) or 6(b)(iv).
“electronic messages” does not include e-mails but does include documents expressed in markup languages, and “electronic messaging system” will be construed accordingly.
“English law” means the law of England and Wales, and “English” will be construed accordingly.
“Event of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 5(a) and, if applicable, in the Schedule.
“Force Majeure Event” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b).
“General Business Day” means a day on which commercial banks are open for general business (including dealings in foreign exchange and foreign currency deposits).
- 5(b)(i) Illegality. After giving effect to any applicable provision, disruption fallback or remedy specified in, or pursuant to, the relevant Confirmation or elsewhere in this Agreement, due to an event or circumstance (other than any action taken by a party or, if applicable, any Credit Support Provider of such party) occurring after a Transaction is entered into, it becomes unlawful under any applicable law (including without limitation the laws of any country in which payment, delivery or compliance is required by either party or any Credit Support Provider, as the case may be), on any day, or it would be unlawful if the relevant payment, delivery or compliance were required on that day (in each case, other than as a result of a breach by the party of Section 4(b)):―
- 5(b)(i)(1) for the Office through which such party (which will be the Affected Party) makes and receives payments or deliveries with respect to such Transaction to perform any absolute or contingent obligation to make a payment or delivery in respect of such Transaction, to receive a payment or delivery in respect of such Transaction or to comply with any other material provision of this Agreement relating to such Transaction; or
- 5(b)(i)(2) for such party or any Credit Support Provider of such party (which will be the Affected Party) to perform any absolute or contingent obligation to make a payment or delivery which such party or Credit Support Provider has under any Credit Support Document relating to such Transaction, to receive a payment or delivery under such Credit Support Document or to comply with any other material provision of such Credit Support Document;
“Indemnifiable Tax” means any Tax other than a Tax that would not be imposed in respect of a payment under this Agreement but for a present or former connection between the jurisdiction of the government or taxation authority imposing such Tax and the recipient of such payment or a person related to such recipient (including, without limitation, a connection arising from such recipient or related person being or having been a citizen or resident of such jurisdiction, or being or having been organised, present or engaged in a trade or business in such jurisdiction, or having or having had a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in such jurisdiction, but excluding a connection arising solely from such recipient or related person having executed, delivered, performed its obligations or received a payment under, or enforced, this Agreement or a Credit Support Document).
“law” includes any treaty, law, rule or regulation (as modified, in the case of tax matters, by the practice of any relevant governmental revenue authority), and “unlawful” will be construed accordingly.
“Local Business Day” means
- (a) in relation to any obligation under Section 2(a)(i), a General Business Day in the place or places specified in the relevant Confirmation and a day on which a relevant settlement system is open or operating as specified in the relevant Confirmation or, if a place or a settlement system is not so specified, as otherwise agreed by the parties in writing or determined pursuant to provisions contained, or incorporated by reference, in this Agreement,
- (b) for the purpose of determining when a Waiting Period expires, a General Business Day in the place where the event or circumstance that constitutes or gives rise to the Illegality or Force Majeure Event, as the case may be, occurs,
- (c) in relation to any other payment, a General Business Day in the place where the relevant account is located and, if different, in the principal financial centre, if any, of the currency of such payment and, if that currency does not have a single recognised principal financial centre, a day on which the settlement system necessary to accomplish such payment is open,
- (d) in relation to any notice or other communication, including notice contemplated under Section 5(a)(i), a General Business Day (or a day that would have been a General Business Day but for the occurrence of an event or circumstance which would, if it occurred with respect to payment, delivery or compliance related to a Transaction, constitute or give rise to an Illegality or a Force Majeure Event) in the place specified in the address for notice provided by the recipient and, in the case of a notice contemplated by Section 2(b), in the place where the relevant new account is to be located and
- (e) in relation to Section 5(a)(v)(2), a General Business Day in the relevant locations for performance with respect to such Specified Transaction.
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“Local Delivery Day” means, for purposes of Sections 5(a)(i) and 5(d), a day on which settlement systems necessary to accomplish the relevant delivery are generally open for business so that the delivery is capable of being accomplished in accordance with customary market practice, in the place specified in the relevant Confirmation or, if not so specified, in a location as determined in accordance with customary market practice for the relevant delivery.
“Master Agreement” has the meaning specified in the preamble.
“Merger Without Assumption” means the event specified in Section 5(a)(viii).
“Multiple Transaction Payment Netting” has the meaning specified in Section 2(c).
“Non-affected Party” means, so long as there is only one Affected Party, the other party.
“Non-default Rate” means the rate certified by the Non-defaulting Party to be a rate offered to the Non-defaulting Party by a major bank in a relevant interbank market for overnight deposits in the applicable currency, such bank to be selected in good faith by the Non-defaulting Party for the purpose of obtaining a representative rate that will reasonably reflect conditions prevailing at the time in that relevant market.
“Non-defaulting Party” has the meaning specified in Section 6(a).
“Office” means a branch or office of a party, which may be such party’s head or home office.
“Other Amounts” has the meaning specified in Section 6(f).
“Payee” has the meaning specified in Section 6(f).
“Payer” has the meaning specified in Section 6(f).
“Potential Event of Default” means any event which, with the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default.
“Proceedings” has the meaning specified in Section 13(b).
“Process Agent” has the meaning specified in the Schedule.
“Rate of exchange” includes, without limitation, any premiums and costs of exchange payable in connection with the purchase of or conversion into the Contractual Currency.
“Relevant Jurisdiction” means, with respect to a party, the jurisdictions (a) in which the party is incorporated, organised, managed and controlled or considered to have its seat, (b) where an Office through which the party is acting for purposes of this Agreement is located, (c) in which the party executes this Agreement and (d) in relation to any payment, from or through which such payment is made.
“Schedule” has the meaning specified in the preamble.
“Scheduled Settlement Date” means a date on which a payment or delivery is to be made under Section 2(a)(i) with respect to a Transaction.
“Specified Entity” has the meaning specified in the Schedule.
“Specified Indebtedness” means, subject to the Schedule, any obligation (whether present or future, contingent or otherwise, as principal or surety or otherwise) in respect of borrowed money.
“Specified Transaction” means, subject to the Schedule,
- (a) any transaction (including an agreement with respect to any such transaction) now existing or hereafter entered into between one party to this Agreement (or any Credit Support Provider of such party or any applicable Specified Entity of such party) and the other party to this Agreement (or any Credit Support Provider of such other party or any applicable Specified Entity of such other party) which is not a Transaction under this Agreement but
- (i) which is a rate swap transaction, swap option, basis swap, forward rate transaction, commodity swap, commodity option, equity or equity index swap, equity or equity index option, bond option, interest rate option, foreign exchange transaction, cap transaction, floor transaction, collar transaction, currency swap transaction, cross-currency rate swap transaction, currency option, credit protection transaction, credit swap, credit default swap, credit default option, total return swap, credit spread transaction, repurchase transaction, reverse repurchase transaction, buy/sell-back transaction, securities lending transaction, weather index transaction or forward purchase or sale of a security, commodity or other financial instrument or interest (including any option with respect to any of these transactions) or
- (ii) which is a type of transaction that is similar to any transaction referred to in clause (i) above that is currently, or in the future becomes, recurrently entered into in the financial markets (including terms and conditions incorporated by reference in such agreement) and which is a forward, swap, future, option or other derivative on one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity securities or other equity instruments, debt securities or other debt instruments, economic indices or measures of economic risk or value, or other benchmarks against which payments or deliveries are to be made,
- (b) any combination of these transactions and
- (c) any other transaction identified as a Specified Transaction in this Agreement or the relevant confirmation.
“Stamp Tax” means any stamp, registration, documentation or similar tax.
“Stamp Tax Jurisdiction” has the meaning specified in Section 4(e).
“Tax” means any present or future tax, levy, impost, duty, charge, assessment or fee of any nature (including interest, penalties and additions thereto) that is imposed by any government or other taxing authority in respect of any payment under this Agreement other than a stamp, registration, documentation or similar tax.
“Tax Event” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b).
“Tax Event Upon Merger” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b).
“Terminated Transactions” means, with respect to any Early Termination Date, (a) if resulting from an Illegality or a Force Majeure Event, all Affected Transactions specified in the notice given pursuant to Section 6(b)(iv), (b) if resulting from any other Termination Event, all Affected Transactions and (c) if resulting from an Event of Default, all Transactions in effect either immediately before the effectiveness of the notice designating that Early Termination Date or, if Automatic Early Termination applies, immediately before that Early Termination Date.
“Termination Currency” means (a) if a Termination Currency is specified in the Schedule and that currency is freely available, that currency, and (b) otherwise, euro if this Agreement is expressed to be governed by English law or United States Dollars if this Agreement is expressed to be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
“Termination Currency Equivalent” means, in respect of any amount denominated in the Termination Currency, such Termination Currency amount and, in respect of any amount denominated in a currency other than the Termination Currency (the “Other Currency”), the amount in the Termination Currency determined by the party making the relevant determination as being required to purchase such amount of such Other Currency as at the relevant Early Termination Date, or, if the relevant Close-out Amount is determined as of a later date, that later date, with the Termination Currency at the rate equal to the spot exchange rate of the foreign exchange agent (selected as provided below) for the purchase of such Other Currency with the Termination Currency at or about 11:00 a.m. (in the city in which such foreign exchange agent is located) on such date as would be customary for the determination of such a rate for the purchase of such Other Currency for value on the relevant Early Termination Date or that later date. The foreign exchange agent will, if only one party is obliged to make a determination under Section 6(e), be selected in good faith by that party and otherwise will be agreed by the parties.
“Termination Event” means an Illegality, a Force Majeure Event, a Tax Event, a Tax Event Upon Merger or, if specified to be applicable, a Credit Event Upon Merger or an Additional Termination Event.
“Termination Rate” means a rate per annum equal to the arithmetic mean of the cost (without proof or evidence of any actual cost) to each party (as certified by such party) if it were to fund or of funding such amounts.
“Threshold Amount” means the amount, if any, specified as such in the Schedule.
“Transaction” has the meaning specified in the preamble.
“Unpaid Amounts” owing to any party means, with respect to an Early Termination Date, the aggregate of
- (a) in respect of all Terminated Transactions, the amounts that became payable (or that would have become payable but for Section 2(a)(iii) or due but for Section 5(d)) to such party under Section 2(a)(i) or 2(d)(i)(4) on or prior to such Early Termination Date and which remain unpaid as at such Early Termination Date,
- (b) in respect of each Terminated Transaction, for each obligation under Section 2(a)(i) which was (or would have been but for Section 2(a)(iii) or 5(d)) required to be settled by delivery to such party on or prior to such Early Termination Date and which has not been so settled as at such Early Termination Date, an amount equal to the fair market value of that which was (or would have been) required to be delivered and
- (c) if the Early Termination Date results from an Event of Default, a Credit Event Upon Merger or an Additional Termination Event in respect of which all outstanding Transactions are Affected Transactions, any Early Termination Amount due prior to such Early Termination Date and which remains unpaid as of such Early Termination Date,
in each case together with any amount of interest accrued or other compensation in respect of that obligation or deferred obligation, as the case may be, pursuant to Section 9(h)(ii)(l) or (2), as appropriate.
The fair market value of any obligation referred to in clause (b) above will be determined as of the originally scheduled date for delivery, in good faith and using commercially reasonable procedures, by the party obliged to make the determination under Section 6(e) or, if each party is so obliged, it will be the average of the Termination Currency Equivalents of the fair market values so determined by both parties.
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“Waiting Period” means:―
- (a) in respect of an event or circumstance under Section 5(b)(i), other than in the case of Section 5(b)(i)(2) where the relevant payment, delivery or compliance is actually required on the relevant day (in which case no Waiting Period will apply), a period of three Local Business Days (or days that would have been Local Business Days but for the occurrence of that event or circumstance) following the occurrence of that event or circumstance; and
- (b) in respect of an event or circumstance under Section 5(b)(ii), other than in the case of Section 5(b)(ii)(2) where the relevant payment, delivery or compliance is actually required on the relevant day (in which case no Waiting Period will apply), a period of eight Local Business Days (or days that would have been Local Business Days but for the occurrence of that event or circumstance) following the occurrence of that event or circumstance.
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