Section 2.2 Provisions for Determining a Successor.
- 2.2(a) “Successor” means, subject to Section 2.2(c), the entity or entities, if any, determined as follows:
- (i) subject to Section 2.2(a)(vii), if one entity succeeds, either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, to seventy-five per cent or more of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity, that entity will be the sole Successor for the entire Credit Derivative Transaction;
- (ii) if only one entity succeeds, either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, to more than twenty-five per cent (but less than seventy-five per cent) of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity, and not more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity remain with the Reference Entity, the entity that succeeds to more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations will be the sole Successor for the entire Credit Derivative Transaction;
- (iii) if more than one entity each succeeds, either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, to more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity, and not more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity remain with the Reference Entity, the entities that succeed to more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations will each be a Successor for a New Credit Derivative Transaction determined in accordance with Section 2.2(n);
- (iv) if one or more entities each succeeds, either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, to more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity, and more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity remain with the Reference Entity, each such entity and the Reference Entity will each be a Successor for a New Credit Derivative Transaction determined in accordance with Section 2.2(n);
- (v) if one or more entities succeed, either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, to a portion of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity , but no entity succeeds to more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity and the Reference Entity continues to exist, there will be no Successor and the Reference Entity and the Credit Derivative Transaction will not be changed in any way as a result of such succession;
- (vi) if one or more entities succeed, either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, to a portion of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity , but no entity succeeds to more than twenty-five per cent of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity and the Reference Entity ceases to exist, the entity which succeeds to the greatest percentage of Relevant Obligations will be the Successor (provided that if two or more entities succeed to an equal percentage of Relevant Obligations, each such entity will be a Successor for a New Credit Derivative Transaction determined in accordance with Section 2.2(n)); and
- (vii) in respect of a Reference Entity which is not a Sovereign, if one entity assumes all of the obligations (including at least one Relevant Obligation) of the Reference Entity, and at the time of the determination either (A) the Reference Entity has ceased to exist, or (B) the Reference Entity is in the process of being dissolved (howsoever described) and the Reference Entity has not issued or incurred any Borrowed Money obligation at any time since the legally effective date of the assumption, such entity (the “Universal Successor”) will be the sole Successor for the entire Credit Derivative Transaction.
- 2.2(b) The Calculation Agent will be responsible for determining, as soon as reasonably practicable after delivery of a Successor Notice and with effect from the Succession Date, any Successor or Successors under Section 2.2(a); provided that the Calculation Agent will not make such determination if, at the time of determination, the DC Secretary has publicly announced that the relevant Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee has Resolved that there is no Successor based on the relevant succession to Relevant Obligations. The Calculation Agent will make all calculations and determinations required to be made under Section 2.2 on the basis of Eligible Information and will notify the parties of any such calculation or determination as soon as practicable. In calculating the percentages used to determine whether an entity qualifies as a Successor under Section 2.2(a), if there is a Steps Plan, the Calculation Agent shall consider all related successions in respect of such Steps Plan in aggregate as if forming part of a single succession.
- 2.2(c) An entity may only be a Successor if:
- (i) either (A) the related Succession Date occurs on or after the Successor Backstop Date, or (B) such entity is a Universal Successor in respect of which the Succession Date occurred on or after January 1, 2014;
- (ii) the Reference Entity had at least one Relevant Obligation outstanding immediately prior to the Succession Date and such entity succeeds to all or part of at least one Relevant Obligation of the Reference Entity; and
- (iii) where the Reference Entity is a Sovereign, such entity succeeded to the Relevant Obligations by way of a Sovereign Succession Event.
- 2.2(d) For purposes of Section 2.2, “succeed” means, with respect to the Reference Entity and its Relevant Obligations, that an entity other than the Reference Entity (i) assumes or becomes liable for such Relevant Obligations whether by operation of law or pursuant to any agreement (including, with respect to a Reference Entity that is a Sovereign, any protocol, treaty, convention, accord, concord, entente, pact or other agreement), or (ii) issues Bonds or incurs Loans (the “Exchange Bonds or Loans”) that are exchanged for Relevant Obligations, and in either case the Reference Entity is not thereafter a direct obligor or a provider of a Relevant Guarantee with respect to such Relevant Obligations or such Exchange Bonds or Loans, as applicable. For purposes of Section 2.2, “succeeded” and “succession” shall be construed accordingly.
- 2.2(e) “Sovereign Succession Event” means, with respect to a Reference Entity that is a Sovereign, an annexation, unification, secession, partition, dissolution, consolidation, reconstitution or other similar event.
- 2.2(f) “Relevant Obligations” means the Obligations of the Reference Entity which fall within the Obligation Category “Bond or Loan” and which are outstanding immediately prior to the Succession Date (or, if there is a Steps Plan, immediately prior to the legally effective date of the first succession), provided that:
- (i) any Bonds or Loans outstanding between the Reference Entity and any of its Affiliates, or held by the Reference Entity, shall be excluded;
- (ii) if there is a Steps Plan, the Calculation Agent shall, for purposes of the determination required to be made under Section 2.2(a), make the appropriate adjustments required to take account of any Obligations of the Reference Entity which fall within the Obligation Category “Bond or Loan” that are issued, incurred, redeemed, repurchased or cancelled from and including the legally effective date of the first succession to and including the Succession Date;
- (iii) if “Financial Reference Entity Terms” is specified as applicable in the related Confirmation and the Credit Derivative Transaction is a Senior Transaction, the Relevant Obligations shall only include the Senior Obligations of the Reference Entity which fall within the Obligation Category “Bond or Loan”; and
- (iv) if “Financial Reference Entity Terms” is specified as applicable in the related Confirmation, and the Credit Derivative Transaction is a Subordinated Transaction, Relevant Obligations shall exclude Senior Obligations and any Further Subordinated Obligations of the Reference Entity which fall within the Obligation Category “Bond or Loan”, provided that if no such Relevant Obligations exist, “Relevant Obligations” shall have the same meaning as it would if the Credit Derivative Transaction were a Senior Transaction.
- 2.2(g) In the case of an exchange offer, the determination required pursuant to Section 2.2(a) shall be made on the basis of the outstanding principal balance of Relevant Obligations exchanged and not on the basis of the outstanding principal balance of the Exchange Bonds or Loans.
- 2.2(h) If two or more entities (each, a “Joint Potential Successor”) jointly succeed to a Relevant Obligation (the “Joint Relevant Obligation”) either directly or as a provider of a Relevant Guarantee, then (i) if the Joint Relevant Obligation was a direct obligation of the Reference Entity, it shall be treated as having been succeeded to by the Joint Potential Successor (or Joint Potential Successors, in equal parts) which succeeded to such Joint Relevant Obligation as direct obligor or obligors, or (ii) if the Joint Relevant Obligation was a Relevant Guarantee, it shall be treated as having been succeeded to by the Joint Potential Successor (or Joint Potential Successors, in equal parts) which succeeded to such Joint Relevant Obligation as guarantor or guarantors, if any, or otherwise by each Joint Potential Successor in equal parts.
- 2.2(i) “Steps Plan” means a plan evidenced by Eligible Information contemplating that there will be a series of successions to some or all of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity, by one or more entities.
- 2.2(j) “Succession Date” means the legally effective date of an event in which one or more entities succeed to some or all of the Relevant Obligations of the Reference Entity; provided that if at such time, there is a Steps Plan, the Succession Date will be the legally effective date of the final succession in respect of such Steps Plan, or if earlier (i) the date on which a determination pursuant to Section 2.2(a) would not be affected by any further related successions in respect of such Steps Plan, or (ii) the occurrence of an Event Determination Datein respect of the Reference Entity or any entity which would constitute a Successor.
- 2.2(k) “Successor Backstop Date” means for purposes of any Successor determination determined by DC Resolution, the date that is ninety calendar days prior to the Successor Resolution Request Date otherwise, the date that is ninety calendar days prior to the earlier of (i) the date on which the Successor Notice is effective and (ii) in circumstances where (A) a Successor Resolution Request Date has occurred, (B) the relevant Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee has Resolved not to make a Successor determination and (C) the Successor Notice is delivered by one party to the other party not more than fourteen calendar days after the day on which the DC Secretary publicly announces that the relevant Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee has Resolved not to make a Successor determination, the Successor Resolution Request Date. The Successor Backstop Date shall not be subject to adjustment in accordance with any Business Day Convention.
- 2.2(l) “Successor Resolution Request Date” means, with respect to a notice to the DC Secretary requesting that a Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee be convened to Resolve one or more Successors to the Reference Entity, the date, as publicly announced by the DC Secretary, that the relevant Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee Resolves to be the date on which such notice is effective.
- 2.2(m) “Successor Notice” means an irrevocable notice from a party to a Credit Derivative Transaction to the other party and the Calculation Agent that describes a succession ( or, in relation to a Reference Entity that is a Sovereign, a Sovereign Succession Event) in respect of which a Succession Date has occurred and pursuant to which one or more Successors to the Reference Entity can be determined. A Successor Notice must contain a description in reasonable detail of the facts relevant to the determination to be made pursuant to Section 2.2(a) .
- 2.2(n) Where, pursuant to Section 2.2(a)(iii), (iv) or (vi), more than one Successor has been identified, the relevant Credit Derivative Transaction will be divided, with effect from the Succession Date, into the same number of New Credit Derivative Transactions (the “New Credit Derivative Transactions”) as there are Successors, with the following terms:
- (i) each Successor will be the Reference Entity for the purposes of one of the New Credit Derivative Transactions;
- (ii) in respect of each New Credit Derivative Transaction, the Fixed Rate Payer Calculation Amount, if any, and the Floating Rate Payer Calculation Amount will be the Fixed Rate Payer Calculation Amount and the Floating Rate Payer Calculation Amount, as applicable, of the original Credit Derivative Transaction divided by the number of Successors; and
- (iii) all other terms and conditions of the original Credit Derivative Transaction will be replicated in each New Credit Derivative Transaction except that the Calculation Agent (in consultation with the parties) shall make such modifications as it determines are required in order to preserve the economic effects of the original Credit Derivative Transaction in the New Credit Derivative Transactions (considered in aggregate).
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