UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_______________________________________________
FORM 8-K
_______________________________________________
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): January 20, 2022
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(State of Incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification Number) | ||||||||||||
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
______________________________________________
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |||||
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |||||
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |||||
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) | |||||
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement | ||||
On January 20, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), World of Jeans & Tops, a California corporation (“WOJT”) and wholly-owned subsidiary of Tilly’s, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), as borrower, entered into a credit agreement and revolving line of credit note (the "Note" and, collectively, the “Credit Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as lender (the “Bank”). The Credit Agreement replaced WOJT’s existing credit agreement (the “Prior Credit Agreement”), dated as of November 9, 2020, as amended, with the Bank, as lender and as administrative agent and collateral agent, under which WOJT had revolving commitments of up to $65.0 million, a sub-limit on letters of credit of $10.0 million and a sub-limit for swing-line loans of $7.5 million. The Prior Credit Agreement was terminated concurrently with the entry into the Credit Agreement. No borrowings were outstanding under the Prior Credit Agreement as of the Closing Date. Capitalized terms used without definition are defined in the Credit Agreement.
General Terms
The Credit Agreement provides for a senior secured revolving credit facility (“Revolving Facility”) of up to $25.0 million (“Revolving Commitment”) consisting of revolving loans, letters of credit and swing line loans provided by Lenders, with a sub-limit on letters of credit outstanding at any time of $15.0 million. The Revolving Facility matures on January 20, 2024. The payment and performance in full of the secured obligations under the Revolving Facility are secured by a lien on and security interest in all of the assets of WOJT.
The payment and performance in full of the obligations of WOJT under the credit agreement are guaranteed by the Company pursuant to a continuing guaranty granted by the Company in favor of the Bank and entered into on January 2022 (the “Guaranty”). The payment and performance of the Company’s obligations under the Guaranty are secured by a lien on, and pledge of, all of the equity interests of WOJT owned by the Company.
As of the Closing Date, WOJT had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement and the only utilization of the letters of credit sub-limit under the Credit Agreement was a $2.025 million irrevocable standby letter of credit, which was previously issued under the Prior Credit Agreement and was transferred on the Closing Date to the Credit Agreement.
Interest Rates and Fees
Borrowings under the Revolving Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Daily Simple SOFR Rate plus 0.75%. Amounts available to be drawn under outstanding letters of credit accrue fees in an amount equal to 1.00% per annum. The unused portion of the Revolving Commitment is not subject to a commitment fee.
Covenants
Under the Credit Agreement, WOJT and the Company are subject to a variety of affirmative and negative covenants of types customary in a cash-flow-based lending facility, including financial covenants that require maintenance of (1) a ratio of total fund debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and annual rent expenses no greater than 4.00 to 1.00 and (2) a fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.25 to 1.00 (calculation of which takes into account dividends, distributions, redemptions and repurchases of the equity interests of the Company only if the Company’s cash on hand, net of any amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement, is less than $50.0 million after giving effect to such dividends, distributions, redemptions or repurchases).
Events of Default
Events of default under the Credit Agreement include, among other things, failure to pay principal, interest, fees or other amounts; covenant defaults; material inaccuracy of representations and warranties; bankruptcy events with respect to WOJT or the Company; actual or asserted invalidity of any of the Loan Documents; or a change of control of WOJT or the Company.
Ancillary Agreements
In connection with the entry into the Credit Agreement, on January 20, 2022, the Company entered into certain ancillary agreements, including (i) a security agreement entered into by WOJT in favor of the Bank (the “Security Agreement”) (ii) the Guaranty entered into by the Company, and (iii) a third party pledge agreement entered into by the Company in favor of the Bank (the “Pledge Agreement”). The Security Agreement, the Guaranty and the Pledge Agreement replaced (i) the guaranty by the Company in favor of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, dated November 9, 2020, (the “Prior Guaranty”) and (ii) the security agreement dated as of November 9, 2020, among WOJT, the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (the “Prior Security Agreement”), which were all terminated concurrently with the termination of the Prior Credit Agreement.
The foregoing descriptions of the Credit Agreement, the Note, the Security Agreement, the Guaranty and the Pledge Agreement do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to the Credit Agreement, the Security Agreement, the Guaranty and the Pledge Agreement, respectively, copies of which are filed herewith as Exhibits 10.1 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1.02 | Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement | ||||
The information included in 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K regarding the termination of the Prior Credit Agreement, the Prior Guaranty and the Prior Security Agreement is incorporated by reference into this Item 1.02.
Item 2.03 | Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant | ||||
The information included in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.
Item 9.01 | Financials Statements and Exhibits | ||||
The following exhibits are being furnished herewith.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit No. | Exhibit Title or Description | ||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). | ||||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
TILLY’S, INC. | ||||||||
| Date: January 20, 2022 | By: | /s/ Michael L. Henry | ||||||
| Name: | Michael L. Henry | |||||||
| Title: | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer | |||||||
Exhibit 10.1
CREDIT AGREEMENT
This CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated January 20, 2022, is by and between WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation (“Borrower”), and WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (“Bank”). This Agreement amends, restates and supersedes in its entirety, and is given as a replacement for, and not in satisfaction of or as a novation with respect to, that certain Credit Agreement dated November 9, 2020 by and among Borrower, as lead borrower, Tilly’s Inc. (as defined below), as guarantor, and Bank, as agent, L/C issuer and swing line lender, and the other parties thereto, as such may have been amended from time to time prior to the date hereof (“Existing Credit Agreement”).
RECITALS
Borrower has requested that Bank extend or continue credit to Borrower as described below, and Bank has agreed to provide such credit to Borrower on the terms and conditions contained herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, for valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Bank and Borrower hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
CREDIT TERMS
SECTION 1.1. LINE OF CREDIT.
(a) Line of Credit. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Bank hereby agrees to make advances to Borrower from time to time up to and including January 20, 2024, not to exceed at any time the aggregate principal amount of Twenty-Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000.00) (“Line of Credit””), the proceeds of which shall be used to finance Borrower’s working capital requirements. Borrower’s obligations to repay advances under the Line of Credit shall be evidenced by a promissory note dated January 20, 2022 (as amended, amended and restated, modified and/or supplemented from time to time, the “Line of Credit Note”), all terms of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
(b) Standby Letter of Credit Subfeature. As a subfeature under the Line of Credit, Bank agrees from time to time during the term thereof to issue or cause a branch, a subsidiary, or an affiliate to issue standby letters of credit for the account of Borrower ("Subfeature Standby Letters of Credit"); provided however, that the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Subfeature Standby Letters of Credit shall not at any time exceed Fifteen Dollars ($15,000,000.00). Bank shall have no obligation to issue a Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit if (i) any order, judgment, or decree of any governmental authority or arbitrator shall, by its terms, purport to enjoin or restrain Bank from issuing such Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit, or any law applicable to Bank or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any governmental authority with jurisdiction over Bank shall prohibit or request that Bank refrain from the issuing of letters of credit generally or such Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit in particular, or (ii) such Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of Bank applicable to letters of credit generally, or (iii) if amounts demanded to be paid under any Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit will or may not be in United States Dollars. The form and substance of each Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit shall be subject to approval by Bank, in its sole discretion. Each Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit shall be issued for a term not to exceed three hundred sixty-five (365) days, as designated by Borrower; provided however, that no Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit shall have an expiration date more than one hundred twenty (120) days beyond the maturity date of the Line of Credit. The undrawn amount of all Subfeature Standby Letters of Credit shall be reserved under the Line of Credit and shall not be available for borrowings thereunder. Each Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit shall be subject to the additional terms and conditions of Bank's standard standby letter of credit agreement and all applications and related documents required by Bank in connection with the issuance thereof. Each drawing paid under a Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit shall be deemed an
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advance under the Line of Credit and shall be repaid by Borrower in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement applicable to such advances; provided however, that if advances under the Line of Credit are not available, for any reason, at the time any drawing is paid, then Borrower shall immediately pay to Bank the full amount drawn, together with interest thereon from the date such drawing is paid to the date such amount is fully repaid by Borrower, at the rate of interest applicable to advances under the Line of Credit. In such event Borrower agrees that Bank, in its sole discretion, may debit any account maintained by Borrower with Bank for the amount of any such drawing.
(c) Borrowing and Repayment. Borrower may from time to time during the term of the Line of Credit borrow, partially or wholly repay its outstanding borrowings, and reborrow, subject to all of the limitations, terms and conditions contained herein or in the Line of Credit Note. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Borrower shall maintain a zero balance on advances under the Line of Credit (excluding any advances or reserves under the Line of Credit with respect to any outstanding Subfeature Standby Letters of Credit) for a period of at least thirty (30) consecutive days during each fiscal year.
SECTION 1.2. INTEREST/FEES.
(a) Interest. The outstanding principal balance of each credit subject hereto shall bear interest, and the amount of each drawing paid under any Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit shall bear interest from the date such drawing is paid to the date such amount is fully repaid by Borrower, at the rate of interest set forth in each promissory note or other instrument or document executed in connection therewith. The promissory notes or other instruments or documents executed in connection with the credit(s) subject to this Agreement may calculate interest at a rate equal to the sum of an index rate of interest plus a margin rate of interest. In the event any index rate of interest would be less than zero percent (0.0%), then the index rate of interest shall be deemed to be zero percent (0.0%) and the applicable promissory note or other instrument or document shall bear interest at a rate equal to the margin rate of interest.
(b) Computation and Payment. Interest shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed. Interest shall be payable at the times and place set forth in each promissory note or other instrument or document required hereby.
(c) Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit Fees and Commissions. Borrower shall pay to Bank;
(i) in arrears fees or commissions with respect to each Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the daily amount available to be drawn under such Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit times 1.00 % (computed on a per annum basis, based on a 360-day year, actual days elapsed), with such fees or commissions determined by Bank in arrears on a quarterly basis and payable on the first (1st) day of each fiscal quarter or, if applicable, by such later date as may be specified in a billing for such amount sent by Bank to Borrower; and
(ii) fees or commissions for each drawing under any such Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit and for the occurrence of any transfer, assignment, amendment, cancellation or other activity with respect to such Subfeature Standby Letter of Credit (including without limitation fees for document examination, discrepancies, reinstatement, document delivery, special handling and other trade services), determined in accordance with Bank’s standard fees and charges then in effect for such activity, and correspondent bank fees and fees of any adviser, confirming institution or entity or other nominated person, with such fees and commissions payable at the time of such activity or, if applicable, by such later date as may be specified in a billing for such amount sent by Bank to Borrower.
(d) Early Termination Fee. In the event that Acceleration and Termination (as such terms are defined below) occurs, for any reason, or the credit facilities hereunder are refinanced by a lender other than Bank or any of its affiliates (“Termination Date”), prior to November 9, 2022, Borrower shall pay to Bank a fee (the “Early Termination Fee”) in respect of amounts which are
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or become payable by reason thereof equal to $200,000.00 plus one half of one percent (0.50%) of the maximum principal amount available under the Line of Credit; provided that no such Early Termination Fee shall be payable as the result of a refinancing of the credit facilities hereunder, in whole or in part, with Bank or any of its affiliates (irrespective of whether the commitments under such refinanced facility are greater than, equal to, or less than the maximum principal amount available under the Line of Credit in effect immediately prior to such refinancing). Borrower agrees and acknowledges that Bank will have suffered damages on account of the early termination of the credit facilities hereunder and that, in view of the difficulty in ascertaining the amount of such damages, the Early Termination Fee constitutes reasonable compensation and liquidated damages to compensate Bank on account thereof. For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing fee amends and restates the “Early Termination Fee” described and defined in the fee letter, dated as of November 9, 2020, by and between Borrower and Bank.
SECTION 1.3. COLLECTION OF PAYMENTS. Borrower authorizes Bank to collect all interest and fees due under the Line of Credit by charging Borrower's deposit account number 4945-012565 with Bank, or any other deposit account maintained by Borrower with Bank, for the full amount thereof. Should there be insufficient funds in any such deposit account to pay all such sums when due, the full amount of such deficiency shall be immediately due and payable by Borrower.
SECTION 1.4. COLLATERAL.
As security for all indebtedness and other obligations of Borrower to Bank, other than indebtedness that is excluded from such secured obligations by the terms of the security agreement(s) required hereunder, Borrower shall grant to Bank security interests of first priority in all Borrower’s accounts receivable and other rights to payment, general intangibles, inventory and equipment.
All of the foregoing shall be evidenced by and subject to the terms of such security agreements, financing statements, deeds of trust and other documents as Bank shall reasonably require, all in form and substance satisfactory to Bank. Borrower shall reimburse Bank immediately upon demand for all costs and expenses incurred by Bank in connection with any of the foregoing security, including without limitation, filing and recording fees and costs of appraisals, audits and title insurance.
SECTION 1.5. GUARANTIES. The payment and performance of all indebtedness and other obligations of Borrower to Bank hereunder and under the other Loan Documents shall be guaranteed by Tilly’s Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Tilly’s, Inc.”) as evidenced by and subject to the terms of guaranties in form and substance satisfactory to Bank and shall be secured by a first priority lien in favor of Bank on the equity interests of the Borrower owned by Tilly's, Inc.
ARTICLE II
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
Borrower makes the following representations and warranties to Bank, on the date hereof, and on the date of each subsequent request for any extension of credit hereunder (including, without limitation, the issuance of any product under any subfeature contained herein, to the extent applicable), which representations and warranties shall survive the execution of this Agreement and shall continue in full force and effect until the full and final payment, and satisfaction and discharge, of all obligations of Borrower to Bank subject to this Agreement.
SECTION 2.1. LEGAL STATUS. (a) Borrower is a corporation, duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of California, and is qualified or licensed to do business (and is in good standing as a foreign corporation, if applicable) in all jurisdictions in which such qualification or licensing is required and in which the failure to so qualify or to be so licensed could have a material adverse effect on Borrower; and (b) no member of the Borrowing Group (as defined below) is a Sanctioned Target (as defined below) of economic or financial sanctions,
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sectoral sanctions, secondary sanctions, trade embargoes or restrictions and anti-terrorism laws imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by the United States of America, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the United Kingdom, any other governmental authority with jurisdiction over Borrower or any member of the Borrowing Group (collectively, “Sanctions”). As used herein, “Borrowing Group” means: (i) Borrower, (ii) any direct or indirect parent of Borrower, (iii) any affiliate or subsidiary of Borrower, (iv) any Third Party Obligor (as defined below), and (v) any officer, director or agent acting on behalf of any of the parties referred to in items (i) through and including (iv) with respect to the obligations hereunder, this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents. “Sanctioned Target” means any target of Sanctions, including (i) persons on any list of targets identified or designated pursuant to any Sanctions, (ii) persons, countries, or territories that are the target of any territorial or country-based Sanctions program, (iii) persons that are a target of Sanctions due to their ownership or control by any Sanctioned Target(s), or (iv) persons otherwise a target of Sanctions, including vessels and aircraft, that are designated under any Sanctions program.
SECTION 2.2. AUTHORIZATION AND VALIDITY. This Agreement and each promissory note, guarantee, security agreement, pledge agreement, contract, instrument and other document required hereby or at any time hereafter delivered to Bank in connection herewith (collectively, the “Loan Documents”) have been duly authorized, and upon their execution and delivery in accordance with the provisions hereof will constitute legal, valid and binding agreements and obligations of Borrower or the party which executes the same, enforceable in accordance with their respective terms.
SECTION 2.3. NO VIOLATION. The execution, delivery and performance by Borrower of each of the Loan Documents do not violate any material provision of any law or regulation, or contravene any provision of the Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws of Borrower, or result in any material breach of or default under any contract, obligation, indenture or other instrument to which Borrower is a party or by which Borrower may be bound and such contract, obligation, indenture or other instrument in default or breach requires, on an individual basis, annual consideration in excess of $1,000,000.00.
SECTION 2.4. LITIGATION. There are no pending, or to the best of Borrower’s knowledge threatened, actions, claims, investigations, suits or proceedings by or before any governmental authority, arbitrator, court or administrative agency which could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or operation of Borrower other than those disclosed by Borrower to Bank in writing prior to the date hereof.
SECTION 2.5. CORRECTNESS OF FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND OTHER INFORMATION. The annual financial statement of Borrower dated December 31, 2020, and all interim financial statements delivered to Bank since said date, true copies of which have been delivered by Borrower to Bank prior to the date hereof, (a) are complete and correct and present fairly the financial condition of Borrower in all material respects, (b) disclose all material liabilities of Borrower that are required to be reflected or reserved against under generally accepted accounting principles, whether liquidated or unliquidated, fixed or contingent, and (c) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied. Since the dates of such financial statements there has been no material adverse change in the financial condition of Borrower, nor has Borrower mortgaged, pledged, granted a security interest in or otherwise encumbered any of its assets or properties except in favor of Bank or as otherwise permitted by this agreement or by Bank in writing. All information provided from time to time by Borrower or any Third Party Obligor to Bank for the purpose of enabling Bank to fulfill its regulatory and compliance requirements, standards and processes was complete and correct at the time such information was provided and, except as specifically identified to Bank in a subsequent writing, remains complete and correct today.
SECTION 2.6. INCOME TAX RETURNS. Borrower has no knowledge of any pending assessments or adjustments of its income tax payable with respect to any year that would, if made, have a material adverse effect.
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SECTION 2.7. NO SUBORDINATION. Except as permitted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, there is no agreement, indenture, contract or instrument to which Borrower is a party or by which Borrower may be bound that requires the subordination in right of payment of any of Borrower’s obligations subject to this Agreement to any other obligation of Borrower.
SECTION 2.8. PERMITS, FRANCHISES. Borrower possesses, and will hereafter possess, all permits, consents, approvals, franchises and licenses required and rights to all trademarks, trade names, patents, and fictitious names, if any, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on its ability to conduct the business in which it is now engaged in compliance with applicable law.
SECTION 2.9. ERISA. Except as could not be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect: (i) Borrower is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended or recodified from time to time (“ERISA”); Borrower has not violated any provision of any defined employee pension benefit plan (as defined in ERISA) maintained or contributed to by Borrower (each, a “Plan”); (ii) to the knowledge of Borrower, no Reportable Event as defined in ERISA has occurred and is continuing with respect to any Plan initiated by Borrower and (iii) Borrower has met its minimum funding requirements under ERISA with respect to each Plan; and each Plan will be able to fulfill its benefit obligations as they come due in accordance with the Plan documents and under generally accepted accounting principles.
SECTION 2.10. OTHER OBLIGATIONS. Borrower is not in default on any obligation for borrowed money, any purchase money obligation or any other material lease, commitment, contract, instrument or obligation requiring, on an individual basis, annual consideration in excess of $1,000,000.00.
SECTION 2.11. ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS. Except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect or as disclosed by Borrower to Bank in writing prior to the date hereof: (i) Borrower is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal or state environmental, hazardous waste, health and safety statutes, and any rules or regulations adopted pursuant thereto, which govern or affect any of Borrower’s operations and/or properties, including without limitation, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, and the Federal Toxic Substances Control Act, as any of the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, (ii) none of the operations of Borrower is the subject of any federal or state investigation evaluating whether any remedial action involving a material expenditure is needed to respond to a release of any toxic or hazardous waste or substance into the environment and (iii) Borrower has no material contingent liability in connection with any release of any toxic or hazardous waste or substance into the environment.
SECTION 2.12 SANCTIONS, ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING AND ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS. (a) each member of the Borrowing Group has instituted, maintains and complies with policies, procedures and controls reasonably designed to assure compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Anti-Corruption Laws (each as defined below), and Sanctions; and (b) to the best of Borrower’s knowledge, after due care and inquiry, no member of the Borrowing Group is under investigation for an alleged violation of any Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws or Anti-Corruption Laws by a governmental authority that enforces such laws. As used herein: “Anti-Corruption Laws” means: (i) the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended; (ii) the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, as amended; and (iii) any other anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, regulations or ordinances in any jurisdiction in which the Borrower or any member of the Borrowing Group is located or doing business. “Anti-Money Laundering Laws” means applicable laws or regulations in any jurisdiction in which the Borrower or any member of the Borrowing Group is located or doing business that relates to money laundering, any predicate crime to money laundering, or any financial record keeping and reporting requirements related thereto.
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ARTICLE III
CONDITIONS
SECTION 3.1. CONDITIONS OF EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS AGREEMENT. The effectiveness of this Agreement is subject to the fulfillment to Bank's satisfaction of all of the following conditions:
(a) Approval of Bank Counsel. All legal matters incidental to the extension of credit by Bank shall be satisfactory to Bank's counsel.
(b) Documentation. Bank shall have received, in form and substance satisfactory to Bank, each of the following, duly executed:
(i)This Agreement.
(ii)Line of Credit Note.
(iii)Security Agreement: Business Assets (Borrower).
(iv)Pledge Agreement (Tilly’s, Inc.).
(v)Continuing Guaranty (Tilly’s, Inc.).
(vi)Secretary’s Certificate of Borrower and Tilly’s, Inc.
(vii)Officer’s Certificate of Borrower.
(viii)Such other documents as Bank may require under any other Section of this Agreement.
(c) Financial Condition. There shall have been no material adverse change, as determined by Bank, in the financial condition or business of Borrower, nor any material decline, as determined by Bank, in the market value of any collateral required hereunder or a substantial or material portion of the assets of Borrower.
(d) Insurance. Borrower shall have delivered to Bank evidence of insurance coverage on all Borrower's property, in form, substance, amounts, covering risks and issued by companies satisfactory to Bank, and where required by Bank, with loss payable endorsements in favor of Bank.
(e) Satisfaction of Regulatory and Compliance Requirements. In addition to any requirements set forth above, and notwithstanding Borrower’s execution or delivery of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, all regulatory and compliance requirements, standards and processes shall be completed to the satisfaction of Bank.
SECTION 3.2. CONDITIONS OF EACH EXTENSION OF CREDIT. The obligation of Bank to make each extension of credit requested by Borrower hereunder shall be subject to the fulfillment to Bank’s satisfaction of each of the following conditions:
(a) Compliance. The representations and warranties contained herein and in each of the other Loan Documents shall be true in all material respects (other than those representations and warranties that are expressly qualified by a material adverse effect or other materiality, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true in all respects) on and as of the date of the signing of this Agreement and on the date of each extension of credit by Bank pursuant hereto, with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of each such date, except to the extent such representations and warranties specifically relate to an earlier date, in which case such representations and warranties shall have been true in all material respects (other than those representations and warranties that are expressly qualified by a material adverse effect or other materiality, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true in all respects) on and as of such earlier date, and on each such date, no Event of Default as defined herein, and no condition, event or act which with the giving of notice or the passage of time or both would constitute such an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing or shall exist.
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(b) Documentation. Bank shall have received all additional documents which may be required in connection with such extension of credit including without limitation, the following:
(i) For the issuance of a standby letter of credit under any credit subject to this Agreement, Bank's standard Application for Standby Letter of Credit.
(ii) An executed wire request form if requested by Bank
(c) Letter of Credit Documentation. Prior to the issuance of any letter of credit, Bank shall have received a Letter of Credit Agreement and any other letter of credit documentation required by Bank, in each case completed and duly executed by Borrower.
(d) Payment of Fees. Bank shall have received payment in full of any fee required by any of the Loan Documents to be paid at the time such credit extension is made.
(e) Financial Condition. There shall have been no material adverse change, as determined by Bank, in the financial condition or business of Borrower or any Third Party Obligor hereunder, if any, nor any material decline, as determined by Bank, in the market value of any collateral required hereunder or a substantial or material portion of the assets of Borrower or any such Third Party Obligor, if any.
ARTICLE IV
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
Borrower covenants that so long as Bank remains committed to extend credit to Borrower pursuant hereto, or any liabilities (whether direct or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated) of Borrower to Bank under any of the Loan Documents remain outstanding, and until payment in full of all obligations of Borrower subject hereto, Borrower shall, unless Bank otherwise consents in writing:
SECTION 4.1. PUNCTUAL PAYMENTS. Punctually pay all principal, interest, fees or other liabilities due under any of the Loan Documents at the times and place and in the manner specified therein, and immediately upon demand by Bank, the amount by which the outstanding principal balance of any credit subject hereto at any time exceeds any limitation on borrowings applicable thereto.
SECTION 4.2. ACCOUNTING RECORDS. Maintain adequate books and records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied, and permit any representative of Bank, at any reasonable time, to inspect, audit and examine such books and records, to make copies of the same, and to inspect the properties of Borrower. If at any time any change in generally accepted accounting principles would affect the computation of any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) and/or pricing grid set forth in this Agreement or any other Loan Document, Borrower and Bank shall negotiate in good faith to amend such covenant and/or pricing grid to preserve the original intent in light of such change; provided, that, until so amended, (i) such covenant and/or pricing grid shall continue to be computed in accordance with the application of generally accepted accounting principles prior to such change and (ii) Borrower shall provide to Bank a written reconciliation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Bank, between calculations of such covenant and/or pricing grid made before and after giving effect to such change in generally accepted accounting principles.
SECTION 4.3. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND OTHER INFORMATION. Provide to Bank all of the following, in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to Bank:
(a) not later than 90 days after and as of the end of each fiscal year, audited consolidated and consolidating financial statements of Tilly's, Inc., prepared by an independent certified public accountant acceptable to Bank, to include consolidated and consolidating balance sheet,
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income statement and statement of cash flow, management report, and auditor's report, together with all supporting schedules and footnotes;
(b) not later than 45 days after and as of the end of each fiscal quarter, consolidated and consolidating financial statements of Tilly's, Inc., prepared by Tilly's, Inc., to include a balance sheet and income statement;
(c) not later than 45 days after and as of the end of each fiscal quarter, a store profit and loss statement, prepared by Borrower, to include all revenues and expenses on an individual store basis for all of the Borrower's then operating retail clothing store locations;
(d) contemporaneously with each delivery of annual and quarterly consolidated financial statements required hereby, a certificate of the president or chief financial officer of Borrower that said financial statements are accurate, that there exists no Event of Default nor any condition, act, or event which with the giving of notice or the passage of time or both would constitute an Event of Default, and setting forth in reasonable detail calculations of the financial covenants set forth in Section 4.9 hereof;
(e) not later than 90 days after commencement of each fiscal year of Tilly's, Inc., projections for such fiscal year and for each quarter thereof including forecasted consolidated balance sheets and statements of income, together with an explanation of the assumptions on which such forecasts are based;
(f) promptly upon request by Bank, copies of audit reports, management letters or recommendations submitted to the board of directors (or any committee thereof) of Tilly's, Inc. or the Borrower by independent accountants in connection with the accounts or books of such companies or any audit thereof;
(g) promptly after the same become available, copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the stockholders of Tilly's, Inc., and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which Tilly's, Inc. or Borrower may file or be required to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and not otherwise required to be delivered to Bank pursuant to this Agreement;
(h) from time to time such other financial and business information as Bank may reasonably request; and
(i) from time to time such other information as Bank may reasonably request for the purpose of enabling Bank to fulfill its regulatory and compliance requirements, standards and processes.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 4.3(a), 4.3(b) and 4.3(g) hereof (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which Tilly's, Inc. posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the website of Tilly's, Inc. on the internet at the website address www.tillys.com or another website address provided by the Borrower in a written notice to Bank or (ii) on which such documents are posted on a publicly available website maintained by or on behalf of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for access to documents filed in the EDGAR database; provided that the Borrower shall notify Bank (by telecopier or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents and, if requested by Bank, provide to Bank by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents.
SECTION 4.4. COMPLIANCE.
(a) Preserve and maintain all licenses, permits, governmental approvals, rights, privileges and franchises necessary for the conduct of its business; comply with the provisions of all documents pursuant to which Borrower is organized and/or which govern Borrower’s continued existence; comply with the requirements of all laws, rules, regulations and orders of any
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jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located or doing business, or otherwise is applicable to Borrower, which failure to do so could not individually or in the aggregate be reasonably expected to cause a material adverse effect; and
(b) comply with, and cause each member of the Borrowing Group to comply with, all Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Anti-Corruption Laws.
SECTION 4.5. INSURANCE. Maintain and keep in force insurance of the types and in amounts customarily carried in lines of business similar to that of Borrower, including but not limited to fire, extended coverage, public liability, flood, property damage and workers' compensation, with all such insurance carried with companies and in amounts satisfactory to Bank, and deliver to Bank from time to time at Bank's request schedules setting forth all insurance then in effect.
SECTION 4.6. FACILITIES. Keep all properties useful or necessary to Borrower’s business in good repair and condition, and from time to time make necessary repairs, renewals and replacements thereto so that such properties shall be fully and efficiently preserved and maintained.
SECTION 4.7. TAXES AND OTHER LIABILITIES. Pay and discharge when due any and all indebtedness, obligations, assessments and taxes, both real or personal, including without limitation federal and state income taxes and state and local property taxes and assessments, except (a) such as Borrower may in good faith contest or as to which a bona fide dispute may arise, (b) for which Borrower has made provision, to Bank’s satisfaction, for eventual payment thereof in the event Borrower is obligated to make such payment and (c) except to the extent permitted by Section 2.10 hereof.
SECTION 4.8. LITIGATION. Promptly give notice in writing to Bank of any litigation pending or threatened against Borrower (i) affecting Tilly's, Inc., Borrower or any of their respective subsidiaries which, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on Borrower or such entity on a consolidated basis, or involve a monetary claim in excess of $5,000,000.00, or (ii) affecting or with respect to this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any security interest or lien created thereunder, or (iii) involving an environmental claim or potential liability under environmental laws in excess of $5,000,000.00.
SECTION 4.9. FINANCIAL CONDITION. Maintain Borrower as a consolidated subsidiary of Tilly’s, Inc. for accounting purposes, and maintain Borrower’s financial condition as follows using generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied and used consistently with prior practices (except to the extent modified by the definitions herein):
(a) Total Funded Debt to EBITDAR of Tilly's, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries not greater than 4.00 to 1.00 as of each quarter end, determined on a rolling four-quarter basis, with "Total Funded Debt" defined as the sum of (i) all obligations for borrowed money, (ii) capital leases, and (iii) annual rent expense from all operating leases multiplied by six (6), and with "EBITDAR" defined as the sum of net income, interest expense, taxes, depreciation, amortization and annual rent expense.
(b) Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of Tilly’s Inc. not less than 1.25 to 1.00 as of each quarter end, determined on a trailing 12-month basis, with “Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio” defined as (a) the EBITDAR minus cash taxes and DDR&R during such period, divided by (b) the aggregate of the current maturity of long-term debt, capitalized lease payments, interest expense, and rent expense during such period; with “DDR&R” defined as (x) if after giving effect to any dividends, distributions, redemptions and repurchases of equity interest during such period, the Cash Amount is less than Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00), an amount equal to the aggregate sum of such dividends, distributions, redemptions and repurchases of equity interest, or (y) if after giving effect to any dividends, distributions, redemptions and repurchases of equity interest during such period, the Cash Amount is greater than Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00), an amount equal to zero; and with “Cash Amount” defined as, as of any date of determination, Borrower's cash and other cash equivalents and certain marketable securities
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acceptable to Bank in its sole discretion minus the then current outstanding principal amount under the Line of Credit.
SECTION 4.10. NOTICE TO BANK. Promptly (but in no event more than five (5) days after the occurrence of each such event or matter and in no event more than one (1) business day after the occurrence of each such event or matter described below with respect to Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Anti-Corruption Laws) give written notice to Bank in reasonable detail of: (a) the occurrence of any Event of Default, or any condition, event or act which with the giving of notice or the passage of time or both would constitute an Event of Default; (b) any change in the name or the organizational structure of Borrower, including, by illustration, merger, conversion or division; (c) the occurrence and nature of any Reportable Event or Prohibited Transaction, each as defined in ERISA, or any funding deficiency with respect to any Plan; (d) any termination or cancellation of any insurance policy which Borrower is required to maintain, or any material uninsured or partially uninsured loss through liability or property damage, or through fire, theft or any other cause affecting Borrower’s property; (e) failure by Borrower or Tilly’s Inc. to pay rent or such other amounts due (i) at any distribution centers or warehouses; (ii) in excess of $500,000.00 in the aggregate at any location where collateral required hereunder is located; or (iii) any of Borrower’s or Tilly’s Inc.’s locations if such failure continues for more than ten (10) days following the day on which such rent first came due and such failure would be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Borrower or Tilly’s Inc., or (f) any breach of any covenant contained herein related to Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Anti-Corruption Laws or the Borrower’s inability to make the representations and warranties contained herein related to Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Anti-Corruption Laws on any date, or the failure of any representations and warranties contained herein related to Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Anti-Corruption Laws to be true and correct in all respects on or as of any date.
SECTION 4.11. DEPOSIT AND TREASURY ACCOUNTS. Establish at Bank, and maintain at all times thereafter, the primary operating deposit accounts and treasury management accounts of Borrower and Tilly's with Bank. It is hereby acknowledged that this requirement is being made in order to facilitate the Bank's maintenance of the security interests in the collateral provided under this Agreement and the security documents executed in conjunction herewith.
SECTION 4.12. COMPLIANCE WITH TERMS OF LEASEHOLDS. Except as otherwise disclosed to Bank in writing prior to the date hereof, (a) make all payments and otherwise perform all obligations in respect of all material leases to which Borrower or Tilly’s Inc. is a party, keep such leases in full force and effect, (b) not allow such leases to lapse or be terminated or any rights to renew such leases to be forfeited or cancelled, (c) notify Bank of any default by any party with respect to such leases and cooperate with Bank in all respects to cure any such default, and (d) cause Tilly’s Inc. to do the foregoing; provided however, Borrower’s or Tilly’s failure to pay rent or such other amounts due under any material lease shall not be a violation of Section 4.12(a) hereof if such failure is less than $500,000.00 in the aggregate.
ARTICLE V
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
Borrower further covenants that so long as Bank remains committed to extend credit to Borrower pursuant hereto, or any liabilities (whether direct or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated) of Borrower to Bank under any of the Loan Documents remain outstanding, and until payment in full of all obligations of Borrower subject hereto, Borrower will not without Bank’s prior written consent:
SECTION 5.1. USE OF FUNDS.
(a) Use, or permit any member of the Borrowing Group to use, any of the proceeds of any credit extended hereunder except for the purposes stated in Article I hereof, or directly or indirectly use any such proceeds to fund, finance or facilitate any activities, business or
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transactions: (i) that are prohibited by Sanctions; (ii) that would be prohibited by Sanctions if conducted by Bank or any of Bank’s affiliates; or (iii) that would be prohibited by any Anti-Money Laundering Laws or Anti-Corruption Laws.
(b) Fund any repayment of the obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document with proceeds, or provide any property as collateral for any such obligations, or permit any third party to provide any property as collateral for any such obligations, that is directly or indirectly derived from any transaction or activity that is prohibited by any Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws or Anti-Corruption Laws, or that could otherwise cause Bank or any of Bank’s affiliates to be in violation of any Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws or Anti-Corruption Laws.
SECTION 5.2. CAPITAL EXPENDITURES. Make any additional investment in fixed or capital assets (including assets leased under capital leases) in any fiscal year in excess of an aggregate of $50,000,000.00.
SECTION 5.3. OTHER INDEBTEDNESS. Create, incur, assume or permit to exist any indebtedness or liabilities resulting from borrowings, loans or advances, whether secured or unsecured, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, joint or several, except (a) the liabilities of Borrower to Bank, (b) additional debt in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000.00 in the aggregate, (c) any other liabilities of Borrower existing as of, and disclosed to Bank prior to, the date hereof, (d) capital lease obligations relating to the Borrower's distribution and corporate headquarters facility, (e) trade debt incurred in the ordinary course of business and not outstanding for more than 90 days, (f) contingent liabilities under surety bonds or similar instruments incurred in the ordinary course of business in connection with the construction or improvement of stores, and (g) indebtedness other than for borrowed money incurred in the ordinary course of business in respect of (i) netting services, overdraft protections and otherwise in connection with deposit accounts, securities accounts and commodities accounts; (ii) obligations in respect of performance, bid, appeal and surety bonds and performance and completion guarantees and similar obligations provided by Borrower or Tilly’s, Inc. and not in connection with money borrowed, including those incurred to secure health, safety and environmental obligations; and (iii) deferred compensation, severance, and health and welfare retirement benefits to employees of Borrower or Tilly’s, Inc.
SECTION 5.4. MERGER, CONSOLIDATION, TRANSFER OF ASSETS. (a) Merge into or consolidate with any other entity (except for mergers in connection with acquisitions expressly permitted under Section 5.6 hereof in which Borrower is the survivor); (b) make any substantial change in the nature of Borrower’s business as conducted as of the date hereof; (c) acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any other entity (except in connection with acquisitions expressly permitted under Section 5.6 hereof); (d) sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or a substantial or material portion of Borrower’s assets except in the ordinary course of its business; nor (e) accomplish any of the above by virtue of a division or similar transaction.
SECTION 5.5. GUARANTIES. Guarantee or become liable in any way as surety, endorser (other than as endorser of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection in the ordinary course of business), accommodation endorser or otherwise for, nor pledge or hypothecate any assets of Borrower as security for, any liabilities or obligations of any other person or entity, except any of the foregoing in favor of Bank or as permitted pursuant to Section 5.3 hereof.
SECTION 5.6. LOANS, ADVANCES, INVESTMENTS. Make any loans or advances to or investments in any person or entity, or acquire any other person or entity or all or substantially all of the assets of any other person or entity or any business unit thereof, including any of the foregoing accomplished by a division or similar transaction, except:
(a) loans and advances made to employees or shareholders of the Borrower,
(b) any of the foregoing existing as of, and disclosed to Bank prior to, the date hereof,
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(c) acquisitions that meet all of the following criteria: (i) the persons or assets to be acquired are in the same or substantially similar lines of business as the Borrower, (ii) the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the other parties to each such acquisition have approved or consented to the acquisition, (iii) immediately before and after giving effect to each such proposed acquisition, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (iv) Borrower shall be in proforma compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 4.9 hereof after giving effect to each such acquisition, (v) the aggregate total consideration paid in connection with all such acquisitions made during the term of this Agreement shall not exceed $25,000,000, (vi) Borrower shall have adequate cash on hand from its operations to pay the purchase price and other consideration to be paid in connection with each such acquisition, and, in any case, no proceeds of the loans made under this Agreement shall be used to pay the consideration for any such acquisition, and (vii) prior to the consummation of any such acquisition, Borrower shall have delivered to Bank documentation of each of the foregoing in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Bank,
(d) readily marketable obligations issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof having maturities of not more than 360 days from the date of acquisition thereof; provided that the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged in support thereof,
(e) commercial paper issued by any person organized under the laws of any state of the United States of America and rated at least “Prime-1” (or the then equivalent grade) by Moody’s or at least “A-1” (or the then equivalent grade) by S&P, in each case with maturities of not more than 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof,
(f) time deposits with, or insured certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances of, any commercial bank that (i) (A) is Bank or (B) is organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or is the principal banking subsidiary of a bank holding company organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, and is a member of the Federal Reserve System, (ii) issues (or the parent of which issues) commercial paper rated as described in clause (e) above and (iii) has combined capital and surplus of at least $1,000,000,000, in each case with maturities of not more than 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof,
(g) fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than thirty (30) days for securities described in clause (d) above (without regard to the limitation on maturity contained in such clause) and entered into with a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (f) above or with any primary dealer and having a market value at the time that such repurchase agreement is entered into of not less than 100% of the repurchase obligation of such counterparty entity with whom such repurchase agreement has been entered into,
(i) investments, classified in accordance with generally accepted account principles as current assets of Borrower, in any money market fund, mutual fund, or other investment companies that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which are administered by financial institutions that have the highest rating obtainable from either Moody’s or S&P, and which invest solely in one or more of the types of securities described in clauses (d) through (g) above,
(k) investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors to the extent reasonably necessary in order to prevent or limit loss, and
(l) guarantees permitted pursuant to Section 5.5 hereof.
SECTION 5.7. PLEDGE OF ASSETS. Mortgage, pledge, grant or permit to exist a security interest in, or lien upon, all or any portion of Borrower’s assets now owned or hereafter acquired, except any of the foregoing:
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(a) in favor of Bank,
(b) which is existing as of, and disclosed to Bank in writing prior to, the date hereof,
(c) as are permitted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement,
(d) liens imposed by law for taxes that are not yet delinquent or are being contested in in good faith by appropriate proceedings and adequate reserves with respect thereto have been set aside in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,
(e) carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and other like liens imposed by applicable law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue or are being contested in in good faith by appropriate proceedings and adequate reserves with respect thereto have been set aside in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,
(f) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations, other than any lien imposed by ERISA which has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability,
(g) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases (other than indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business,
(h) easements, covenants, conditions, restrictions, building code laws, zoning restrictions, rights-of-way and similar encumbrances on real property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any monetary obligations and do not materially detract from the value of the affected property or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of Borrower and/or Tilly’s, Inc. and such other minor title defects or survey matters that are disclosed by current surveys that, in each case, do not materially interfere with the current use of the real property;
(i) statutory liens of landlords and lessors in respect of rent not in default,
(j) liens arising solely by virtue of any statutory or common law provisions relating to banker’s liens, liens in favor of securities intermediaries, rights of setoff or similar rights and remedies as to deposit accounts or securities accounts or other funds maintained with depository institutions or securities intermediaries,
(k) liens arising from precautionary UCC filings regarding “true” operating leases;
(l) liens in favor of customs and revenues authorities imposed by applicable law arising in the ordinary course of business in connection with the importation of goods solely to the extent the following conditions are satisfied: (i) such liens secure obligations that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (ii) Borrower or Tilly’s, Inc. has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and (iii) such contest effectively suspends collection of the contested obligation and enforcement of any lien securing such obligation, and
(m) liens on fixed or capital assets acquired by Borrower or Tilly’s, Inc. which are permitted under Section 5.3(d) hereof so long as (i) such liens and the indebtedness secured thereby are incurred prior to or within ninety (90) days after such acquisition, (ii) the indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost of acquisition of such fixed or capital assets and (iii) such liens shall not extend to any other property or assets of Borrower or Tilly’s, Inc.
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SECTION 5.8. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES. Enter into any transaction of any kind with any affiliate of the Borrower or Tilly's, Inc., whether or not in the ordinary course of business, other than on fair and reasonable terms substantially as favorable to Borrower as would be obtained by Borrower in a comparable arm's length transaction with a person other than an affiliate, except:
(a) payment of reasonable and customary fees for, and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by, members of the board of directors of Borrower or Tilly's, Inc.,
(b) transactions described on Schedule 5.8 hereto,
(c) transactions between the Borrower and Tilly’s, Inc. substantially consistent with past practice or to which Bank has given prior written consent to such transaction, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld from the perspective of a secured lender,
(d) payment of cash dividends by Borrower to Tilly’s, Inc. and by Tilly’s, Inc. to its shareholders, provided such dividends are paid ratably to its shareholders;
(e) any issuances of securities of Tilly’s, Inc. (other than disqualified stock and other equity interests not permitted hereunder) or other payments, awards or grants in cash, securities or otherwise pursuant to, or the funding of, employment agreements, stock options and stock ownership plans (in each case in respect of equity interests in Tilly’s, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries), provided that if any of the foregoing is not substantially consistent with past practice and in excess of an aggregate amount equal $2,500,000.00 Bank shall receive prior written notice of the same;
(f) an individual transaction or a series of related transaction in an amount not to exceed an aggregate of $2,500,000.00, and
(g) an individual transaction or a series of related transaction in an amount which exceeds an aggregate of $2,500,000.00 to which Bank has given prior written consent to such transaction, which such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld from the perspective of a secured lender.
SECTION 5.9. ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIARIES. In the event that any person becomes a subsidiary of the Borrower after the date hereof, Borrower will promptly notify the Bank of the fact and cause Borrower or such subsidiary (a) to execute and deliver to Bank, with respect to the obligations of Borrower to Bank pursuant to this Agreement and the Loan Documents, a guaranty agreement, security agreement, and, if applicable, a general pledge agreement, in form and substance acceptable to Bank and (b) to take all such further actions and execute all such further documents and instruments as may be necessary or, in the opinion of Bank, desirable to create in favor of Bank a valid and perfected first priority lien on all of the collateral and proceeds of any such subsidiary described in the foregoing described security agreement. In addition, Borrower shall, or shall cause the subsidiary that owns the capital stock of such person to, execute and deliver to Bank all certificates representing such capital stock of such person (accompanied by irrevocable undated stock powers, duly endorsed in blank).
ARTICLE VI
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
SECTION 6.1. The occurrence of any of the following shall constitute an “Event of Default” under this Agreement:
(a) Borrower shall fail to pay when due any principal, interest, fees or other amounts payable under any of the Loan Documents.
(b) Any financial statement or certificate furnished to Bank in connection with, or any representation or warranty made by Borrower or any other party under this Agreement or any
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other Loan Document shall prove to be incorrect, false or misleading in any material respect when furnished or made.
(c) Any default in the performance of or compliance with: (1) any collateral value requirement set forth herein or in any other Loan Document; (2) any negative covenant set forth in Article V hereof; (3) any affirmative covenant set forth in Article IV hereof requiring the delivery of financial statements and other information to Bank; or (4) any obligation, agreement or other provision contained herein or in any other Loan Document related to Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, or Anti-Corruption Laws.
(d) Any default in the performance of or compliance with any obligation, agreement or other provision contained herein or in any other Loan Document (other than those defaults specifically described as constituting an “Event of Default” under any other subsection of this Section 6.1.), and with respect to such default(s) that by their nature can be cured (excluding any defaults specifically described as constituting an “Event of Default” under any other subsection of this Section 6.1., none of which shall be subject to a cure period), such default shall continue for a period of twenty (20) days after the earlier of (i) an officer of Borrower becoming aware of such default or (ii) receipt by Borrower of notice from Bank of such default’s occurrence.
(e) Any default in the payment or performance of any obligation, or any defined event of default, under the terms of any contract, instrument or document (other than any of the Loan Documents) pursuant to which Borrower, any guarantor hereunder, the owner of any collateral securing the obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, or any general partner or joint venturer in Borrower if a partnership or joint venture (with each such guarantor, owner of pledged collateral, general partner and/or joint venturer referred to herein as a “Third Party Obligor”) has incurred (i) any debt or other liability to Bank or (ii) any debt or other liability to any other person or entity in an individual principal amount of $500,000.00 or more or with an aggregate principal amount of $1,000,000.00 or more.
(f) Borrower or any Third Party Obligor shall become insolvent, or shall suffer or consent to or apply for the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian or liquidator of itself or any of its property, or shall generally fail to pay its debts as they become due, or shall make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; Borrower or any Third Party Obligor shall file a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, or seeking reorganization, in order to effect a plan or other arrangement with creditors or any other relief under the Bankruptcy Reform Act, Title 11 of the United States Code, as amended or recodified from time to time (“Bankruptcy Code”), or under any state or federal law granting relief to debtors, whether now or hereafter in effect; or Borrower or any Third Party Obligor shall file an answer admitting the jurisdiction of the court and the material allegations of any involuntary petition; or Borrower or any Third Party Obligor shall be adjudicated a bankrupt, or an order for relief shall be entered against Borrower or any Third Party Obligor by any court of competent jurisdiction under the Bankruptcy Code or any other applicable state or federal law relating to bankruptcy, reorganization or other relief for debtors.
(g) The filing of a notice of judgment lien against Borrower or any Third Party Obligor; or the recording of any abstract or transcript of judgment against Borrower or any Third Party Obligor in any county or recording district in which Borrower or such Third Party Obligor has an interest in real property; or the service of a notice of levy and/or of a writ of attachment or execution, or other like process, against the assets of Borrower or any Third Party Obligor; or the entry of a judgment against Borrower or any Third Party Obligor (in each of the foregoing cases, relating to the payment of money in an amount in excess of $2,000,000); or any involuntary petition or proceeding pursuant to the Bankruptcy Code or any other applicable state or federal law relating to bankruptcy, reorganization or other relief for debtors is filed or commenced against Borrower or any Third Party Obligor.
(h) There shall exist or occur any event or condition that Bank in good faith believes impairs, or is substantially likely to impair, the prospect of payment or performance by Borrower, any Third Party Obligor, or the general partner of either if such entity is a partnership, of its obligations under any of the Loan Documents.
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(i) The death or incapacity of Borrower or any Third Party Obligor if an individual. The dissolution, division, or liquidation of Borrower or any Third Party Obligor if a corporation, partnership, joint venture or other type of entity; or Borrower or any such Third Party Obligor, or any of its directors, stockholders or members, shall take action seeking to effect the dissolution, division, or liquidation of Borrower or such Third Party Obligor.
(j) Any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery for any reason other than satisfaction in full of all the obligations of Borrower to Bank hereunder and under the Loan Documents, ceases to be in full force and effect; or Borrower or any Third Party Obligor contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any Loan Document; or Borrower any Third Party Obligor denies that it has any further liability or obligation under any Loan Document or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any Loan Document.
(k) Tilly's, Inc. shall cease to own and control 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Borrower, or, as to Tilly's, Inc., (i) any "person" or "group" (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) other than Hezy Shaked and Tialit Levine (and their respective heirs and executors, and trusts as to which they are settlors or trustees or other trusts to which such trusts are settlors) shall become the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), directly or indirectly, of 35% or more of the equity interests of Tilly's, Inc. entitled to vote for members of the board of directors of Tilly's, Inc. on a fully-diluted basis or (ii) during any period of 12 consecutive months, a majority of the members of the board of directors of Tilly's, Inc. cease to be composed of individuals who either were members of such board on the first day of such period or whose election or nomination to such board was approved by individuals who at the time of such election or nomination constituted at least a majority of such board.
(l) Tilly's, Inc. shall (i) engage in any business other than (A) entering into and performing its obligations under, and in accordance with, the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (B) owning the capital stock of Borrower and (C) issuing its own capital stock or options to acquire such capital stock, (ii) incur any indebtedness other than (A) its guarantee of the obligations of Borrower hereunder in favor of Bank and (B) its guarantee of the indebtedness or liabilities of Borrower permitted under Section 5.3 hereof and of Borrower's obligations under real property leases entered into by Borrower in the ordinary course of business, or (iii) own any assets other than the capital stock of Borrower and cash and cash equivalents.
SECTION 6.2. REMEDIES. Upon the occurrence of any Event of Default: (a) all principal, unpaid interest outstanding and other indebtedness of Borrower under each of the Loan Documents, any term thereof to the contrary notwithstanding, shall at Bank’s option and without notice (except as expressly provided in any mortgage or deed of trust pursuant to which Borrower has provided Bank a lien on any real property collateral) become immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or any notices of any kind, including without limitation, notice of nonperformance, notice of protest, notice of dishonor, notice of intention to accelerate or notice of acceleration, all of which are hereby expressly waived by Borrower (“Acceleration”); (b) the obligation, if any, of Bank to extend any further credit under any of the Loan Documents shall immediately cease and terminate (“Termination”); and (c) Bank shall have all rights, powers and remedies available under each of the Loan Documents, or accorded by law, including without limitation the right to resort to any or all security for any credit subject hereto and to exercise any or all of the rights of a beneficiary or secured party pursuant to applicable law. All rights, powers and remedies of Bank may be exercised at any time by Bank and from time to time after the occurrence of an Event of Default, are cumulative and not exclusive, and shall be in addition to any other rights, powers or remedies provided by law or equity.
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ARTICLE VII
MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 7.1. NO WAIVER. No delay, failure or discontinuance of Bank in exercising any right, power or remedy under any of the Loan Documents shall affect or operate as a waiver of such right, power or remedy; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or remedy preclude, waive or otherwise affect any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind by Bank of any breach of or default under any of the Loan Documents must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent set forth in such writing.
SECTION 7.2. NOTICES. All notices, requests and demands which any party is required or may desire to give to any other party under any provision of this Agreement must be in writing delivered to each party at the following address:
BORROWER: WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS
10 Whatney
Irvine, California 926181
Attention: Michael Henry, CFO
Telephone No.: (949) 609-5552
Email address: mhenry@tillys.com
With a copy to:
Legal Department
10 Whatney
Irvine, California 92618
Attention: Sonya Attal
Telephone No.: (949) 609-5599 ext. 15583
Email address: sattal@tillys.com and legal@tillys.com
BANK: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Orange Coast Regional Commercial Banking Office
2030 Main Street, Suite 700
Irvine, California 92614
Attention: World of Jeans & Tops Relationship Manager
or to such other address as any party may designate by written notice to all other parties. Each such notice, request and demand shall be deemed given or made as follows: (a) if sent by hand delivery, upon delivery; (b) if sent by mail, upon the earlier of the date of receipt or three (3) days after deposit in the U.S. mail, first class and postage prepaid; and (c) if sent by telecopy, upon receipt.
SECTION 7.3. COSTS, EXPENSES AND ATTORNEYS’ FEES. Borrower shall pay
to Bank immediately upon demand the full amount of all payments, advances, charges, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of Bank's in-house counsel), expended or incurred by Bank in connection with (a) the negotiation and preparation of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, Bank's continued administration hereof and thereof, and the preparation of any amendments and waivers hereto and thereto, (b) the enforcement of Bank's rights and/or the collection of any amounts which become due to Bank under any of the Loan Documents, and (c) the prosecution or defense of any action in any way related to any of the Loan Documents, including without limitation, any action for declaratory relief, whether incurred at the trial or appellate level, in an arbitration proceeding or otherwise, and including any of the foregoing incurred in connection with any bankruptcy proceeding (including without limitation, any adversary proceeding, contested matter or motion brought by Bank or any other person) relating to any Borrower or any other person or entity.
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SECTION 7.4. SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties; provided however, that Borrower may not assign or transfer its interests or rights hereunder without Bank’s prior written consent. Bank reserves the right to sell, assign, transfer, negotiate or grant participations in all or any part of, or any interest in, Bank’s rights and benefits under each of the Loan Documents. In connection therewith, Bank may disclose all documents and information which Bank now has or may hereafter acquire relating to any credit subject hereto, Borrower or its business, any guarantor hereunder or the business of such guarantor, if any, or any collateral required hereunder.
SECTION 7.5. ENTIRE AGREEMENT; AMENDMENT. This Agreement and the other Loan Documents constitute the entire agreement between Borrower and Bank with respect to each credit subject hereto and supersede all prior negotiations, communications, discussions and correspondence concerning the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be amended or modified only in writing signed by each party hereto.
SECTION 7.6. NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES. This Agreement is made and entered into for the sole protection and benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and no other person or entity shall be a third party beneficiary of, or have any direct or indirect cause of action or claim in connection with, this Agreement or any other of the Loan Documents to which it is not a party.
SECTION 7.7. TIME. Time is of the essence of each and every provision of this Agreement and each other of the Loan Documents.
SECTION 7.8. SEVERABILITY OF PROVISIONS. If any provision of this Agreement shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity without invalidating the remainder of such provision or any remaining provisions of this Agreement.
SECTION 7.9. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when executed and delivered shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which when taken together shall constitute one and the same Agreement.
SECTION 7.10. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of California (such State, Commonwealth or District is referred to herein as the “State”), but giving effect to federal laws applicable to national banks, without reference to the conflicts of law or choice of law principles thereof.
SECTION 7.11. BUSINESS PURPOSE. Borrower represents and warrants that each credit subject hereto is made for (a) a business, commercial, investment, agricultural or other similar purpose, (b) the purpose of acquiring or carrying on a business, professional or commercial activity, or (c) the purpose of acquiring any real or personal property as an investment and not primarily for a personal, family or household use.
SECTION 7.12. ARBITRATION.
(a) Arbitration. The parties hereto agree, upon demand by any party, to submit to binding arbitration all claims, disputes and controversies between or among them (and their respective employees, officers, directors, attorneys, and other agents), whether in tort, contract or otherwise in any way arising out of or relating to (i) any credit subject hereto, or any of the Loan Documents, and their negotiation, execution, collateralization, administration, repayment, modification, extension, substitution, formation, inducement, enforcement, default or termination; or (ii) requests for additional credit. In the event of a court ordered arbitration, the party requesting arbitration shall be responsible for timely filing the demand for arbitration and paying the appropriate filing fee within 30 days of the abatement order or the time specified by the court. Failure to timely file the demand for arbitration as ordered by the court will result in that party’s right to demand arbitration being automatically terminated.
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(b) Governing Rules. Any arbitration proceeding will (i) proceed in a location in the State selected by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”); (ii) be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (Title 9 of the United States Code), notwithstanding any conflicting choice of law provision in any of the documents between the parties; and (iii) be conducted by the AAA, or such other administrator as the parties shall mutually agree upon, in accordance with the AAA’s commercial dispute resolution procedures, unless the claim or counterclaim is at least $1,000,000.00 exclusive of claimed interest, arbitration fees and costs in which case the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the AAA’s optional procedures for large, complex commercial disputes (the commercial dispute resolution procedures or the optional procedures for large, complex commercial disputes to be referred to herein, as applicable, as the “Rules”). If there is any inconsistency between the terms hereof and the Rules, the terms and procedures set forth herein shall control. Any party who fails or refuses to submit to arbitration following a demand by any other party shall bear all costs and expenses incurred by such other party in compelling arbitration of any dispute. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to be a waiver by any party that is a bank of the protections afforded to it under 12 U.S.C. §91 or any similar applicable state law.
(c) No Waiver of Provisional Remedies, Self-Help and Foreclosure. The arbitration requirement does not limit the right of any party to (i) foreclose against real or personal property collateral; (ii) exercise self-help remedies relating to collateral or proceeds of collateral such as setoff or repossession; or (iii) obtain provisional or ancillary remedies such as replevin, injunctive relief, attachment or the appointment of a receiver, before during or after the pendency of any arbitration proceeding. This exclusion does not constitute a waiver of the right or obligation of any party to submit any dispute to arbitration or reference hereunder, including those arising from the exercise of the actions detailed in sections (i), (ii) and (iii) of this paragraph.
(d) Arbitrator Qualifications and Powers. Any arbitration proceeding in which the amount in controversy is $5,000,000.00 or less will be decided by a single arbitrator selected according to the Rules, and who shall not render an award of greater than $5,000,000.00. Any dispute in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000,000.00 shall be decided by majority vote of a panel of three arbitrators; provided however, that all three arbitrators must actively participate in all hearings and deliberations. The arbitrator will be a neutral attorney licensed in the State or a neutral retired judge of the state or federal judiciary of the State, in either case with a minimum of ten years experience in the substantive law applicable to the subject matter of the dispute to be arbitrated. The arbitrator will determine whether or not an issue is arbitratable and will give effect to the statutes of limitation in determining any claim. In any arbitration proceeding the arbitrator will decide (by documents only or with a hearing at the arbitrator's discretion) any pre-hearing motions which are similar to motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim or motions for summary adjudication. The arbitrator shall resolve all disputes in accordance with the substantive law of the State and may grant any remedy or relief that a court of such state could order or grant within the scope hereof and such ancillary relief as is necessary to make effective any award. The arbitrator shall also have the power to award recovery of all costs and fees, to impose sanctions and to take such other action as the arbitrator deems necessary to the same extent a judge could pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the corresponding rules of civil practice and procedure applicable in the State or other applicable law. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. The institution and maintenance of an action for judicial relief or pursuit of a provisional or ancillary remedy shall not constitute a waiver of the right of any party, including the plaintiff, to submit the controversy or claim to arbitration if any other party contests such action for judicial relief.
(e) Discovery. In any arbitration proceeding, discovery will be permitted in accordance with the Rules. All discovery shall be expressly limited to matters directly relevant to the dispute being arbitrated and must be completed no later than 20 days before the hearing date. Any requests for an extension of the discovery periods, or any discovery disputes, will be subject to final determination by the arbitrator upon a showing that the request for discovery is essential for the party's presentation and that no alternative means for obtaining information is available.
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(f) Class Proceedings and Consolidations. No party hereto shall be entitled to join or consolidate disputes by or against others in any arbitration, except parties who have executed any Loan Document, or to include in any arbitration any dispute as a representative or member of a class, or to act in any arbitration in the interest of the general public or in a private attorney general capacity.
(g) Payment of Arbitration Costs and Fees. The arbitrator shall award all costs and expenses of the arbitration proceeding.
(h) Real Property Collateral; Judicial Reference. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no dispute shall be submitted to arbitration if the dispute concerns indebtedness secured directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by any real property unless (i) the holder of the mortgage, lien or security interest specifically elects in writing to proceed with the arbitration, or (ii) all parties to the arbitration waive any rights or benefits that might accrue to them by virtue of the single action rule statute of California, thereby agreeing that all indebtedness and obligations of the parties, and all mortgages, liens and security interests securing such indebtedness and obligations, shall remain fully valid and enforceable. If any such dispute is not submitted to arbitration, the dispute shall be referred to a referee in accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure Section 638 et seq., and this general reference agreement is intended to be specifically enforceable in accordance with said Section 638. A referee with the qualifications required herein for arbitrators shall be selected pursuant to the AAA’s selection procedures. Judgment upon the decision rendered by a referee shall be entered in the court in which such proceeding was commenced in accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure Sections 644 and 645.
(i) Miscellaneous. To the maximum extent practicable, the AAA, the arbitrators and the parties shall take all action required to conclude any arbitration proceeding within 180 days of the filing of the dispute with the AAA. No arbitrator or other party to an arbitration proceeding may disclose the existence, content or results thereof, except for disclosures of information by a party required in the ordinary course of its business or by applicable law or regulation. If more than one agreement for arbitration by or between the parties potentially applies to a dispute, the arbitration provision most directly related to the Loan Documents or the subject matter of the dispute shall control. This arbitration provision shall survive termination, amendment or expiration of any of the Loan Documents or any relationship between the parties.
(j) Small Claims Court. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, each party retains the right to pursue in Small Claims Court any dispute within that court’s jurisdiction. Further, this arbitration provision shall apply only to disputes in which either party seeks to recover an amount of money (excluding attorneys’ fees and costs) that exceeds the jurisdictional limit of the Small Claims Court.
SECTION 7.13. NO NOVATION OR IMPAIRMENT OF SECURITY INTERESTS.
This Agreement shall not cause a novation, payment and reborrowing, or termination of any of the indebtedness or obligations of Borrower under the Existing Credit Agreement or other loan documents executed in connection therewith (collectively, the "Existing Loan Documents"), nor shall it extinguish, discharge, terminate or impair Borrower's indebtedness or obligations or Bank's rights or remedies under the Existing Credit Agreement and the other Existing Loan Documents; provided, however, that all such indebtedness, obligations, rights and remedies shall be on the terms and conditions of, and as set forth in, this Agreement and the Loan Documents. In addition, this Agreement shall not release, limit or impair in any way the priority of any security interests and liens held by Bank against any assets of Borrower arising under the Existing Credit Agreement or the other Existing Loan Documents.
[Signature Page(s) to Continue on Next Page]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the effective date set forth above.
| BORROWER: | BANK: | ||||
WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation By: /s/ Michael L. Henry Michael L. Henry Chief Financial Officer | WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION By: /s/ Kimberly J. Striegl Kimberly J. Striegl Senior Vice President | ||||
| [Signature Page to Credit Agreement] | ||
Exhibit 10.2
REVOLVING LINE OF CREDIT NOTE
$25,000,000.00 Irvine, California
January 20, 2022
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation (“Borrower”) promises to pay to the order of WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (“Bank”) at its office at Irvine, California or at such other place as the holder hereof may designate, in lawful money of the United States of America and in immediately available funds, the principal sum of Twenty-Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000.00), or so much thereof as may be advanced and be outstanding pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, as defined herein, with interest thereon, to be computed on each advance from the date of its disbursement as set forth herein.
DEFINITIONS:
As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth after each, and any other term defined in this Note shall have the meaning set forth at the place defined:
(a) “Benchmark Floor” means a rate of interest equal to zero percent (0%).
(b) “Daily Simple SOFR” means, with respect to any day (a “SOFR Rate Day”), a rate per annum equal to SOFR for the day (such day, the “SOFR Determination Day”) that is two (2) U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to (i) if such SOFR Rate Day is a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, such SOFR Rate Day or (ii) if such SOFR Rate Day is not a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately preceding such SOFR Rate Day, in each case, as such SOFR is published by the SOFR Administrator on the SOFR Administrator’s Website; provided, however, that if Daily Simple SOFR determined as provided above would be less than the Benchmark Floor, then Daily Simple SOFR shall be deemed to be the Benchmark Floor. If by 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately following any SOFR Determination Day, SOFR in respect of such SOFR Determination Day has not been published on the SOFR Administrator’s Website and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to Daily Simple SOFR has not occurred, then SOFR for such SOFR Determination Day will be SOFR as published in respect of the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which SOFR was published on the SOFR Administrator’s Website; provided that any SOFR determined pursuant to this sentence shall be utilized for purposes of calculation of Daily Simple SOFR for no more than three (3) consecutive SOFR Rate Days.
(c) “Federal Reserve Business Day” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is closed.
(d) “Prime Rate” means at any time the rate of interest most recently announced within Bank at its principal office as its prime rate, with the understanding that the Prime Rate is one of Bank’s base rates and serves as the basis upon which effective rates of interest are calculated for those loans making reference thereto, and is evidenced by the recording thereof after its
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announcement in such internal publication or publications as Bank may designate; provided, however, that if Prime Rate determined as provided above would be less than zero percent (0%), then Prime Rate shall be deemed to be zero percent (0%).
(e) “SOFR” means a rate per annum equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the SOFR Administrator.
(f) “SOFR Administrator” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (or a successor administrator of the secured overnight financing rate).
(g) “SOFR Administrator’s Website” means the website of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, currently at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source for the secured overnight financing rate identified as such by the SOFR Administrator from time to time.
(h) “U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any day except for (i) a Saturday, (ii) a Sunday or (iii) a day on which the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, or any successor thereto, recommends that the fixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of trading in United States government securities.
INTEREST:
(a) Interest. The outstanding principal balance of this Note shall bear interest (computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed) at a fluctuating rate per annum determined by Bank to be three-quarters percent (0.75%) above Daily Simple SOFR in effect from time to time. Bank is hereby authorized to note the date, principal amount and interest rate applicable to this Note and any payments made thereon on Bank’s books and records (either manually or by electronic entry) and/or on any schedule attached to this Note, which notations shall be prima facie evidence of the accuracy of the information noted. The Bank shall be permitted to estimate the amount of accrued interest that is payable at any time hereunder on the applicable invoice provided by Bank to Borrower in respect thereof, in which case Borrower shall pay such estimated amount and Bank shall to the extent necessary, include on the next invoice an adjustment to correct any difference between the amount on the applicable invoice and the amount of interest that actually accrued pursuant to the terms of this Note.
(b) Taxes and Regulatory Costs. Borrower shall pay to Bank immediately upon demand, in addition to any other amounts due or to become due hereunder, any and all (i) withholdings, interest equalization taxes, stamp taxes or other taxes (except income and franchise taxes) imposed by any domestic or foreign governmental authority and related in any manner to SOFR or Daily Simple SOFR, and (ii) costs, expenses and liabilities arising from or in connection with reserve percentages prescribed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any successor) for “Eurocurrency Liabilities” (as defined in Regulation D of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as amended), assessment rates imposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or similar requirements or costs imposed by any domestic or foreign governmental authority or resulting from compliance by Bank with any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any central bank or other governmental authority and related in any manner to SOFR or Daily Simple SOFR. In determining which of the foregoing are attributable to any SOFR or Daily Simple SOFR option available to Borrower hereunder, any reasonable allocation made by Bank among its operations shall be conclusive and binding upon Borrower.
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(c) Default Interest. Bank shall have the option in its sole and absolute discretion to have the outstanding principal balance of this Note bear interest at an increased rate per annum (computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed) equal to four percent (4%) above the rate of interest from time to time applicable to this Note (i) from and after the maturity date of this Note; (ii) from and after the date prior to the maturity date of this Note when all principal owing hereunder becomes due and payable by acceleration or otherwise; and/or (iii) upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any Event of Default.
(d) Inability to Determine Interest Rates; Illegality. Subject to the Benchmark Replacement Provisions below, if Bank determines (any determination of which shall be conclusive and binding on Borrower) that either (i) Daily Simple SOFR cannot be determined pursuant to the definition thereof other than as a result of a Benchmark Transition Event (an “Inability Determination”) or (ii) any law has made it unlawful, or that any governmental authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for Bank to make or maintain an advance based on SOFR or Daily Simple SOFR, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon SOFR or Daily Simple SOFR (an “Illegality Determination”), then Bank will so notify Borrower. The outstanding principal balance of this Note shall bear interest (computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed) at a fluctuating rate per annum determined by Bank to be equal to the Prime Rate in effect from time to time, from the date of an Inability Determination or an Illegality Determination until Bank revokes such Inability Determination or notifies Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such Illegality Determination no longer exist, as applicable. When interest is determined in relation to the Prime Rate, each change in the rate of interest hereunder shall become effective on the date each Prime Rate change is announced within Bank. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing to the contrary, if a Benchmark Replacement is subsequently determined in accordance with applicable Benchmark Replacement Provisions, that Benchmark Replacement, plus any applicable margin, will become effective on the Benchmark Replacement Date and will then supersede the Prime Rate and margin determined in accordance with this provision.
BENCHMARK REPLACEMENT PROVISIONS:
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Note or in any related loan document (for the purposes of these Benchmark Replacement Provisions, a swap agreement by and between Borrower and Bank or any of its affiliates is not a loan document):
(a) Benchmark Replacement. If a Benchmark Transition Event occurs, the applicable Benchmark Replacement will replace the then-current Benchmark for all purposes under this Note or under any related loan document. Any Benchmark Replacement will become effective on the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date without any further action or consent of Borrower.
(b) Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes. Bank will have the right to make Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes from time to time and any amendments implementing such Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of Borrower.
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(c) Notices; Standards for Decisions and Determinations. Bank will promptly notify Borrower of (i) the implementation of any Benchmark Replacement and (ii) the effectiveness of any Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes. Any determination, decision or election that may be made by Bank pursuant to these Benchmark Replacement Provisions, including any determination with respect to a tenor, rate or adjustment or of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event, circumstance or date and any decision to take or refrain from taking any action or any selection, will be conclusive and binding absent manifest error and will be made in its sole discretion and without Borrower consent.
(d) Certain Defined Terms. As used in this Note, each of the following capitalized terms has the meaning given to such term below:
(i) “Benchmark” means, initially, Daily Simple SOFR; provided, however, that if a Benchmark Transition Event has occurred with respect to Daily Simple SOFR or the then-current Benchmark, then “Benchmark” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement to the extent that such Benchmark Replacement has become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Note.
(ii) “Benchmark Administrator” means, initially, the SOFR Administrator, or any successor administrator of the then-current Benchmark or any insolvency or resolution official with authority over such administrator.
(iii) “Benchmark Replacement” means the sum of: (A) the alternate rate of interest that has been selected by Bank as the replacement for the then-current Benchmark; and (B) the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) that has been selected by Bank, in each case, giving due consideration to (x) any selection or recommendation by the Relevant Governmental Body at such time for a replacement rate, the mechanism for determining such a rate, the methodology or conventions applicable to such rate, or the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for such rate, or (y) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a rate of interest as a replacement to the then-current Benchmark, the methodology or conventions applicable to such rate, or the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for such alternate rate for U.S. dollar-denominated syndicated or bilateral credit facilities at such time; provided, however, that if the Benchmark Replacement as determined as provided above would be less than the Benchmark Floor, then Benchmark Replacement shall be deemed to be the Benchmark Floor, subject to any other applicable floor rate provision.
(iv) “Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes” means any technical, administrative or operational changes (including, without limitation, changes to the definition of “U.S. Government Securities Business Day,” the timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest, prepayment provisions and other technical, administrative or operational matters) that Bank decides may be appropriate to reflect the adoption and implementation of a Benchmark Replacement and to permit the administration thereof by Bank.
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(v) “Benchmark Replacement Date” means the date specified by Bank in a notice to Borrower following a Benchmark Transition Event.
(vi) “Benchmark Transition Event” means the occurrence of one or more of the following events with respect to the then-current Benchmark: a public statement or publication of information by or on behalf of the Benchmark Administrator or a regulatory supervisor for the Benchmark Administrator announcing that (A) the Benchmark Administrator has ceased or will cease to provide the Benchmark permanently or indefinitely or (B) the Benchmark is no longer, or as of a specified future date will no longer be, representative of underlying markets.
(vii) “Relevant Governmental Body” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and/or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and/or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any successor thereto.
BORROWING AND REPAYMENT:
(a) Borrowing and Repayment of Principal. Borrower may from time to time during the term of this Note borrow, partially or wholly repay its outstanding borrowings, and reborrow, subject to all of the limitations, terms and conditions of this Note and of any document executed in connection with or governing this Note; provided however, that the total outstanding borrowings under this Note shall not at any time exceed the principal amount stated above. The unpaid principal balance of this obligation at any time shall be the total amounts advanced hereunder by the holder hereof less the amount of principal payments made hereon by or for Borrower, which balance may be endorsed hereon from time to time by the holder. The outstanding principal balance of this Note shall be due and payable in full on January 20, 2024.
(b) Payment of Interest. Interest accrued on this Note shall be payable on the first (1st) day of each month, commencing February 1, 2022, and on the maturity date set forth above.
(c) Advances. Advances hereunder, to the total amount of the principal sum stated above, may be made by the holder at the oral or written request of (i) Michael L. Henry or Christina Campbell, any one acting alone (subject to any of Bank’s applicable authentication policies or procedures, which may require that a particular individual—including another specific individual listed above—provide verification of the identity of the requestor), who are authorized to request advances and direct the disposition of any advances until written notice of the revocation of such authority is received by the holder at the office designated above, or (ii) any person, with respect to advances deposited to the credit of any deposit account of Borrower, which advances, when so deposited, shall be conclusively presumed to have been made to or for the benefit of Borrower regardless of the fact that persons other than those authorized to request advances may have authority to draw against such account. The holder shall have no obligation to determine whether any person requesting an advance is or has been authorized by Borrower.
(d) Application of Payments. Each payment made on this Note shall be credited first, to any interest then due and second, to the outstanding principal balance hereof.
PAYMENTS:
If any payment of principal or interest to be made pursuant to this Note other than a prepayment or a payment due on the maturity date of this Note, shall fall due on a day that is not a Federal Reserve Business Day, payment shall be made on the next succeeding Federal Reserve
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Business Day, except that, if such next succeeding Federal Reserve Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, such payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Federal Reserve Business Day. Any extension or contraction of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.
PREPAYMENT:
Borrower may prepay principal on this Note at any time, in any amount and without penalty. If principal under this Note is payable in more than one installment, then any prepayments of principal shall be applied to the most remote principal installment or installments then unpaid.
SWAP AGREEMENT:
Borrower understands and acknowledges that (i) any Swap Agreement constitutes an independent agreement between Borrower and Bank and will be unaffected by any repayment, prepayment, acceleration, reduction, increase or change in the terms of this Note, except as otherwise expressly provided in the Swap Agreement, (ii) nothing in this Note shall be construed as a modification of a Swap Agreement or create an obligation to amend a Swap Agreement, (iii) Borrower may incur losses or reductions in benefits related to differences between the economic terms and characteristics of this Note and those of a related Swap Agreement (including, without limitation, differences with respect to maturity dates, payment dates and methods for determining interest rates and differences between borrowings hereunder and the notional amount of a Swap Agreement), and Bank is under no obligation to ensure that there are no differences or that differences will not arise hereafter, including, without limitation, differences between usage hereunder and the notional amount of a Swap Agreement, and (iv) Bank has no obligation to modify, renew or extend the maturity date of this Note to match the maturity date of a Swap Agreement. For the purposes of this provision, “Swap Agreement” means any existing or future swap agreement by and between Borrower and Bank or any of its affiliates.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT:
This Note is made pursuant to and is subject to the terms and conditions of that certain Credit Agreement between Borrower and Bank dated January 20, 2022, as amended from time to time (the “Credit Agreement”). Any default in the payment or performance of any obligation under this Note, or any defined event of default under the Credit Agreement, shall constitute an “Event of Default” under this Note.
MISCELLANEOUS:
(a) Remedies. Upon the sale, transfer, hypothecation, assignment or other encumbrance, whether voluntary, involuntary or by operation of law, of all or any interest in any real property securing this Note, if any, or upon the occurrence of any Event of Default, the holder of this Note, at the holder’s option, may declare all sums of principal and interest outstanding hereunder to be immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, notice of nonperformance, notice of protest, protest or notice of dishonor, all of which are expressly waived by Borrower, and the obligation, if any, of the holder to extend any further credit hereunder shall immediately cease and terminate. Borrower shall pay to the holder immediately upon demand the full amount of all payments, advances, charges, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of the holder’s in-house counsel), expended or incurred by the holder in connection with the
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enforcement of the holder’s rights and/or the collection of any amounts which become due to the holder under this Note whether or not suit is brought, and the prosecution or defense of any action in any way related to this Note, including without limitation, any action for declaratory relief, whether incurred at the trial or appellate level, in an arbitration proceeding or otherwise, and including any of the foregoing incurred in connection with any bankruptcy proceeding (including without limitation, any adversary proceeding, contested matter or motion brought by Bank or any other person) relating to Borrower or any other person or entity.
(b) Collateral Exclusion. No lien or security interest created by or arising under any deed of trust, mortgage, security deed, or similar real estate collateral agreement (“Lien Document”) shall secure the Note Obligations unless such Lien Document specifically describes the promissory note(s), instrument(s) or agreement(s) evidencing Note Obligations as a part of the indebtedness secured thereby. This exclusion shall apply notwithstanding (i) the fact that such Lien Document may appear to secure the Note Obligations by virtue of a cross-collateralization provision or other provisions expanding the scope of the secured obligations, and (ii) whether such Lien Document was entered into prior to, concurrently with, or after the date hereof. As used herein, “Note Obligations” means any obligations under this Note, as amended, extended, renewed, refinanced, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, or under any other evidence of indebtedness that has been modified, renewed or extended in whole or in part by this Note, as amended, extended, renewed, refinanced, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
(c) Obligations Joint and Several. Should more than one person or entity sign this Note as a Borrower, the obligations of each such Borrower shall be joint and several.
(d) Governing Law. This Note shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of California, but giving effect to federal laws applicable to national banks, without reference to the conflicts of law or choice of law principles thereof.
(e) Effective Date. The effective date of this Note shall be the date that Bank has accepted this Note and all conditions to the effectiveness of the Credit Agreement have been fulfilled to Bank’s satisfaction. Notwithstanding the occurrence of the effective date of this Note, Bank shall not be obligated to extend credit under this Note until all conditions to each extension of credit set forth in the Credit Agreement have been fulfilled to Bank’s satisfaction.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Note to be effective as of the effective date set forth herein.
| BORROWER: | BANK: | ||||
WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation By: /s/ Michael L. Henry Michael L. Henry Chief Financial Officer | WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION By: /s/ Kimberly J. Striegl Kimberly J. Striegl Senior Vice President | ||||
| [Signature Page to Revolving Line of Credit Note] | ||
Exhibit 10.3
CONTINUING GUARANTY
Dated as of January 20, 2022
TO: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
1. GUARANTY; DEFINITIONS. In consideration of any credit or other financial accommodation heretofore, now or hereafter extended or made to WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation (“Borrower”), by WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (“Bank”), and for other valuable consideration, the undersigned TILLY’S, INC., a Delaware corporation (“Guarantor”), jointly and severally unconditionally guarantees and promises to pay to Bank, or order, on demand in lawful money of the United States of America and in immediately available funds, any and all Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank, all without relief from valuation and appraisement laws as applicable. The term “Indebtedness” is used herein in its most comprehensive sense and includes any and all advances, debts, obligations and liabilities of Borrower heretofore, now or hereafter made, incurred or created, whether voluntary or involuntary and however arising, whether due or not due, absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, determined or undetermined, including under any swap, derivative, foreign exchange, hedge, deposit, treasury management or other similar transaction or arrangement, and whether Borrower may be liable individually or jointly with others, or whether recovery upon such Indebtedness may be or hereafter becomes unenforceable. This Guaranty is a guaranty of payment and not collection.
2. MAXIMUM LIABILITY; SUCCESSIVE TRANSACTIONS; REVOCATION; OBLIGATION UNDER OTHER GUARANTIES. This is a continuing guaranty and all rights, powers and remedies hereunder shall apply to all past, present and future Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank, including that arising under successive transactions which shall either continue the Indebtedness, increase or decrease it, or from time to time create new Indebtedness after all or any prior Indebtedness has been satisfied, and notwithstanding the death, incapacity, dissolution, liquidation or bankruptcy of Borrower or Guarantor or any other event or proceeding affecting Borrower or Guarantor. This Guaranty shall not apply to any new Indebtedness created after actual receipt by Bank of written notice of its revocation as to such new Indebtedness; provided however, that loans or advances made by Bank to Borrower after revocation under commitments existing prior to receipt by Bank of such revocation, and extensions, renewals or modifications, of any kind, of Indebtedness incurred by Borrower or committed by Bank prior to receipt by Bank of such revocation, shall not be considered new Indebtedness. Any such notice must be sent to Bank by registered U.S. mail, postage prepaid, addressed to its office at 2030 Main Street, Suite 700, Irvine, California 92614, or at such other address as Bank shall from time to time designate. Any payment by Guarantor shall not reduce Guarantor's maximum obligation hereunder unless written notice to that effect is actually received by Bank at or prior to the time of such payment. The obligations of Guarantor hereunder shall be in addition to any obligations of Guarantor under any other guaranties of any liabilities or obligations of Borrower or any other persons heretofore or hereafter given to Bank unless said other guaranties are expressly modified or revoked in writing; and this Guaranty shall not, unless expressly herein provided, affect or invalidate any such other guaranties.
3. OBLIGATIONS JOINT AND SEVERAL; SEPARATE ACTIONS; WAIVER OF STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS; REINSTATEMENT OF LIABILITY. The obligations hereunder are joint and several and independent of the obligations of Borrower, and a separate action or actions may be brought and prosecuted against Guarantor whether action is brought against Borrower or any other person, or whether Borrower or any other person is joined in any such action or actions. Guarantor acknowledges that this Guaranty is absolute and unconditional, there are no conditions precedent to the effectiveness of this Guaranty, and this Guaranty is in full force and effect and is binding on Guarantor as of the date written below, regardless of whether Bank obtains collateral or any guaranties from others or takes any other action contemplated by Guarantor. To the extent permitted by applicable law, Guarantor waives the benefit of any statute of limitations affecting Guarantor's liability hereunder or the enforcement thereof, and Guarantor agrees that any payment of any Indebtedness or other act which shall toll any statute
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of limitations applicable thereto shall similarly operate to toll such statute of limitations applicable to Guarantor's liability hereunder. The liability of Guarantor hereunder shall be reinstated and revived and the rights of Bank shall continue if and to the extent for any reason any amount at any time paid on account of any Indebtedness guaranteed hereby is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by Bank, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise, all as though such amount had not been paid. The determination as to whether any amount so paid must be rescinded or restored shall be made by Bank in its sole discretion; provided however, that if Bank chooses to contest any such matter at the request of Guarantor, Guarantor agrees to indemnify and hold Bank harmless from and against all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, expended or incurred by Bank in connection therewith, including without limitation, in any litigation with respect thereto.
4. AUTHORIZATIONS TO BANK. Guarantor authorizes Bank either before or after revocation hereof, without notice to, demand on, or consent of Guarantor, and without affecting Guarantor's liability hereunder, from time to time to: (a) alter, compromise, renew, extend, accelerate or otherwise change the time for payment of, or otherwise change the terms of the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, including increase or decrease of the rate of interest thereon; (b) do any and all of the following with respect to any document or instrument now or hereafter entered into in connection with the Indebtedness or otherwise evidencing and/or securing any portion of the Indebtedness (collectively, the “Loan Documents”): (i) amend, amend and restate, supplement, replace, or otherwise modify any Loan Document; (ii) waive compliance with any provision of any Loan Document on any number of occasions; (iii) consent to departure from any provision of any Loan Document on any number of occasions; and/or (iv) forbear from exercising any rights or remedies of Bank in connection with a breach of any provision of any Loan Document for any duration of time and on any number of occasions; (c) take and hold security for the payment of this Guaranty or the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, and exchange, enforce, waive, subordinate or release any such security; (d) apply such security and direct the order or manner of sale thereof, including without limitation, a non-judicial sale permitted by the terms of the controlling security agreement, mortgage or deed of trust, as Bank in its discretion may determine; (e) release or substitute any one or more of the endorsers or any other guarantors of the Indebtedness, or any portion thereof, or any other party thereto; and (f) apply payments received by Bank from Borrower to any Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank, in such order as Bank shall determine in its sole discretion, whether or not such Indebtedness is covered by this Guaranty, and Guarantor hereby waives any provision of law regarding application of payments which specifies otherwise. Bank may without notice assign this Guaranty in whole or in part.
5. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, AND AGREEMENTS. Guarantor represents and warrants to Bank that: (a) this Guaranty is executed at Borrower’s request; (b) Bank has made no representation to Guarantor as to the creditworthiness of Borrower; and (c) Guarantor has established adequate means of obtaining from Borrower on a continuing basis financial and other information pertaining to Borrower’s financial condition. Guarantor agrees with Bank: (i) to keep adequately informed from such means of any facts, events or circumstances which might in any way affect Guarantor's risks hereunder; (ii) that Bank shall have no obligation to disclose to Guarantor any information or material about Borrower which is acquired by Bank in any manner; (iii) upon Bank's request, Guarantor shall provide to Bank copies of Guarantor's financial statements; and (iv) that Guarantor shall not, without Bank's prior written consent, sell, lease, assign, encumber, hypothecate, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or a substantial or material part of Guarantor's assets other than in the ordinary course of Guarantor's business, nor accomplish any of the above by virtue of a division or similar transaction.
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6. BANK'S RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO GUARANTOR'S PROPERTY IN BANK'S POSSESSION. In addition to all liens upon and rights of setoff against the monies, securities or other property of Guarantor given to Bank by law, Bank shall have a lien upon and a right of setoff against all monies, securities and other property of Guarantor now or hereafter in the possession of or on deposit with Bank, whether held in a general or special account or deposit or for safekeeping or otherwise, and every such lien and right of setoff may be exercised without demand upon or notice to Guarantor. No lien or right of setoff shall be deemed to have been waived by any act or conduct on the part of Bank, or by any neglect to exercise such right of setoff or to enforce such lien, or by any delay in so doing, and every right of setoff and lien shall continue in full force and effect until such right of setoff or lien is specifically waived or released by Bank in writing. Bank may exercise this remedy regardless of the adequacy of any collateral for the obligations of Guarantor to Bank and whether or not the Bank is otherwise fully secured.
7. SUBORDINATION. Any Indebtedness of Borrower now or hereafter held by Guarantor is hereby subordinated to the Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank. Such Indebtedness of Borrower to Guarantor is assigned to Bank as security for this Guaranty and the Indebtedness and, if Bank requests, shall be collected and received by Guarantor as trustee for Bank and paid over to Bank on account of the Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank but without reducing or affecting in any manner the liability of Guarantor under the other provisions of this Guaranty. Any notes or other instruments now or hereafter evidencing such Indebtedness of Borrower to Guarantor shall be marked with a legend that the same are subject to this Guaranty and, if Bank so requests, shall be delivered to Bank. Bank is hereby authorized in the name of Guarantor from time to time to file financing statements and continuation statements and execute such other documents and take such other action as Bank deems necessary or appropriate to perfect, preserve and enforce its rights hereunder.
8. REMEDIES; NO WAIVER. All rights, powers and remedies of Bank hereunder are cumulative. No delay, failure or discontinuance of Bank in exercising any right, power or remedy hereunder shall affect or operate as a waiver of such right, power or remedy; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or remedy preclude, waive or otherwise affect any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind by Bank of any breach of this Guaranty, or any such waiver of any provisions or conditions hereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent set forth in writing.
9. COSTS, EXPENSES AND ATTORNEYS' FEES. Guarantor shall pay to Bank immediately upon demand the full amount of all payments, advances, charges, costs and expenses, including, to the extent permitted by applicable law, reasonable attorneys' fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of Bank's in-house counsel to the extent permissible), expended or incurred by Bank in connection with the enforcement of any of Bank’s rights, powers or remedies and/or the collection of any amounts which become due to Bank under this Guaranty, and the prosecution or defense of any action in any way related to this Guaranty, whether or not suit is brought, and if suit is brought, whether incurred at the trial or appellate level, in an arbitration proceeding or otherwise, and including any of the foregoing incurred in connection with any bankruptcy proceeding (including without limitation, any adversary proceeding, contested matter or motion brought by Bank or any other person) relating to Guarantor or any other person or entity. Subject to any restrictions under applicable law pertaining to usury, all of the foregoing shall be paid by Guarantor with interest from the date of demand until paid in full at a rate per annum equal to the greater of ten percent (10%) or Bank’s Prime Rate in effect from time to time. Notwithstanding anything in this Guaranty to the contrary, reasonable attorneys’ fees shall not exceed the maximum amount permitted by law.
10. SUCCESSORS; ASSIGNMENT. This Guaranty shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties; provided however, that Guarantor may not assign or transfer any of its interests or rights hereunder without Bank's prior written consent. Guarantor acknowledges that Bank has the right to sell, assign, transfer, negotiate or grant participations in all or any part of, or any interest in, any Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank and any obligations with respect thereto,
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including this Guaranty. In connection therewith, Bank may disclose all documents and information which Bank now has or hereafter acquires relating to Guarantor and/or this Guaranty, whether furnished by Borrower, Guarantor or otherwise. Guarantor further agrees that Bank may disclose such documents and information to Borrower.
11. AMENDMENT. This Guaranty may be amended or modified only in writing signed by Bank and Guarantor.
12. APPLICATION OF SINGULAR AND PLURAL. All words used herein in the plural shall be deemed to have been used in the singular where the context and construction so require; and when there is more than one Borrower named herein, or when this Guaranty is executed by more than one Guarantor, the word “Borrower” and the word “Guarantor” respectively shall mean all or any one or more of them as the context requires.
13. COUNTERPARTS; GOVERNING LAW. This Guaranty may be executed in as many counterparts as may be required to reflect all parties assent; all counterparts will collectively constitute a single agreement. This Guaranty shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, but giving effect to federal laws applicable to national banks, without reference to the conflicts of law or choice of law principles thereof.
14. GUARANTOR’S WAIVERS.
(a) Guarantor waives any right to require Bank to: (i) proceed against Borrower or any other person; (ii) marshal assets or proceed against or exhaust any security held from Borrower or any other person; (iii) give notice of the terms, time and place of any public or private sale or other disposition of personal property security held from Borrower or any other person; (iv) take any other action or pursue any other remedy in Bank's power; or (v) make any presentment or demand for performance, or give any notices of any kind, including, without limitation, any notice of nonperformance, protest, notice of protest or notice of dishonor, notice of intention to accelerate or notice of acceleration hereunder or in connection with any obligations or evidences of indebtedness held by Bank as security for or which constitute in whole or in part the Indebtedness guaranteed hereunder, or in connection with the creation of new or additional Indebtedness; or (vi) set off against the Indebtedness the fair value of any real or personal property given as collateral for the Indebtedness (whether such right of setoff arises under statute or otherwise). In addition to the foregoing, Guarantor specifically waives any statutory right it might have to require Bank to proceed against Borrower or any collateral that secures the Indebtedness.
(b) Guarantor waives any defense to its obligations hereunder based upon or arising by reason of: (i) any disability or other defense of Borrower or any other person; (ii) the cessation or limitation from any cause whatsoever, other than payment in full, of the Indebtedness of Borrower or any other person; (iii) any lack of authority of any officer, director, partner, agent or any other person acting or purporting to act on behalf of Borrower which is a corporation, partnership or other type of entity, or any defect in the formation of Borrower; (iv) the application by Borrower of the proceeds of any Indebtedness for purposes other than the purposes represented by Borrower to, or intended or understood by, Bank or Guarantor; (v) any act or omission by Bank which directly or indirectly results in or aids the discharge of Borrower or any portion of the Indebtedness by operation of law or otherwise, or which in any way impairs or suspends any rights or remedies of Bank against Borrower; (vi) any impairment of the value of any interest in security for the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, including without limitation, the failure to obtain or maintain perfection or recordation of any interest in any such security, the release of any such security without substitution, and/or the failure to preserve the value of, or to comply with applicable law in disposing of, any such security; (vii) any modification of the Indebtedness, in any form whatsoever, including any modification made after revocation hereof to any Indebtedness incurred prior to such revocation, and including without limitation the renewal, extension, acceleration or other change in time for payment of, or other change in the terms of, the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, including increase or decrease of the rate of interest thereon; or (viii) or any requirement that Bank give any notice of acceptance of this
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Guaranty. Until all Indebtedness shall have been paid in full, Guarantor shall have no right of subrogation, and Guarantor waives any right to enforce any remedy which Bank now has or may hereafter have against Borrower or any other person and waives any benefit of, or any right to participate in, any security now or hereafter held by Bank. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Guarantor waives all rights of a surety and the benefits of any applicable suretyship law, statute or regulation, and without limiting any of the waivers set forth herein, Guarantor further waives any other fact or event that, in the absence of this provision, would or might constitute or afford a legal or equitable discharge or release of or defense to Borrower.
(c) Guarantor further waives all rights and defenses Guarantor may have arising out of (i) any election of remedies by Bank, even though that election of remedies, such as a non-judicial foreclosure with respect to any security for any portion of the Indebtedness, destroys Guarantor's rights of subrogation or Guarantor's rights to proceed against Borrower for reimbursement, or (ii) any loss of rights Guarantor may suffer by reason of any rights, powers or remedies of Borrower in connection with any anti-deficiency laws or any other laws limiting, qualifying or discharging Borrower’s Indebtedness, whether by operation of law or otherwise, including any rights Guarantor may have to claim a fair market credit with respect to a deficiency or have a fair market value hearing to determine the size of a deficiency following any foreclosure sale or other disposition of any real property security for any portion of the Indebtedness, and Guarantor waives any right Guarantor may have under any “one-action” rule. Guarantor further waives the benefit of any homestead, exemption or other similar laws.
15. UNDERSTANDING WITH RESPECT TO WAIVERS; SEVERABILITY OF PROVISIONS. Guarantor warrants and agrees that each of the waivers set forth herein is made with Guarantor's full knowledge of its significance and consequences, and that under the circumstances, the waivers are reasonable and not contrary to public policy or law. If any waiver or other provision of this Guaranty shall be held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable public policy or law, such waiver or other provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such waiver or other provision or any remaining provisions of this Guaranty.
16. ARBITRATION.
(a) Arbitration. The parties hereto agree, upon demand by any party, to submit to binding arbitration all claims, disputes and controversies between or among them (and their respective employees, officers, directors, attorneys, and other agents), whether in tort, contract or otherwise in any way arising out of or relating to this Guaranty and its negotiation, execution, collateralization, administration, repayment, modification, extension, substitution, formation, inducement, enforcement, default or termination. In the event of a court ordered arbitration, the party requesting arbitration shall be responsible for timely filing the demand for arbitration and paying the appropriate filing fee within 30 days of the abatement order or the time specified by the court. Failure to timely file the demand for arbitration as ordered by the court will result in that party’s right to demand arbitration being automatically terminated.
(b) Governing Rules. Any arbitration proceeding will (i) proceed in a location in New York selected by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”); (ii) be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (Title 9 of the United States Code), notwithstanding any conflicting choice of law provision in any of the documents between the parties; and (iii) be conducted by the AAA, or such other administrator as the parties shall mutually agree upon, in accordance with the AAA’s commercial dispute resolution procedures, unless the claim or counterclaim is at least $1,000,000.00 exclusive of claimed interest, arbitration fees and costs in which case the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the AAA’s optional procedures for large, complex commercial disputes (the commercial dispute resolution procedures or the optional procedures for large, complex commercial disputes to be referred to herein, as applicable, as the “Rules”). If there is any inconsistency between the terms hereof and the Rules, the terms and procedures set forth herein shall control. Any party who fails or refuses to submit to arbitration following a demand by any other party shall bear all costs and expenses incurred by such other party in compelling arbitration of any dispute. Nothing contained herein shall be
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deemed to be a waiver by any party that is a bank of the protections afforded to it under 12 U.S.C. §91 or any similar applicable state law.
(c) No Waiver of Provisional Remedies, Self-Help and Foreclosure. The arbitration requirement does not limit the right of any party to (i) foreclose against real or personal property collateral; (ii) exercise self-help remedies relating to collateral or proceeds of collateral such as setoff or repossession; or (iii) obtain provisional or ancillary remedies such as replevin, injunctive relief, attachment or the appointment of a receiver, before during or after the pendency of any arbitration proceeding. This exclusion does not constitute a waiver of the right or obligation of any party to submit any dispute to arbitration or reference hereunder, including those arising from the exercise of the actions detailed in sections (i), (ii) and (iii) of this paragraph.
(d) Arbitrator Qualifications and Powers. Any arbitration proceeding in which the amount in controversy is $5,000,000.00 or less will be decided by a single arbitrator selected according to the Rules, and who shall not render an award of greater than $5,000,000.00. Any dispute in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000,000.00 shall be decided by majority vote of a panel of three arbitrators; provided however, that all three arbitrators must actively participate in all hearings and deliberations. The arbitrator will be a neutral attorney licensed in New York or a neutral retired judge of the state or federal judiciary of New York, in either case with a minimum of ten years’ experience in the substantive law applicable to the subject matter of the dispute to be arbitrated. The arbitrator will determine whether or not an issue is arbitratable and will give effect to the statutes of limitation in determining any claim. In any arbitration proceeding the arbitrator will decide (by documents only or with a hearing at the arbitrator's discretion) any pre-hearing motions which are similar to motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim or motions for summary adjudication. The arbitrator shall resolve all disputes in accordance with the substantive law of New York and may grant any remedy or relief that a court of such state could order or grant within the scope hereof and such ancillary relief as is necessary to make effective any award. The arbitrator shall also have the power to award recovery of all costs and fees, to impose sanctions and to take such other action as the arbitrator deems necessary to the same extent a judge could pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the corresponding rules of civil practice and procedure in New York or other applicable law. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. The institution and maintenance of an action for judicial relief or pursuit of a provisional or ancillary remedy shall not constitute a waiver of the right of any party, including the plaintiff, to submit the controversy or claim to arbitration if any other party contests such action for judicial relief.
(e) Discovery. In any arbitration proceeding, discovery will be permitted in accordance with the Rules. All discovery shall be expressly limited to matters directly relevant to the dispute being arbitrated and must be completed no later than 20 days before the hearing date. Any requests for an extension of the discovery periods, or any discovery disputes, will be subject to final determination by the arbitrator upon a showing that the request for discovery is essential for the party's presentation and that no alternative means for obtaining information is available.
(f) Class Proceedings and Consolidations. No party hereto shall be entitled to join or consolidate disputes by or against others in any arbitration, except parties who have executed this Guaranty or any other contract, instrument or document relating to any Indebtedness, or to include in any arbitration any dispute as a representative or member of a class, or to act in any arbitration in the interest of the general public or in a private attorney general capacity.
(g) Payment Of Arbitration Costs And Fees. The arbitrator shall award all costs and expenses of the arbitration proceeding.
(h) Miscellaneous. To the maximum extent practicable, the AAA, the arbitrators and the parties shall take all action required to conclude any arbitration proceeding within 180 days of the filing of the dispute with the AAA or administrator. No arbitrator or other party to an arbitration proceeding may disclose the existence, content or results thereof, except for disclosures of information by a party required in the ordinary course of its business or by
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applicable law or regulation. If more than one agreement for arbitration by or between the parties potentially applies to a dispute, the arbitration provision most directly related to the documents between the parties or the subject matter of the dispute shall control. This arbitration provision shall survive termination, amendment or expiration of any of the documents or any relationship between the parties.
(i) Small Claims Court. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, each party retains the right to pursue in Small Claims Court any dispute within that court’s jurisdiction. Further, this arbitration provision shall apply only to disputes in which either party seeks to recover an amount of money (excluding attorneys’ fees and costs) that exceeds the jurisdictional limit of the Small Claims Court.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned Guarantor has executed this Guaranty, intending to be legally bound hereby, as of the date first written above.
TILLY’S, INC.,
a Delaware corporation
By: /s/ Michael L. Henry
Michael L. Henry
Chief Financial Officer
| [Signature Page to Continuing Guaranty (Tilly’s)] | ||
Exhibit 10.4
SECURITY AGREEMENT: BUSINESS ASSETS
Dated as of January 20, 2022
1. GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST. For valuable consideration, the undersigned WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation ("Debtor"), hereby grants and transfers to WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION ("Bank") a security interest in all of the property of Debtor described as follows:
All rights to payment, accounts, deposit accounts, chattel paper (whether electronic or tangible), instruments, promissory notes, documents, licenses, general intangibles, payment intangibles, software, letter of credit rights and health-care insurance receivables now existing or at any time hereafter arising and whether they arise from the sale, lease or other disposition of inventory or from performance of contracts for service, manufacture, construction, repair or otherwise or from any other source whatsoever, including without limitation all security, guaranties, warranties, indemnity agreements, insurance policies, supporting obligations and other agreements pertaining to the same or the property described therein; and
All inventory, goods held for sale or lease or to be furnished under contracts for service, goods so leased or furnished, and all software embedded therein and component parts thereof, and all raw materials, work in process and materials used or consumed in Debtor's business now or at any time hereafter acquired by Debtor wherever located, whether in the possession of Debtor or any warehouseman, bailee or any other person or in process of delivery and whether located at Debtor's places of business or elsewhere, and all warehouse receipts, bills of lading and other documents evidencing any of the foregoing and all goods covered thereby, including without limitation all security, guaranties, warranties, indemnity agreements, insurance policies, supporting obligations and other agreements pertaining to the same or the property described therein, and all renewals thereof; and
All tools, machinery, furnishings, furniture and other equipment, and all replacements, accessions and additions thereto and embedded software included therein, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by Debtor, wherever located, whether in the possession of Debtor or any other person, including without limitation all security, guaranties, warranties, indemnity agreements, insurance policies, supporting obligations and other agreements pertaining to the same or the property described therein
(collectively called “Collateral”), together with all proceeds thereof, including whatever is acquired when any of the Collateral or proceeds thereof are sold, leased, licensed, exchanged or otherwise disposed of, whether such disposition is voluntary or involuntary and whatever is collected on or distributed on account thereof, including without limitation, (i) all rights to payment however evidenced, (ii) all goods returned by or repossessed from Debtor’s customers, (iii) rights arising out of Collateral, (iv) claims arising out of the loss, nonconformity, or interference with the use of, defects or infringement of rights in, or damage to, the Collateral, (v) insurance payable by reason of the loss or nonconformity of, defects or infringement of rights in, or damage to, the Collateral, (vi) returned insurance premiums, and (vii) all rights to payment with respect to any claim or cause of action affecting or relating to any of the foregoing (hereinafter called "Proceeds"); provided that Collateral shall not include, and no security interest shall attach to, and no representation, warranty or covenant contained herein shall apply to, any Excluded Asset.
2. OBLIGATIONS SECURED. The obligations secured hereby are the payment and performance of: (a) all present and future Indebtedness of Debtor to Bank, specifically including, without limitation, any Reimbursement Obligations (as defined below) and the obligations of the Debtor pursuant to that certain Credit Agreement dated as of the date hereof among Debtor and Bank; provided however that the obligations secured hereby shall not include any Indebtedness of Debtor to Bank (i) to the extent that the terms of the agreement(s) giving rise to such Indebtedness expressly state that such Indebtedness is unsecured or not secured by this Agreement, or otherwise expressly disclaim the security interest created hereby as
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security for such Indebtedness (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, Reimbursement Obligations), or (ii) that is secured by any real property; and (b) all obligations of Debtor and rights of Bank under this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, and notwithstanding anything herein or in any other agreement between Debtor and Bank to the contrary, the statement herein that Reimbursement Obligations are specifically included in the Indebtedness secured hereby, shall be sufficient to satisfy a requirement in any Reimbursement Agreement executed by Debtor and delivered to Bank stating that for such letter of credit or acceptance or similar product obligations to be secured, they must be specifically described.
Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms are used as defined in the Credit Agreement. As used in this Agreement:
(A) “Excluded Asset” means:
(1) any asset together with any rights or interests therein, or any lease, license, franchise, charter, authorization, contract or agreement to which Debtor is a party, together with any rights or interest thereunder, in each case, if and to the extent security interests therein (A) are prohibited by or in violation of any applicable law, (B) requires any governmental (including regulatory) consent, approval, license or authorization that has not been obtained or consent of a third party (other than an affiliate of Debtor) that has not been obtained pursuant to any contract or agreement binding on such asset at the latter of the date hereof and the time of its acquisition and not entered into in contemplation of such acquisition, or (C) are prohibited by or in violation of a term, provision or condition of any lease, license, franchise, charter, authorization, contract or agreement to which Debtor is a party, except, in the case of each of the foregoing clauses (A), (B), and (C), to the extent that such prohibition or restriction would be rendered ineffective under the applicable anti-assignment provisions of the UCC or any other applicable law (including the Bankruptcy Code) or principles of equity; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Collateral shall include (and the security interest shall attach), at such time as the contractual or legal prohibition shall no longer be applicable and to the extent severable, shall attach to any portion of such asset, lease, license, franchise, charter, authorization, contract or agreement not subject to the prohibitions specified in clauses (A), (B), or (C) above; provided, further, that the Excluded Assets referred to in this clause (1) shall not include any Proceeds or receivables of any such asset, lease, license, franchise, charter, authorization, contract or agreement (except to the extent such Proceeds or receivables constitute Excluded Assets); and
(2) any cash or cash equivalents (and any accounts used solely to hold such cash or cash equivalents) comprised of (a) funds used or to be used for payroll, employee wages and payroll taxes and other employee benefit payments to or for the benefit of Debtor’s employees, (b) funds used or to be used to pay all Taxes required to be collected, remitted or withheld (including, without limitation, U.S. federal and state withholding Taxes (including the employer’s share thereof) and sales tax) and (c) any other funds which Debtor holds as an escrow or fiduciary or otherwise in trust for the benefit of another Person;
provided that if and when any property shall cease to be an Excluded Asset, a lien on and security interest in such property shall be deemed granted therein and the provisions of this Agreement shall apply to such property, including the Proceeds of any general intangible, instrument, license, property right, permit or any other contract or agreement (except to the extent such Proceeds are Excluded Assets). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Proceeds of, or in respect of, any Excluded Assets shall constitute Collateral (except to the extent such Proceeds are an Excluded Asset).
(B) The word "Indebtedness" is used in its most comprehensive sense and includes any and all advances, debts, obligations and liabilities of Debtor heretofore, now or hereafter made, incurred or created, whether voluntary or involuntary and however arising, whether due or not due, absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, determined or undetermined, including under any swap, derivative, foreign exchange, hedge, deposit, treasury management or other similar transaction or arrangement, and whether Debtor may be liable individually or jointly with
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others, or whether recovery upon such Indebtedness may be or hereafter becomes unenforceable.
(C) “Reimbursement Obligations” means, any Indebtedness arising directly or indirectly from any of the following: letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, open account acceptances, trade acceptances, or similar products, including, for the avoidance of doubt, any such obligations arising under any related Reimbursement Agreement.
(D) “Reimbursement Agreement” means a credit agreement, letter of credit agreement, acceptance agreement, open account processing agreement or similar document or agreement governing the reimbursement terms and obligations related to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, open account acceptances, trade acceptances or similar products. .
3. TERMINATION. This Agreement will terminate upon the performance of all obligations of Debtor to Bank secured hereby, including without limitation, the payment of all Indebtedness of Debtor to Bank secured hereby, and the termination of all commitments of Bank to extend credit to Debtor that would constitute Indebtedness to Bank secured hereby, existing at the time Bank receives written notice from Debtor of the termination of this Agreement.
4. OBLIGATIONS OF BANK. Bank has no obligation to make any loans hereunder. Any money received by Bank in respect of the Collateral may be deposited, at Bank's option, into a non-interest bearing account over which Debtor shall have no control, and the same shall, for all purposes, be deemed Collateral hereunder. Bank shall not be required to apply such money to the Indebtedness or other obligations secured hereby or to remit such money to Debtor or to any other party until the full payment of all Indebtedness of Debtor to Bank secured hereby, and the termination of all commitments to Bank to extend credit to Debtor.
5. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. Debtor represents and warrants to Bank that: (a) Debtor's legal name is exactly as set forth on the first page of this Agreement, and all of Debtor's organizational documents or agreements delivered to Bank are complete and accurate in every respect; (b) Debtor is the owner and has possession or control of the Collateral and Proceeds; (c) Debtor has the exclusive right to grant a security interest in the Collateral and Proceeds; (d) all Collateral and Proceeds are genuine, free from liens, adverse claims, setoffs, default, prepayment, defenses and conditions precedent of any kind or character, except the lien created hereby, as permitted by the Credit Agreement or as otherwise agreed to by Bank, or as heretofore disclosed by Debtor to Bank, in writing; (e) all statements contained herein and, where applicable, in the Collateral are true and complete in all material respects; (f) no financing statement covering any of the Collateral or Proceeds, and naming any secured party other than Bank, is on file in any public office; except to the extent permitted by the Credit Agreement (g) where Collateral consists of rights to payment, to the knowledge of the Debtor, all persons appearing to be obligated on the Collateral and Proceeds have authority and capacity to contract and are bound as they appear to be, all property subject to chattel paper has been properly registered and filed in compliance with law and to perfect the interest of Debtor in such property, and all such Collateral and Proceeds comply with, where applicable, Federal Reserve Regulation Z and company in all material respects with all other applicable laws concerning form, content and manner of preparation and execution, including where applicable any State consumer credit laws; and (h) where the Collateral consists of equipment, fixtures, or specific goods, Debtor is not in the business of selling goods of the kind included within such Collateral, and Debtor acknowledges that no sale or other disposition of any such Collateral, including without limitation, any such Collateral which Debtor may deem to be surplus, has been consented to or acquiesced in by Bank, except as specifically set forth in writing by Bank.
6. COVENANTS OF DEBTOR.
(a) Debtor agrees in general: (i) to pay Indebtedness secured hereby when due; (ii) to indemnify Bank against all losses, claims, demands, liabilities and expenses of every kind caused by property subject hereto; (iii) to permit Bank to exercise its powers; (iv) to execute and deliver such documents as Bank deems necessary to create, perfect and continue the security
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interests contemplated hereby; (v) not to change its name, and as applicable, its chief executive office, its principal residence or the jurisdiction in which it is organized and/or registered without giving Bank prior written notice thereof; (vi) not to change the places where Debtor keeps any Collateral or Debtor's records concerning the Collateral and Proceeds without giving Bank prior written notice of the address to which Debtor is moving same; (vii) not to sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or a substantial or material portion of Debtor's assets except in the ordinary course of its business, nor accomplish any of the above by virtue of a division or similar transaction; and (viii) to cooperate with Bank in perfecting all security interests granted herein and in obtaining such agreements from third parties as Bank deems reasonably necessary, proper or convenient in connection with the preservation, perfection or enforcement of any of its rights hereunder.
(b) Debtor agrees with regard to the Collateral and Proceeds, unless Bank agrees otherwise in writing: (i) that Bank is authorized to file financing statements in the name of Debtor to perfect Bank's security interest in Collateral and Proceeds including indicating the Collateral as “all assets” or “all personal property” of such Grantor or words of similar effect (in each case, “whether now existing or hereafter arising” or words of similar effect); (ii) where applicable, to operate the Collateral in accordance with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations relating to the use and control thereof, and not to use any Collateral for any unlawful purpose or in any way that would void any insurance required to be carried in connection therewith; (iii) not to remove the Collateral from Debtor's premises except in the ordinary course of Debtor's business; (iv) to pay when due all license fees, registration fees and other charges in connection with any Collateral; (v) not to permit any security interest in or lien on the Collateral or Proceeds, including without limitation, liens arising from repairs to or storage of the Collateral, except in favor of Bank or as permitted by the Credit Agreement; (vi) not to sell, hypothecate or dispose of (including, by illustration, merger, conversion or division), nor permit the transfer by operation of law of, any of the Collateral or Proceeds or any interest therein, except sales of inventory to buyers in the ordinary course of Debtor’s business; (vii) to permit Bank to inspect the Collateral at any time during normal business hours and with reasonable prior notice; (viii) to keep, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, complete and accurate records regarding all Collateral and Proceeds, and to permit Bank to inspect the same and make copies thereof at any reasonable time; (ix) if requested by Bank, to receive and use reasonable diligence to collect Collateral consisting of accounts and other rights to payment and Proceeds, in trust and as the property of Bank, and to immediately endorse as appropriate and deliver such Collateral and Proceeds to Bank daily in the exact form in which they are received together with a collection report in form satisfactory to Bank; (x) not to commingle Collateral or Proceeds, or collections thereunder, with other property; (xi) to give only normal allowances and credits and to advise Bank thereof immediately in writing if they affect any rights to payment or Proceeds in any material respect; (xii) from time to time, when requested by Bank, to prepare and deliver a schedule of all Collateral and Proceeds subject to this Agreement and to assign in writing and deliver to Bank all accounts, contracts, leases and other chattel paper, instruments, documents and other evidences thereof; (xiii) in the event Bank elects to receive payments of rights to payment or Proceeds hereunder, to pay all expenses incurred by Bank in connection therewith, including expenses of accounting, correspondence, collection efforts, reporting to account or contract debtors, filing, recording, record keeping and expenses incidental thereto; and (xiv) to provide any service and do any other acts which may be necessary to maintain, preserve and protect all Collateral and, as appropriate and applicable, to keep all Collateral in good and saleable condition, to deal with the Collateral in accordance with the standards and practices adhered to generally by users and manufacturers of like property, and to keep all Collateral and Proceeds free and clear of all defenses, rights of offset and counterclaims.
7. POWERS OF BANK. Debtor appoints Bank its true attorney in fact to perform any of the following powers, which are coupled with an interest, are irrevocable until termination of this Agreement and may be exercised from time to time by Bank's officers and employees, or any of them: (a) while an Event of Default exists, to perform any obligation of Debtor hereunder in Debtor's name or otherwise; (b) to give notice to account debtors or others of Bank's rights in the Collateral and Proceeds, to enforce or forebear from enforcing the same and, while an Event of Default exists, to make extension and modification agreements with respect thereto; (c) while
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an Event of Default exists, to release persons liable on Collateral or Proceeds and to give receipts and acquittances and compromise disputes in connection therewith; (d) to release or substitute security securing obligations owing to Debtor; (e) to resort in any order to security securing obligations owing to Debtor; (f) to prepare, execute, file, record or deliver notes, assignments, schedules, designation statements, financing statements, continuation statements, termination statements, statements of assignment, applications for registration or like papers to perfect, preserve or release Bank's interest in the Collateral and Proceeds; (g) if Debtor has a lockbox agreement with Bank or while an Event of Default exists, to receive, open and read mail addressed to Debtor; (h) if Debtor has lockbox or cash management arrangements with Bank or while an Event of Default exists, to take cash, instruments for the payment of money and other property to which Bank is entitled; (i) to verify facts concerning the Collateral and Proceeds by inquiry of obligors thereon, or otherwise, in its own name or a fictitious name; (j) if Debtor has a lockbox agreement with Bank or while an Event of Default exists, to endorse, collect, deliver and receive payment under instruments for the payment of money constituting or relating to Proceeds; (k) while an Event of Default exists, to prepare, adjust, execute, deliver and receive payment under insurance claims, and to collect and receive payment of and endorse any instrument in payment of loss or returned premiums or any other insurance refund or return, and to apply such amounts received by Bank, at Bank's sole option, toward repayment of the Indebtedness secured hereby or, where appropriate, replacement of the Collateral; (l) while an Event of Default exists, to exercise all rights, powers and remedies which Debtor would have, but for this Agreement, with respect to all Collateral and Proceeds subject hereto; (m) to enter onto Debtor's premises in inspecting the Collateral at any reasonable time and, unless an Event of Default exists, with reasonable notice; (n) to make withdrawals from and to close deposit accounts or other accounts with any financial institution, wherever located, into which Proceeds may have been deposited, and to apply funds so withdrawn to payment of the Indebtedness secured hereby; (o) to preserve or release the interest evidenced by chattel paper to which Bank is entitled hereunder and to endorse and deliver any evidence of title incidental thereto; and (p) to do all acts and things and execute all documents in the name of Debtor or otherwise, deemed by Bank as necessary, proper and convenient in connection with the preservation, perfection or enforcement of its rights hereunder.
8. PAYMENT OF PREMIUMS, TAXES, CHARGES, LIENS AND ASSESSMENTS. Debtor agrees to pay, prior to delinquency, all insurance premiums, taxes, charges, liens and assessments against the Collateral and Proceeds, and upon the failure of Debtor to do so, Bank at its option may pay any of them and shall be the sole judge of the legality or validity thereof and the amount necessary to discharge the same. Any such payments made by Bank shall be obligations of Debtor to Bank, due and payable immediately upon demand, and at Bank’s option and subject to any restrictions under applicable law pertaining to usury, together with interest at a rate determined in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, and shall be secured by the Collateral and Proceeds, subject to all terms and conditions of this Agreement.
9. EVENTS OF DEFAULT. The occurrence of any of the following shall constitute an “Event of Default” under this Agreement: (a) the occurrence of any Event of Default under the Credit Agreement; (b) any impairment of the rights of Bank in any material portion of the Collateral or Proceeds, or any attachment or like levy on any property of Debtor that is not permitted by the Credit Agreement; and (c) Bank, in good faith, believes any or all of the Collateral and/or Proceeds to be in danger of misuse, dissipation, commingling, loss, theft, damage or destruction, or otherwise in jeopardy or unsatisfactory in character or value.
10. REMEDIES. Upon the occurrence of any Event of Default, Bank shall have the right to declare immediately due and payable all or any Indebtedness secured hereby and to terminate any commitments to make loans or otherwise extend credit to Debtor. Bank shall have all other rights, powers, privileges and remedies granted to a secured party upon default under the Uniform Commercial Code or the Business and Commerce Code of the jurisdiction identified in Section 18 below, or otherwise provided by law, including without limitation, the right (a) to contact all persons obligated to Debtor on any Collateral or Proceeds and to instruct such persons to deliver all Collateral and/or Proceeds directly to Bank, and (b) to sell, lease, license
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or otherwise dispose of any or all Collateral. In addition to any other remedies set forth in this Agreement, Debtor authorizes Bank to engage in “electronic self-help” as defined in and in accordance with applicable law. All rights, powers, privileges and remedies of Bank shall be cumulative. No delay, failure or discontinuance of Bank in exercising any right, power, privilege or remedy hereunder shall affect or operate as a waiver of such right, power, privilege or remedy; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power, privilege or remedy preclude, waive or otherwise affect any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power, privilege or remedy. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind by Bank of any default hereunder, or any such waiver of any provisions or conditions hereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent set forth in writing. It is agreed that public or private sales or other dispositions, for cash or on credit, to a wholesaler or retailer or investor, or user of property of the types subject to this Agreement, or public auctions, are all commercially reasonable since differences in the prices generally realized in the different kinds of dispositions are ordinarily offset by the differences in the costs and credit risks of such dispositions. While an Event of Default exists: (a) Debtor will deliver to Bank from time to time, as requested by Bank, current lists of all Collateral and Proceeds; (b) Debtor will not dispose of any Collateral or Proceeds except on terms approved by Bank; (c) at Bank's request, Debtor will assemble and deliver all Collateral and Proceeds, and books and records pertaining thereto, to Bank at a reasonably convenient place designated by Bank; (d) Bank may, at any time, liquidate any time deposits pledged to Bank hereunder and apply the Proceeds thereof to payment of the Indebtedness secured hereby, whether or not said time deposits have matured and notwithstanding the fact that such liquidation may give rise to penalties for early withdrawal of funds; and (e) Bank may, without notice to Debtor, enter onto Debtor's premises and take possession of the Collateral. With respect to any sale or other disposition by Bank of any Collateral subject to this Agreement, Debtor hereby expressly grants to Bank the right to sell such Collateral using any or all of Debtor's trademarks, trade names, trade name rights and/or proprietary labels or marks. Debtor further agrees that Bank shall have no obligation to process or prepare any Collateral for sale or other disposition.
11. DISPOSITION OF COLLATERAL AND PROCEEDS; TRANSFER OF INDEBTEDNESS. In disposing of Collateral hereunder, Bank may disclaim all warranties of title, possession, quiet enjoyment and the like. Any proceeds of any disposition of any Collateral or Proceeds, or any part thereof, may be applied by Bank to the payment of expenses incurred by Bank in connection with the foregoing, including reasonable attorneys' fees, and the balance of such proceeds may be applied by Bank toward the payment of the Indebtedness secured hereby in such order of application as Bank may from time to time elect. Upon the transfer of all or any part of the Indebtedness secured hereby, Bank may transfer all or any part of the Collateral or Proceeds and shall be fully discharged thereafter from all liability and responsibility with respect to any of the foregoing so transferred, and the transferee shall be vested with all rights and powers of Bank hereunder with respect to any of the foregoing so transferred; but with respect to any Collateral or Proceeds not so transferred, Bank shall retain all rights, powers, privileges and remedies herein given.
12. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. Until all Indebtedness secured hereby shall have been paid in full and all commitments by Bank to extend credit to Debtor that would constitute Indebtedness secured hereby have been terminated, the power of sale or other disposition and all other rights, powers, privileges and remedies granted to Bank hereunder shall, to the extent permitted by law, continue to exist and may be exercised by Bank at any time and from time to time irrespective of the fact that the Indebtedness secured hereby or any part thereof may have become barred by any statute of limitations, or that the personal liability of Debtor may have ceased, unless such liability shall have ceased due to the payment in full of all Indebtedness secured hereunder.
13. MISCELLANEOUS. When there is more than one Debtor named herein: (a) the word "Debtor" shall mean all or any one or more of them as the context requires; (b) the obligations of each Debtor hereunder are joint and several; and (c) until all Indebtedness secured hereby shall have been paid in full, no Debtor shall have any right of subrogation or contribution, and each Debtor hereby waives any benefit of or right to participate in any of the Collateral or Proceeds or
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any other security now or hereafter held by Bank. Debtor hereby waives any right to require Bank to (i) proceed against Debtor or any other person, (ii) marshal assets or proceed against or exhaust any security from Debtor or any other person, (iii) perform any obligation of Debtor with respect to any Collateral or Proceeds, and (iv) make any presentment or demand, or give any notices of any kind, including without limitation, any notice of nonpayment or nonperformance, protest, notice of protest, notice of dishonor, notice of intention to accelerate or notice of acceleration hereunder or in connection with any Collateral or Proceeds. Debtor further waives any right to direct the application of payments or security for any Indebtedness of Debtor or indebtedness of customers of Debtor.
14. NOTICES. All notices, requests and demands required under this Agreement must be in writing, addressed to Bank at the address specified in any other loan documents entered into between Debtor and Bank and to Debtor at the address of its chief executive office (or principal residence, if applicable) specified below or to such other address as any party may designate by written notice to each other party, and shall be deemed to have been given or made as follows: (a) if personally delivered, upon delivery; (b) if sent by mail, upon the earlier of the date of receipt or three (3) days after deposit in the U.S. mail, first class and postage prepaid; and (c) if sent by telecopy, upon receipt.
15. COSTS, EXPENSES AND ATTORNEYS' FEES. Debtor shall pay to Bank immediately upon demand the full amount of all payments, advances, charges, costs and expenses, including, to the extent permitted by applicable law, reasonable attorneys' fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of Bank's in-house counsel to the extent permissible), expended or incurred by Bank in connection with (a) the perfection and preservation of the Collateral or Bank's interest therein, and (b) the realization, enforcement and exercise of any right, power, privilege or remedy conferred by this Agreement, whether or not suit is brought or foreclosure is commenced, and where suit is brought, whether incurred at the trial or appellate level, in an arbitration proceeding or otherwise, and including any of the foregoing incurred in connection with any bankruptcy proceeding (including without limitation, any adversary proceeding, contested matter or motion brought by Bank or any other person) relating to Debtor or in any way affecting any of the Collateral or Bank's ability to exercise any of its rights or remedies with respect thereto. Subject to any restrictions under applicable law pertaining to usury, if not paid when due, all of the foregoing shall be paid by Debtor with interest from the date of demand until paid in full at a rate per annum equal to the greater of ten percent (10%) or Bank’s Prime Rate in effect from time to time. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, reasonable attorneys’ fees shall not exceed the amount permitted by law.
16. SUCCESSORS; ASSIGNS; AMENDMENT. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties, and may be amended or modified only in writing signed by Bank and Debtor.
17. SEVERABILITY OF PROVISIONS. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provision or any remaining provisions of this Agreement.
18. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of California, but giving effect to federal laws applicable to national banks.
19. INSURANCE PROVISIONS. Debtor agrees with regard to the Collateral and Proceeds, unless Bank agrees otherwise in writing, to insure the Collateral with Bank named as loss payee, in form, substance and amounts, under agreements, against risks and liabilities, and with insurance companies satisfactory to Bank.
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20. ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.
(a) Debtor warrants that Debtor is an organization registered under the laws of California.
(b) Debtor warrants that its chief executive office (or principal residence, if applicable) is located at the following address: 10 & 12 Whatney, Irvine, California 92618-2807.
(c) Debtor warrants that the Collateral (except goods in transit) is located or domiciled at the following additional addresses: See Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.
[Continues With Signatures on Next Page.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by Debtor, intending to be legally bound hereby, as of the date first written above.
WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS,
a California corporation
By: /s/ Michael L. Henry
Michael L. Henry
Chief Financial Officer
| [Signature Page to Security Agreement] | ||
Exhibit 10.5
THIRD PARTY PLEDGE AGREEMENT
Dated as of January 20, 2022
1. GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST. In consideration of any credit or other financial accommodation heretofore, now or hereafter extended or made to WORLD OF JEANS & TOPS, a California corporation ("Borrower"), by WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION ("Bank"), and for other valuable consideration, as security for the payment of all Indebtedness, specifically including, without limitation, Indebtedness extended pursuant to that certain Credit Agreement dated as of the date hereof between the Borrower and the Bank (the “Credit Agreement”) and any Reimbursement Obligations (as defined below), of Borrower to Bank, the undersigned TILLY’S, INC., a Delaware corporation ("Owner") hereby assigns, transfers to and pledges with Bank, and grants to Bank a security interest in, the following money and property, together with all other money and property as may as any time be delivered to and deposited with Bank:
all of the issued and outstanding equity interests in World of Jeans & Tops, a California corporation, beneficially owned or held by Owner, including but not limited to 20,000,000 shares of common stock of World of Jeans & Tops, a California corporation, evidenced by certificate No. 20
(collectively called "Collateral"), together with whatever is receivable or received when any of the Collateral or proceeds thereof are sold, collected, exchanged or otherwise disposed of, whether such disposition is voluntary or involuntary, including without limitation, (a) all rights to payment, including returned premiums, with respect to any insurance relating to any of the foregoing, (b) all rights to payment with respect to any claim or cause of action affecting or relating to any of the foregoing, and (c) all stock rights, rights to subscribe, stock splits, liquidating dividends, cash dividends, dividends paid in stock, new securities or other property of any kind which Owner is or may hereafter be entitled to receive on account of any securities pledged hereunder, including without limitation, stock received by Owner due to stock splits or dividends paid in stock or sums paid upon or in respect of any securities pledged hereunder upon the liquidation or dissolution of the issuer thereof (hereinafter called "Proceeds"), and in the event that Owner receives any such Proceeds, Owner will hold the same in trust on behalf of and for the benefit of Bank and will immediately deliver all such Proceeds to Bank in the exact form received, with the endorsement of Owner if necessary and/or appropriate undated stock powers duly executed in blank, to be held by Bank as part of the Collateral, subject to all terms hereof.
2. CONTINUING AGREEMENT; REVOCATION; OBLIGATION UNDER OTHER AGREEMENTS. This is a continuing agreement and all rights, powers and remedies hereunder shall apply to (a) all past, present and future Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank, including that arising under successive transactions which shall either continue the Indebtedness, increase or decrease it, or from time to time create new Indebtedness after all or any prior Indebtedness has been satisfied, specifically including, without limitation, any Reimbursement Obligations (as defined below), and notwithstanding the death, incapacity, dissolution, liquidation or bankruptcy of Borrower or Owner or any other event or proceeding affecting Borrower or Owner, (b) all obligations of Owner to Bank under that certain Continuing Guaranty dated as of the date hereof, (c) all obligations of Owner and rights of Bank under this Agreement; and (d) all present and future obligations of Owner to Bank of other kinds. This Agreement shall not apply to any new Indebtedness created after actual receipt by Bank of written notice of its revocation as to such new Indebtedness; provided however, that loans or advances made by Bank to Borrower after revocation under commitments existing prior to receipt by Bank of such revocation, and extensions, renewals or modifications, of any kind, of Indebtedness incurred by Borrower or committed by Bank prior to receipt by Bank of such revocation, shall not be considered new Indebtedness, including any Reimbursement Obligations. For the avoidance of doubt, and notwithstanding anything herein or in any other agreement between Owner or Borrower and Bank to the contrary, the statement herein that Reimbursement Obligations are specifically
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included in the Indebtedness secured hereby, shall be sufficient to satisfy a requirement in any Reimbursement Agreement executed by Borrower and delivered to Bank stating that for such letter of credit or acceptance or similar product obligations to be secured, they must be specifically described. Any such notice must be sent to Bank by registered U.S. mail, postage prepaid, addressed to its office at 2030 Main Street, Suite 700, Irvine, California 92614, or at such other address as Bank shall from time to time designate. The obligations of Owner hereunder shall be in addition to any obligations of Owner under any other grants or pledges of security for any liabilities or obligations of Borrower or any other person heretofore or hereafter given to Bank unless said other grants or pledges of security are expressly modified or revoked in writing; and this Agreement shall not, unless expressly herein provided, affect or invalidate any such other grants or pledges of security.
As used in this Agreement:
(A) The word "Indebtedness" is used herein in its most comprehensive sense and includes any and all advances, debts, obligations and liabilities of Borrower heretofore, now or hereafter made, incurred or created, whether voluntary or involuntary and however arising, whether due or not due, absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, determined or undetermined, including under any swap, derivative, foreign exchange, hedge, deposit, treasury management or other similar transaction or arrangement, and whether Borrower may be liable individually or jointly with others, or whether recovery upon such Indebtedness may be or hereafter becomes unenforceable.
(B) “Reimbursement Obligations” means, any Indebtedness arising directly or indirectly from any of the following: letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, open account acceptances, trade acceptances, or similar products, including, for the avoidance of doubt, any such obligations arising under any related Reimbursement Agreement.
(C) “Reimbursement Agreement” means a credit agreement, letter of credit agreement, acceptance agreement, open account processing agreement or similar document or agreement governing the reimbursement terms and obligations related to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, open account acceptances, trade acceptances or similar products.
3. OBLIGATIONS JOINT AND SEVERAL; SEPARATE ACTIONS; WAIVER OF STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS; REINSTATEMENT OF LIABILITY. The obligations hereunder are joint and several and independent of the obligations of Borrower, and a separate action or actions may be brought and prosecuted against Owner whether action is brought against Borrower or any other person, or whether Borrower or any other person is joined in any such action or actions. Owner acknowledges that this Agreement is absolute and unconditional, there are no conditions precedent to the effectiveness of this Agreement, and this Agreement is in full force and effect and is binding on Owner as of the date written below, regardless of whether Bank obtains collateral or any guaranties from others or takes any other action contemplated by Owner. Owner waives the benefit of any statute of limitations affecting Owner's liability hereunder or the enforcement thereof, and Owner agrees that any payment of any Indebtedness or other act which shall toll any statute of limitations applicable thereto shall similarly operate to toll such statute of limitations applicable to Owner's liability hereunder. The liability of Owner hereunder shall be reinstated and revived and the rights of Bank shall continue if and to the extent that for any reason any amount at any time paid on account of any Indebtedness secured hereby is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by Bank, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise, all as though such amount had not been paid. The determination as to whether any amount so paid must be rescinded or restored shall be made by Bank in its sole discretion; provided however, that if Bank chooses to contest any such matter at the request of Owner, Owner agrees to indemnify and hold Bank harmless from and against all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of Bank's in-house counsel), expended or incurred by Bank in connection therewith, including without limitation, in any litigation with respect thereto.
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4. OBLIGATIONS OF BANK: Any money received by Bank in respect of the Collateral may be deposited, at Bank's option, into a non-interest bearing account over which Owner shall have no control, and the same shall, for all purposes, be deemed Collateral hereunder. Bank's obligation with respect to Collateral and Proceeds in its possession shall be strictly limited to the duty to exercise reasonable care in the custody and preservation of such Collateral and Proceeds, and such duty shall not include any obligation to ascertain or to initiate any action with respect to or to inform Owner of maturity dates, conversion, call or exchange rights, or offers to purchase the Collateral or Proceeds, or any similar matters, notwithstanding Bank's knowledge of the same. Bank shall have no duty to take any steps necessary to preserve the rights of Owner against prior parties, or to initiate any action to protect against the possibility of a decline in the market value of the Collateral or Proceeds. Bank shall not be obligated to take any actions with respect to the Collateral or Proceeds requested by Owner unless such request is made in writing and Bank determines, in its sole discretion, that the requested action would not unreasonably jeopardize the value of the Collateral and Proceeds as security for the Indebtedness. Bank may at any time deliver the Collateral and Proceeds, or any part thereof, to Owner, and the receipt thereof by Owner shall be a complete and full acquittance for the Collateral and Proceeds so delivered, and Bank shall thereafter be discharged from any liability or responsibility therefor.
5. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.
(a) Owner represents and warrants to Bank that: (i) Owner's legal name is exactly as set forth on the first page of this Agreement, and all of Owner's organizational documents or agreements delivered to Bank are complete and accurate in every respect; (ii) Owner is the owner and has possession or control of the Collateral and Proceeds; (iii) Owner has the exclusive right to pledge the Collateral and Proceeds; (iv) all Collateral and Proceeds are genuine, free from liens, adverse claims, setoffs, default, prepayment, defenses and conditions precedent of any kind or character, except the lien created hereby or as otherwise agreed to by Bank, or heretofore disclosed by Owner to Bank, in writing; (v) all statements contained herein and, where applicable, in the Collateral are true and complete in all material respects; (vi) no financing statement covering any of the Collateral or Proceeds, and naming any secured party other than Bank, is on file in any public office; and (vii) specifically with respect to Collateral and Proceeds consisting of investment securities, instruments, chattel paper, documents, contracts, insurance policies or any like property, to the knowledge of the Owner, all persons appearing to be obligated thereon have authority and capacity to contract and are bound as they appear to be, and the same comply with applicable laws concerning form, content and manner of preparation and execution.
(b) Owner further represents and warrants to Bank that: (i) the Collateral pledged hereunder is so pledged at Borrower’s request; (ii) Bank has made no representation to Owner as to the creditworthiness of Borrower; and (iii) Owner has established adequate means of obtaining from Borrower on a continuing basis financial and other information pertaining to Borrower’s financial condition. Owner agrees to keep adequately informed from such means of any facts, events or circumstances which might in any way affect Owner's risks hereunder, and Owner further agrees that Bank shall have no obligation to disclose to Owner any information or material about Borrower which is acquired by Bank in any manner.
6. COVENANTS OF OWNER.
(a) Owner agrees in general: (i) to indemnify Bank against all losses, claims, demands, liabilities and expenses of every kind caused by property subject hereto; (ii) to permit Bank to exercise its powers; (iii) to execute and deliver such documents as Bank deems necessary to create, perfect and continue the security interests contemplated hereby; (iv) not to change Owner's name, and as applicable, its chief executive office, its principal residence or the jurisdiction in which it is organized and/or registered without giving Bank prior written notice thereof; (v) not to change the places where Owner keeps any Collateral or Owner's records concerning the Collateral and Proceeds without giving Bank prior written notice of the address to which Owner is moving same; (vi) not to sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or a
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substantial or material portion of Owner's assets except in the ordinary course of its business, nor accomplish any of the above by virtue of a division or similar transaction; and (vii) to cooperate with Bank in perfecting all security interests granted herein and in obtaining such agreements from third parties as Bank deems necessary, proper or convenient in connection with the preservation, perfection or enforcement of any of its rights hereunder.
(b) Owner agrees with regard to the Collateral and Proceeds, unless Bank agrees otherwise in writing: (i) that Bank is authorized to file financing statements in the name of Owner to perfect Bank's security interest in Collateral and Proceeds; (ii) not to permit any lien on the Collateral or Proceeds, except in favor of Bank; (iii) not to sell, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of (including, by illustration, merger, conversion or division), nor permit the transfer by operation of law of, any of the Collateral or Proceeds or any interest therein, nor withdraw any funds from any deposit account pledged to Bank hereunder; (iv) to keep, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, complete and accurate records regarding all Collateral and Proceeds, and to permit Bank to inspect the same and make copies thereof at any reasonable time; (v) if requested by Bank, to receive and use reasonable diligence to collect Proceeds, in trust and as the property of Bank, and to immediately endorse as appropriate and deliver such Proceeds to Bank daily in the exact form in which they are received together with a collection report in form satisfactory to Bank; (vi) in the event Bank elects to receive payments of Proceeds hereunder, to pay all expenses incurred by Bank in connection therewith, including expenses of accounting, correspondence, collection efforts, reporting to account or contract debtors, filing, recording, record keeping and expenses incidental thereto; (vii) to provide any service and do any other acts which may be necessary to keep all Collateral and Proceeds free and clear of all defenses, rights of offset and counterclaims; and (viii) if the Collateral or Proceeds consists of securities and so long as no Event of Default exists, to vote said securities and to give consents, waivers and ratifications with respect thereto, provided that no vote shall be cast or consent, waiver or ratification given or action taken which would impair Bank's interest in the Collateral and Proceeds or be inconsistent with or violate any provisions of this Agreement.
7. POWERS OF BANK. Owner appoints Bank its true attorney in fact to perform any of the following powers, which are coupled with an interest, are irrevocable until termination of this Agreement and may be exercised from time to time by Bank's officers and employees, or any of them: (a) while an Event of Default exists, to perform any obligation of Owner hereunder in Owner's name or otherwise; (b) to notify any person obligated on any security, instrument or other document subject to this Agreement of Bank's rights hereunder; (c) to collect by legal proceedings or otherwise all dividends, interest, principal or other sums now or hereafter payable upon or on account of the Collateral or Proceeds; (d) while an Event of Default exists, to enter into any extension, modification, reorganization, deposit, merger or consolidation agreement, or any other agreement relating to or affecting the Collateral or Proceeds, and in connection therewith to deposit or surrender control of the Collateral and Proceeds, to accept other property in exchange for the Collateral and Proceeds, and to do and perform such acts and things as Bank may deem proper, with any money or property received in exchange for the Collateral or Proceeds, at Bank's option, to be applied to the Indebtedness or held by Bank under this Agreement; (e) to accept other property in exchange for the Collateral and Proceeds, with any money or property received in exchange for the Collateral or Proceeds, at Bank's option, to be applied to the Indebtedness or held by Bank under this Agreement; (f) to make any compromise or settlement Bank deems desirable or proper in respect of the Collateral and Proceeds; (g) to insure, process and preserve the Collateral and Proceeds; (h) while an Event of Default exists, to exercise all rights, powers and remedies which Owner would have, but for this Agreement, with respect to all Collateral and Proceeds subject hereto; and (i) to do all acts and things and execute all documents in the name of Owner or otherwise, deemed by Bank as necessary, proper or convenient in connection with the preservation, perfection or enforcement of its rights hereunder. To effect the purposes of this Agreement or otherwise upon instructions of Owner, Bank may cause any Collateral and/or Proceeds to be transferred to Bank's name or the name of Bank's nominee. If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any or all Collateral and/or Proceeds consisting of securities may be registered, without notice, in the name of Bank or its nominee, and thereafter Bank or its nominee may exercise, without notice,
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all voting and corporate rights at any meeting of the shareholders of the issuer thereof, any and all rights of conversion, exchange or subscription, or any other rights, privileges or options pertaining to such Collateral and/or Proceeds, all as if it were the absolute owner thereof. The foregoing shall include, without limitation, the right of Bank or its nominee to exchange, at its discretion, any and all Collateral and/or Proceeds upon the merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization or other readjustment of the issuer thereof, or upon the exercise by the issuer thereof or Bank of any right, privilege or option pertaining to any shares of the Collateral and/or Proceeds, and in connection therewith, the right to deposit and deliver any and all of the Collateral and/or Proceeds with any committee, depository, transfer agent, registrar or other designated agent upon such terms and conditions as Bank may determine. All of the foregoing rights, privileges or options may be exercised without liability on the part of Bank or its nominee except to account for property actually received by Bank. Bank shall have no duty to exercise any of the foregoing, or any other rights, privileges or options with respect to the Collateral or Proceeds and shall not be responsible for any failure to do so or delay in so doing.
8. OWNER'S WAIVERS.
(a) Owner waives any right to require Bank to: (i) proceed against Borrower or any other person; (ii) marshal assets or proceed against or exhaust any security held from Borrower or any other person; (iii) give notice of the terms, time and place of any public or private sale or other disposition of personal property security held from Borrower or any other person; (iv) take any other action or pursue any other remedy in Bank's power; or (v) make any presentment or demand for performance, or give any notice of nonperformance, protest, notice of protest or notice of dishonor hereunder or in connection with any obligations or evidences of indebtedness held by Bank as security for or which constitute in whole or in part the Indebtedness secured hereunder, or in connection with the creation of new or additional Indebtedness.
(b) Owner waives any defense to its obligations hereunder based upon or arising by reason of: (i) any disability or other defense of Borrower or any other person; (ii) the cessation or limitation from any cause whatsoever, other than payment in full, of the Indebtedness of Borrower or any other person; (iii) any lack of authority of any officer, director, partner, agent or any other person acting or purporting to act on behalf of Borrower which is a corporation, partnership or other type of entity, or any defect in the formation of Borrower; (iv) the application by Borrower of the proceeds of any Indebtedness for purposes other than the purposes represented by Borrower to, or intended or understood by, Bank or Owner; (v) any act or omission by Bank which directly or indirectly results in or aids the discharge of Borrower or any portion of the Indebtedness by operation of law or otherwise, or which in any way impairs or suspends any rights or remedies of Bank against Borrower; (vi) any impairment of the value of any interest in the Collateral or Proceeds, or any other security for the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, including without limitation, the failure to obtain or maintain perfection or recordation of any interest in any such security, the release of any such security without substitution, and/or the failure to preserve the value of, or to comply with applicable law in disposing of, any such security; (vii) any modification of the Indebtedness, in any form whatsoever, including any modification made after revocation hereof to any Indebtedness incurred prior to such revocation, and including without limitation the renewal, extension, acceleration or other change in time for payment of, or other change in the terms of, the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, including increase or decrease of the rate of interest thereon; or (viii) any requirement that Bank give any notice of acceptance of this Agreement. Until all Indebtedness shall have been paid in full, Owner shall have no right of subrogation, and Owner waives any right to enforce any remedy which Bank now has or may hereafter have against Borrower or any other person, and waives any benefit of, or any right to participate in, any security now or hereafter held by Bank. Owner further waives all rights and defenses Owner may have arising out of (A) any election of remedies by Bank, even though that election of remedies, such as a non-judicial foreclosure with respect to any security for any portion of the Indebtedness, destroys Owner's rights of subrogation or Owner's rights to proceed against Borrower for reimbursement, or (B) any loss of rights Owner may suffer by reason of any rights, powers or remedies of Borrower in connection with any anti-deficiency laws or any other laws limiting, qualifying or discharging Borrower’s Indebtedness, whether by operation of Sections
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726, 580a or 580d of the Code of Civil Procedure as from time to time amended, or otherwise, including any rights Owner may have to a Section 580a fair market value hearing to determine the size of a deficiency following any foreclosure sale or other disposition of any real property security for any portion of the Indebtedness.
9. AUTHORIZATIONS TO BANK. Owner authorizes Bank either before or after revocation hereof, without notice to or demand on Owner, and without affecting Owner's liability hereunder, from time to time to: (a) alter, compromise, renew, extend, accelerate or otherwise change the time for payment of, or otherwise change the terms of, the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, including increase or decrease of the rate of interest thereon; (b) take and hold security, other than the Collateral and Proceeds, for the payment of the Indebtedness or any portion thereof, and exchange, enforce, waive, subordinate or release the Collateral and Proceeds, or any part thereof, or any such other security; (c) apply the Collateral and Proceeds or such other security and direct the order or manner of sale thereof, including without limitation, a non-judicial sale permitted by the terms of the controlling security agreement, mortgage or deed of trust, as Bank in its discretion may determine; (d) release or substitute any one or more of the endorsers or guarantors of the Indebtedness, or any portion thereof, or any other party thereto; and (e) apply payments received by Bank from Borrower to any Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank, in such order as Bank shall determine in its sole discretion, whether or not such Indebtedness is covered by this Agreement, and Owner hereby waives any provision of law regarding application of payments which specifies otherwise. Bank may without notice assign this Agreement in whole or in part.
10. PAYMENT OF PREMIUMS, TAXES, CHARGES, LIENS AND ASSESSMENTS. Owner agrees to pay, prior to delinquency, all insurance premiums, taxes, charges, liens and assessments against the Collateral and Proceeds, and upon the failure of Owner to do so, Bank at its option may pay any of them and shall be the sole judge of the legality or validity thereof and the amount necessary to discharge the same. Any such payments made by Bank shall be obligations of Owner to Bank, due and payable immediately upon demand, together with interest at a rate determined in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, and shall be secured by the Collateral and Proceeds, subject to all terms and conditions of this Agreement.
11. EVENTS OF DEFAULT. The occurrence of any of the following shall constitute an “Event of Default” under this Agreement: (a) the occurrence of any Event of Default under the Credit Agreement; (b) any impairment of the rights of Bank in any Collateral or Proceeds, or any attachment or like levy on any Collateral or Proceeds; and (c) Bank, in good faith, believes any or all of the Collateral and/or Proceeds to be in danger of misuse, dissipation, commingling, loss, theft, damage or destruction, or otherwise in jeopardy or unsatisfactory in character or value.
12. REMEDIES. Upon the occurrence of any Event of Default, Bank shall have and may exercise without demand any and all rights, powers, privileges and remedies granted to a secured party upon default under the California Uniform Commercial Code or otherwise provided by law, including without limitation, the right (a) to contact all persons obligated to Owner on any Collateral or Proceeds and to instruct such persons to deliver all Collateral and/or Proceeds directly to Bank, and (b) to sell, lease, license or otherwise dispose of any or all Collateral. All rights, powers, privileges and remedies of Bank shall be cumulative. No delay, failure or discontinuance of Bank in exercising any right, power, privilege or remedy hereunder shall affect or operate as a waiver of such right, power, privilege or remedy; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power, privilege or remedy preclude, waive or otherwise affect any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power, privilege or remedy. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind by Bank of any default hereunder, or any such waiver of any provisions or conditions hereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent set forth in writing. It is agreed that public or private sales or other dispositions, for cash or on credit, to a wholesaler or retailer or investor, or user of property of the types subject to this Agreement, or public auctions, are all commercially reasonable since differences in the prices generally realized in the different kinds of dispositions are ordinarily offset by the differences in the costs and credit risks of such dispositions. While an Event of
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Default exists: (a) Owner will not dispose of any of the Collateral or Proceeds except on terms approved by Bank; (b) Bank may appropriate the Collateral and apply all Proceeds toward repayment of the Indebtedness in such order as Bank may from time to time elect; (c) Bank may, at any time and at Bank's sole option, liquidate any time deposits pledged to Bank hereunder, whether or not said time deposits have matured and notwithstanding the fact that such liquidation may give rise to penalties for early withdrawal of funds; and (d) at Bank's request, Owner will assemble and deliver all Collateral and Proceeds, and books and records pertaining thereto, to Bank at a reasonably convenient place designated by Bank. For any Collateral or Proceeds consisting of securities, Bank shall be under no obligation to delay a disposition of any portion thereof for the period of time necessary to permit the issuer thereof to register such securities for public sale under any applicable state or federal law, even if the issuer thereof would agree to do so. Owner further agrees that Bank shall have no obligation to process or prepare any Collateral for sale or other disposition.
13. DISPOSITION OF COLLATERAL AND PROCEEDS; TRANSFER OF INDEBTEDNESS. In disposing of Collateral hereunder, Bank may disclaim all warranties of title, possession, quiet enjoyment and the like. Any proceeds of any disposition of any Collateral or Proceeds, or any part thereof, may be applied by Bank to the payment of expenses incurred by Bank in connection with the foregoing, including reasonable attorneys' fees, and the balance of such proceeds may be applied by Bank toward the payment of the Indebtedness in such order of application as Bank may from time to time elect. Upon the transfer of all or any part of the Indebtedness, Bank may transfer all or any part of the Collateral or Proceeds and shall be fully discharged thereafter from all liability and responsibility with respect to any of the foregoing so transferred, and the transferee shall be vested with all rights and powers of Bank hereunder with respect to any of the foregoing so transferred; but with respect to any Collateral or Proceeds not so transferred, Bank shall retain all rights, powers, privileges and remedies herein given.
14. NOTICES. All notices, requests and demands required under this Agreement must be in writing, addressed to Bank at the address specified in Section 2 hereof and to Owner at the address of its chief executive office (or principal residence, if applicable) specified below or to such other address as any party may designate by written notice to each other party, and shall be deemed to have been given or made as follows: (a) if personally delivered, upon delivery; (b) if sent by mail, upon the earlier of the date of receipt or three (3) days after deposit in the U.S. mail, first class and postage prepaid; and (c) if sent by telecopy, upon receipt.
15. COSTS, EXPENSES AND ATTORNEYS' FEES. Owner shall pay to Bank immediately upon demand the full amount of all payments, advances, charges, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of Bank's in-house counsel), expended or incurred by Bank in connection with (a) the perfection and preservation of the Collateral or Bank's interest therein, and (b) the realization, enforcement and exercise of any right, power, privilege or remedy conferred by this Agreement, whether incurred at the trial or appellate level, in an arbitration proceeding or otherwise, and including any of the foregoing incurred in connection with any bankruptcy proceeding (including without limitation, any adversary proceeding, contested matter or motion brought by Bank or any other person) relating to Owner or in any way affecting any of the Collateral or Bank's ability to exercise any of its rights or remedies with respect thereto. If not paid when due, all of the foregoing shall be paid by Owner with interest from the date of demand until paid in full at a rate per annum equal to the greater of ten percent (10%) or Bank’s Prime Rate in effect from time to time.
16. SUCCESSORS; ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties; provided however, that Owner may not assign or transfer any of its interests or rights hereunder without Bank's prior written consent. Owner acknowledges that Bank has the right to sell, assign, transfer, negotiate or grant participations in all or any part of, or any interest in, any Indebtedness of Borrower to Bank and any obligations with respect thereto, including this Agreement. In connection therewith, Bank may disclose all documents and information which Bank now has or hereafter acquires relating to Owner and/or this Agreement, whether furnished
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by Borrower, Owner or otherwise. Owner further agrees that Bank may disclose such documents and information to Borrower.
17. AMENDMENT. This Agreement may be amended or modified only in writing signed by Bank and Owner.
18. [Reserved.]
19. SEVERABILITY OF PROVISIONS. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provision or any remaining provisions of this Agreement.
20. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California.
21. ARBITRATION.
(a) Arbitration. The parties hereto agree, upon demand by any party, to submit to binding arbitration all claims, disputes and controversies between or among them (and their respective employees, officers, directors, attorneys, and other agents), whether in tort, contract or otherwise in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement and its negotiation, execution, collateralization, administration, repayment, modification, extension, substitution, formation, inducement, enforcement, default or termination. In the event of a court ordered arbitration, the party requesting arbitration shall be responsible for timely filing the demand for arbitration and paying the appropriate filing fee within 30 days of the abatement order or the time specified by the court. Failure to timely file the demand for arbitration as ordered by the court will result in that party’s right to demand arbitration being automatically terminated.
(b) Governing Rules. Any arbitration proceeding will (i) proceed in a location in California selected by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”); (ii) be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (Title 9 of the United States Code), notwithstanding any conflicting choice of law provision in any of the documents between the parties; and (iii) be conducted by the AAA, or such other administrator as the parties shall mutually agree upon, in accordance with the AAA’s commercial dispute resolution procedures, unless the claim or counterclaim is at least $1,000,000.00 exclusive of claimed interest, arbitration fees and costs in which case the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the AAA’s optional procedures for large, complex commercial disputes (the commercial dispute resolution procedures or the optional procedures for large, complex commercial disputes to be referred to herein, as applicable, as the “Rules”). If there is any inconsistency between the terms hereof and the Rules, the terms and procedures set forth herein shall control. Any party who fails or refuses to submit to arbitration following a demand by any other party shall bear all costs and expenses incurred by such other party in compelling arbitration of any dispute. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to be a waiver by any party that is a bank of the protections afforded to it under 12 U.S.C. §91 or any similar applicable state law.
(c) No Waiver of Provisional Remedies, Self-Help and Foreclosure. The arbitration requirement does not limit the right of any party to (i) foreclose against real or personal property collateral; (ii) exercise self-help remedies relating to collateral or proceeds of collateral such as setoff or repossession; or (iii) obtain provisional or ancillary remedies such as replevin, injunctive relief, attachment or the appointment of a receiver, before during or after the pendency of any arbitration proceeding. This exclusion does not constitute a waiver of the right or obligation of any party to submit any dispute to arbitration or reference hereunder, including those arising from the exercise of the actions detailed in sections (i), (ii) and (iii) of this paragraph.
(d) Arbitrator Qualifications and Powers. Any arbitration proceeding in which the amount in controversy is $5,000,000.00 or less will be decided by a single arbitrator selected according to
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the Rules, and who shall not render an award of greater than $5,000,000.00. Any dispute in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000,000.00 shall be decided by majority vote of a panel of three arbitrators; provided however, that all three arbitrators must actively participate in all hearings and deliberations. The arbitrator will be a neutral attorney licensed in the State of California or a neutral retired judge of the state or federal judiciary of California, in either case with a minimum of ten years experience in the substantive law applicable to the subject matter of the dispute to be arbitrated. The arbitrator will determine whether or not an issue is arbitratable and will give effect to the statutes of limitation in determining any claim. In any arbitration proceeding the arbitrator will decide (by documents only or with a hearing at the arbitrator's discretion) any pre-hearing motions which are similar to motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim or motions for summary adjudication. The arbitrator shall resolve all disputes in accordance with the substantive law of California and may grant any remedy or relief that a court of such state could order or grant within the scope hereof and such ancillary relief as is necessary to make effective any award. The arbitrator shall also have the power to award recovery of all costs and fees, to impose sanctions and to take such other action as the arbitrator deems necessary to the same extent a judge could pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the California Rules of Civil Procedure or other applicable law. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. The institution and maintenance of an action for judicial relief or pursuit of a provisional or ancillary remedy shall not constitute a waiver of the right of any party, including the plaintiff, to submit the controversy or claim to arbitration if any other party contests such action for judicial relief.
(e) Discovery. In any arbitration proceeding, discovery will be permitted in accordance with the Rules. All discovery shall be expressly limited to matters directly relevant to the dispute being arbitrated and must be completed no later than 20 days before the hearing date. Any requests for an extension of the discovery periods, or any discovery disputes, will be subject to final determination by the arbitrator upon a showing that the request for discovery is essential for the party's presentation and that no alternative means for obtaining information is available.
(f) Class Proceedings and Consolidations. No party hereto shall be entitled to join or consolidate disputes by or against others in any arbitration, except parties who have executed this Agreement or any other contract, instrument or document relating to any Indebtedness, or to include in any arbitration any dispute as a representative or member of a class, or to act in any arbitration in the interest of the general public or in a private attorney general capacity.
(g) Payment Of Arbitration Costs And Fees. The arbitrator shall award all costs and expenses of the arbitration proceeding.
(h) Real Property Collateral; Judicial Reference. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no dispute shall be submitted to arbitration if the dispute concerns indebtedness secured directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by any real property unless (i) the holder of the mortgage, lien or security interest specifically elects in writing to proceed with the arbitration, or (ii) all parties to the arbitration waive any rights or benefits that might accrue to them by virtue of the single action rule statute of California, thereby agreeing that all indebtedness and obligations of the parties, and all mortgages, liens and security interests securing such indebtedness and obligations, shall remain fully valid and enforceable. If any such dispute is not submitted to arbitration, the dispute shall be referred to a referee in accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure Section 638 et seq., and this general reference agreement is intended to be specifically enforceable in accordance with said Section 638. A referee with the qualifications required herein for arbitrators shall be selected pursuant to the AAA’s selection procedures. Judgment upon the decision rendered by a referee shall be entered in the court in which such proceeding was commenced in accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure Sections 644 and 645.
(i) Miscellaneous. To the maximum extent practicable, the AAA, the arbitrators and the parties shall take all action required to conclude any arbitration proceeding within 180 days of the filing of the dispute with the AAA. No arbitrator or other party to an arbitration proceeding may disclose the existence, content or results thereof, except for disclosures of information by a
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party required in the ordinary course of its business or by applicable law or regulation. If more than one agreement for arbitration by or between the parties potentially applies to a dispute, the arbitration provision most directly related to the documents between the parties or the subject matter of the dispute shall control. This arbitration provision shall survive termination, amendment or expiration of any of the documents or any relationship between the parties.
(j) Small Claims Court. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, each party retains the right to pursue in Small Claims Court any dispute within that court’s jurisdiction. Further, this arbitration provision shall apply only to disputes in which either party seeks to recover an amount of money (excluding attorneys’ fees and costs) that exceeds the jurisdictional limit of the Small Claims Court.
Owner warrants that Owner is an organization registered under the laws of Delaware.
Owner warrants that its chief executive office (or principal residence, if applicable) is located at the following address: 10 & 12 Whatney, Irvine, California 92618.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed as of the date first written above.
TILLY’S, INC.,
a Delaware corporation
By: /s/ Michael L. Henry
Michael L. Henry
Chief Financial Officer
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