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Fieldstone Mortgage Investment CORP
·
8-K
Aug 17, 11:01 AM ET
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Fieldstone Mortgage Investment CORP 8-K
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Contents
188
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01. Definitions. For all purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
Section 1.02. Other Definitional Provisions.
(a) All terms defined in this Agreement shall have the defined meanings when used in any certificate or other document made or delivered pursuant hereto unless otherwise defined therein.
(b) As used in this Agreement and in any certificate or other document made or delivered pursuant hereto or thereto, accounting terms not defined in this Agreement or in any such certificate or other document, and accounting terms partly defined in this Agreement or in any such certificate or other document to the extent not defined, shall have the respective meanings given to them under generally accepted accounting principles. To the extent that the definitions of accounting terms in this Agreement or in any such certificate or other document are inconsistent with the meanings of such terms under generally accepted accounting principles, the definitions contained in this Agreement or in any such certificate or other document shall control.
(c) The words “hereof,” “herein,” “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement; Section and Exhibit references contained in this Agreement are references to Sections and Exhibits in or to this Agreement unless otherwise specified; and the term “including” shall mean “including without limitation.”
(d) The definitions contained in this Agreement are applicable to the singular as well as the plural forms of such terms and to the masculine as well as the feminine and neuter genders of such terms.
(e) Any agreement, instrument or statute defined or referred to herein or in any instrument or certificate delivered in connection herewith means such agreement, instrument or statute as from time to time amended, modified or supplemented and includes (in the case of agreements or instruments) references to all attachments thereto and instruments incorporated therein; references to a Person are also to its permitted successors and assigns.
ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION
Section 2.01. Name. The trust established under this Agreement shall be referred to as “Fieldstone Mortgage Investment Trust, Series 2005-2,” in which name the Owner Trustee and the Officers may conduct the activities contemplated hereby, including the making and executing of contracts and other instruments on behalf of the Trust and sue and be sued.
Section 2.02. Office. The principal office of the Trust shall be in care of the Owner Trustee, at its Corporate Trust Office. The Trust shall also have an office in care of the Trust Administrator at its Corporate Trust Office.
Section 2.03. Purpose and Powers. The Trust shall have the power and authority to engage in any of the following activities:
(a) to issue the Notes pursuant to the Indenture and the Certificates pursuant to this Agreement and to sell, transfer and exchange such Notes and Certificates;
(b) with the proceeds of the sale of the Notes and the Certificates, to pay the organizational, start-up and transactional expenses of the Trust and to pay the balance of the Net Proceeds from the Notes to the Depositor in consideration of the transfer to the Trust of the Collateral;
(c) to assign, grant, transfer, pledge, mortgage and convey the Trust Estate pursuant to the Indenture and to hold, manage and distribute to the Certificateholders pursuant to the terms of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement any portion of the Collateral released from the lien of, and remitted to the Trust pursuant to, the Indenture;
(d) to enter into and perform its obligations under the Operative Agreements and the Swap Agreement to which it is to be a party;
(e) to engage in those activities, including entering into agreements, that are necessary, suitable or convenient to accomplish the foregoing or are incidental thereto or connected therewith; and
(f) subject to compliance with the Operative Agreements, to engage in such other activities as may be required in connection with conservation of the Trust Estate and the making of distributions and payments to the Certificateholders and the Noteholders.
Section 2.04. Appointment of the Owner Trustee. The Depositor hereby appoints the Bank to act as owner trustee (the “Owner Trustee”) of the Trust effective as of the date hereof to have all the rights, powers and duties set forth herein with respect to accomplishing the purposes of the Trust.
Section 2.05. Initial Capital Contribution; Declaration of Trust.
(a) The Depositor hereby sells, assigns, transfers, conveys and sets over to the Trust, as of the date hereof, the sum of $1. The Owner Trustee hereby acknowledges receipt in trust from the Depositor, as of the Closing Date, of the foregoing contribution, which shall constitute the initial corpus of the Trust Estate. The Depositor shall pay organizational expenses of the
Trust as they may arise or shall, upon the request of the Owner Trustee, promptly reimburse the Owner Trustee for any such expenses paid by the Owner Trustee.
(b) The Owner Trustee hereby declares that it will hold the Trust Estate in trust upon and subject to the conditions set forth herein for the use and benefit of the Certificateholders, subject to the obligations of the Trust under the Operative Agreements. It is the intention of the parties hereto that the Trust constitute a statutory trust under the Delaware Trust Statute and that this Agreement constitute the governing instrument of such statutory trust. No later than the Closing Date, the Owner Trustee shall cause the filing of the Certificate of Trust with the Secretary of State. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the rights of the Certificateholders will be those of beneficial owners of the Trust.
Section 2.06. Issuance of Initial Certificates. Upon the formation of the Trust by the initial contribution by the Depositor pursuant to Section 2.05, the Owner Trustee will issue the Certificates to the Initial Holders.
Section 2.07. Liability of the Ownership Certificate Holder. The Ownership Certificate Holder shall be liable directly to and shall indemnify any injured party for all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses of the Trust (including Expenses, to the extent not paid out of the Trust Estate); provided, however, that the Ownership Certificate Holder shall not be liable for payments required to be made to or for any losses incurred by a Noteholder in the capacity of an investor in the Notes. In addition, any third party creditors of the Trust (other than in connection with the obligations described in the following sentence for which the Ownership Certificate Holder shall be liable) shall be deemed third party beneficiaries of this paragraph. The Ownership Certificate Holder shall be liable for any entity level taxes imposed on the Trust. The obligations of the Ownership Certificate Holder under this paragraph shall be evidenced by the Ownership Certificate.
Section 2.08. Situs of Trust. The Trust will be located in the State of Delaware. All bank accounts maintained by the Owner Trustee on behalf of the Trust shall be located in the States of Delaware, New York or the jurisdiction where the Trust Administrator maintains bank accounts with respect to collections on the Collateral. The only office of the Trust will be as described in Section 2.02 hereof. The Trust shall not have any employees; provided, however, that nothing herein shall restrict or prohibit the Owner Trustee from having employees within or without the State of Delaware. Payments will be received by the Trust only in Delaware, New York, the jurisdiction in which the Trust Administrator maintains the Collection Account or such other jurisdiction designated by the Depositor, and payments will be made by the Trust only from the Collection Account or from Delaware, New York or such other jurisdiction designated by the Depositor.
Section 2.09. Title to Trust Property.
(a) Subject to the Indenture, title to all of the Trust Estate shall be vested at all times in the Trust as a separate legal entity until this Agreement terminates pursuant to Article VIII hereof; provided, however, that if the laws of any jurisdiction require that title to any part of the Trust Estate be vested in the trustee of the Trust, then title to that part of the Trust Estate shall be
deemed to be vested in the Owner Trustee or any co-trustee or separate trustee, as the case may be, appointed pursuant to Article IX of this Agreement.
(b) The Certificateholders shall have beneficial but not legal title to any part of the Trust Estate. No transfer by operation of law or otherwise of any interest of the Certificateholders shall operate to terminate this Agreement or the trusts created hereunder or entitle any transferee to an accounting or to the transfer to it of any part of the Trust Estate.
Section 2.10. Representations and Warranties of the Depositor. The Depositor hereby represents and warrants to the Owner Trustee, the Swap Counterparty and the Trust Administrator as of the Closing Date, as follows:
(a) The Depositor is duly organized and validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with power and authority to own its properties and to conduct its business as such properties are currently owned and such business is presently conducted and had at all relevant times, and now has, power, authority and the legal right to acquire and own the Mortgage Loans.
(b) The Depositor is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing and has obtained all necessary licenses and approvals in all jurisdictions in which the ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business shall require such qualifications.
(c) The Depositor has the power and authority to execute and deliver any Operative Agreement to which it is a party and to carry out its terms; the Depositor has full power and authority to sell and assign the Collateral to be sold and assigned to and deposited with the Trust and the Depositor has duly authorized such assignment and deposit to the Trust by all necessary corporate action; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement to which it is a party has been duly authorized by the Depositor by all necessary corporate action and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery of each such agreement by the other parties thereto, each such agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Depositor, enforceable against the Depositor in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement thereof may be subject to or limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles.
(d) The consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the fulfillment of the terms hereof and thereof do not conflict with, result in any breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute (with or without notice or lapse of time) a default under, the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Depositor, or any indenture, agreement or other instrument to which the Depositor is a party or by which it is bound; nor result in the creation or imposition of any lien upon any of its properties pursuant to the terms of any such indenture, agreement or other instrument (other than pursuant to the Operative Agreements); nor violate any law or, to the best of the Depositor’s knowledge, any order, rule or regulation applicable to the Depositor of any court or of any Federal or state regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality having jurisdiction over the Depositor or its properties.
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(e) There are no proceedings or investigations, pending or, to the best knowledge of the Depositor, threatened before any court, regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality having jurisdiction over the Depositor or its properties: (i) asserting the invalidity of this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement to which the Depositor is a party, (ii) seeking to prevent the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement to which the Depositor is a party or (iii) seeking any determination or ruling that might materially and adversely affect the performance by the Depositor of its obligations under, or the validity or enforceability of, this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement to which the Depositor is a party.
(f) The representations and warranties of the Depositor made pursuant to the Transfer and Servicing Agreement are true and correct.
(g) This Agreement is not required to be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the Trust is not required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Section 2.11. Tax Treatment. The Depositor, the Owner Trustee and the Initial Holder intend that the Trust be treated for federal income tax purposes as a Qualified REIT Subsidiary and agree to take no action inconsistent with such treatment. The Trust Administrator will perform the calculation of accrual of original issue discount and the amortization of premium on the Securities. The Seller will prepare and file the Trust’s income tax returns and will make any other necessary tax filings under the Code.
Section 2.12. Investment Company. Neither the Depositor nor any holder of a Certificate shall take any action which would cause the Trust to become an “investment company” which would be required to register under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
ARTICLE III THE CERTIFICATES AND TRANSFERS OF INTERESTS
Section 3.01. The Certificates. The Ownership Certificate shall initially be issued as a single certificate in definitive, fully registered form and shall initially be registered in the name of the applicable Initial Holder. No Ownership Certificate shall be issued in authorized denominations of less than a 100% Percentage Interest in such Certificate. The Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Trust by manual or facsimile signature of an Authorized Officer of the Owner Trustee and authenticated in the manner provided in Section 3.02. Each Certificate bearing the manual signatures of individuals who were, at the time when such signatures shall have been affixed, authorized to sign on behalf of the Trust, shall be validly issued and entitled to the benefit of this Agreement, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them shall have ceased to be so authorized prior to the authentication and delivery of each such Certificate or did not hold such offices at the date of authentication and delivery of each such Certificate. A Person shall become a Certificateholder and shall be entitled to the rights and subject to the obligations of a Certificateholder hereunder upon such Person’s acceptance of a Certificate duly registered in such Person’s name pursuant to Section 3.03.
Section 3.02. Execution, Authentication and Delivery of the Certificates. Concurrently with the sale of the Collateral to the Trust pursuant to the Transfer and Servicing Agreement, the Owner Trustee shall cause the Certificates issued hereunder to be executed and authenticated on behalf of the Trust and authenticated and delivered to or upon the written order of the Depositor, signed by its chairman of the board, its president or any vice president, without further corporate action by the Depositor. No Certificate shall entitle its Holder to any benefit under this Agreement or be valid for any purpose unless there shall appear on such Certificate a certificate of authentication substantially in the form set forth as part of Exhibit A hereto, executed by the Owner Trustee or the Certificate Registrar, as the Owner Trustee’s authenticating agent, by manual signature; such authentication shall constitute conclusive evidence that such Certificate shall have been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder. All Certificates shall be dated the date of their authentication.
Section 3.03. Registration of and Limitations on Transfers and Exchanges of the Certificates. The Certificate Registrar shall keep or cause to be kept, at the office or agency maintained pursuant to Section 3.08, a Certificate Register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Certificate Registrar shall provide for the registration of the Certificates and of transfers and exchanges of the Certificates as set forth herein; provided, however, that no Ownership Certificate shall be issued in any such transfer and exchange representing less than a 100% Percentage Interest in such Certificate, and provided, further, that no Ownership Certificate shall be issued in any such transfer and exchange except in accordance with the provisions and conditions set forth below in this Section 3.03. The Trust Administrator shall be the initial Certificate Registrar. If the Certificate Registrar resigns or is removed, the Owner Trustee, with the consent of the Depositor, shall appoint a successor Certificate Registrar.
(i) Such Person is duly authorized to purchase the Ownership Certificate and its purchase of investments having the characteristics of the Ownership Certificate is authorized under, and not directly or indirectly in contravention of, any law, charter, trust instrument or other operative document, investment guidelines or list of permissible or impermissible investments that is applicable to the investor;
(ii) Such Person understands that each holder of an Ownership Certificate, by virtue of its acceptance thereof, assents to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Agreement; and
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(iii) Such Person is a REIT, a Qualified REIT Subsidiary, or an entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes that is wholly owned by a REIT or a Qualified REIT Subsidiary.
Section 3.04. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated or Destroyed Certificate. If (a) a mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Certificate Registrar, or (b) the Certificate Registrar receives evidence to its satisfaction that a Certificate has been destroyed, lost or stolen, and there is delivered to the Certificate Registrar proof of ownership satisfactory to the Certificate Registrar, together with such security or indemnity as required by the Certificate Registrar and the Owner Trustee to save each of them harmless, then in the absence of notice to the Certificate Registrar or the Owner Trustee that such Certificate has been acquired by a protected purchaser, the Owner Trustee shall execute on behalf of the Trust, and the Owner Trustee or the Certificate Registrar shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Certificate, a new Certificate of like tenor and Percentage Interest. In connection with the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 3.04, the Owner Trustee or the Certificate Registrar may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any expenses of the Owner Trustee or the Certificate Registrar (including any fees and expenses of counsel) and any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith. Any duplicate Certificate issued pursuant to this Section 3.04 shall constitute conclusive evidence of ownership in the Trust, as if originally issued, whether or not the lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate shall be found at any time.
Section 3.05. Persons Deemed Certificateholders. Prior to due presentation of a Certificate for registration of transfer, the Owner Trustee, the Certificate Registrar or any Certificate Paying Agent may treat any Certificateholder as the owner of such Certificate for the purpose of receiving distributions pursuant to Section 4.02 and for all other purposes whatsoever, and none of the Trust, the Owner Trustee, the Certificate Registrar or any Certificate Paying Agent shall be bound by any notice to the contrary.
Section 3.06. Access to List of Certificateholders’ Names and Addresses. The Certificate Registrar shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Depositor or the Owner Trustee, within 15 days after receipt by the Certificate Registrar of a written request therefor from the Depositor or the Owner Trustee, in such form as the Depositor or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, may reasonably require, the name and address of each Certificateholder as of the most recent Record Date. A Certificateholder, by receiving and holding a Certificate, shall be deemed to have agreed not to hold any of the Trust, the Depositor, the Certificate Registrar and the Owner Trustee accountable or liable for damages by reason of the disclosure of its name and address, regardless of the source from which such information was derived.
Section 3.07. [Reserved]
Section 3.08. Maintenance of Office or Agency. The Certificate Registrar on behalf of the Trust, shall maintain an office or offices or agency or agencies where the Certificates may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Owner Trustee in respect of the Certificates and the Operative Agreements may be served. The Certificate Registrar shall give the Owner Trustee prompt notice, in writing, of any such notice or demand. The Certificate Registrar initially designates the Corporate Trust Office of the Trust Administrator as its office for such purposes. The Certificate Registrar shall give prompt written notice to the Depositor, the Owner Trustee and the Certificateholders of any change in the location of the Certificate Register or any such office or agency.
Section 3.09. Certificate Paying Agent.
(a) The Owner Trustee may appoint, and hereby appoints, the Trust Administrator as Certificate Paying Agent under this Agreement. The Certificate Paying Agent shall make distributions to each Certificateholder from the Collection Account pursuant to Section 4.02 hereof and Sections 5.08 and 6.02 of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement and, upon request, shall report the amounts of such distributions to the Owner Trustee. The Certificate Paying Agent shall have the revocable power to withdraw funds from the Collection Account for the purpose of making the distributions referred to above. The Trust Administrator hereby accepts such appointment and further agrees that it will be bound by the provisions of this Agreement and the Transfer and Servicing Agreement relating to the Certificate Paying Agent and shall:
(i) hold all sums held by it for the payment of amounts due with respect to the Certificates in trust for the benefit of the Person entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Person or otherwise disposed of as herein provided;
(ii) give the Owner Trustee notice of any default by the Trust of which a Responsible Officer of the Trust Administrator has actual knowledge in the making of any payment required to be made with respect to the Certificates;
(iii) at any time during the continuance of any such default, upon the written request of the Owner Trustee forthwith pay to the Owner Trustee on behalf of the Trust all sums so held in Trust by such Certificate Paying Agent;
(iv) immediately resign as Certificate Paying Agent and forthwith pay to the Owner Trustee on behalf of the Trust all sums held by it in trust for the payment of the Certificates if at any time it ceases to meet the standards under this Section 3.09 required to be met by the Certificate Paying Agent at the time of its appointment; and
(v) not institute bankruptcy proceedings against the Trust in connection with this Agreement.
(b) In the event that the Trust Administrator shall no longer be the Certificate Paying Agent hereunder, the Owner Trustee, with the consent of the Depositor, shall appoint a successor to act as Certificate Paying Agent (which shall be a bank or trust company). The Owner Trustee shall cause such successor Certificate Paying Agent or any additional Certificate Paying Agent
appointed by the Owner Trustee to execute and deliver to the Owner Trustee an instrument in which such successor Certificate Paying Agent or additional Certificate Paying Agent shall agree with the Owner Trustee that as Certificate Paying Agent, such successor Certificate Paying Agent or additional Certificate Paying Agent will hold all sums, if any, held by it for payment in trust for the benefit of each Certificateholder entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Certificateholder. The Certificate Paying Agent shall return all unclaimed funds to the Owner Trustee, and upon removal of a Certificate Paying Agent, such Certificate Paying Agent shall also return all funds in its possession to the Owner Trustee. The provisions of Sections 5.03, 5.04, 6.01, 6.05, 6.07, 6.08, 7.01 and 7.02 shall apply to the Trust Administrator also in its role as Certificate Paying Agent for so long as the Trust Administrator shall act as Certificate Paying Agent and, to the extent applicable, to any other Certificate Paying Agent appointed hereunder. Any reference in this Agreement to the Certificate Paying Agent shall include any co-paying agent unless the context requires otherwise.
Section 3.10. Initial Beneficiary. Upon the formation of the Trust by the contribution by the Depositor pursuant to Section 2.05 and until the issuance of the Certificates, the Depositor shall be the sole beneficiary of the Trust.
ARTICLE IV APPLICATION OF TRUST FUNDS; CERTAIN DUTIES
Section 4.01. Collection Account. All of the right, title and interest of the Trust in all funds on deposit from time to time in the Collection Account and in all proceeds thereof shall be held for the benefit of each Certificateholder and such other persons entitled to payments therefrom. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein or in the Transfer and Servicing Agreement, the Collection Account shall be under the sole dominion and control of the Owner Trustee for the benefit of the Certificateholders.
Section 4.02. Application of Trust Funds.
(a) On each Payment Date, the Owner Trustee shall direct the Certificate Paying Agent to distribute to each Certificateholder, from amounts on deposit in the Collection Account, the distributions as provided in Sections 5.08 and 6.02 of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement with respect to such Payment Date. The Owner Trustee hereby directs the Certificate Paying Agent to distribute on each Payment Date to each Certificateholder amounts on deposit in the Collection Account in accordance with Sections 5.08 and 6.02 of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement and the Certificate Paying Agent hereby acknowledges such direction.
(b) All payments to be made under this Agreement by the Certificate Paying Agent shall be made only from the income and proceeds, including Net Proceeds from the Notes, of the Trust Estate and only to the extent that the Certificate Paying Agent has received such income or proceeds. The Bank shall not be liable to any Certificateholder, the Indenture Trustee or the
Trust Administrator for any amounts payable pursuant to this Section 4.02 except to the extent that non-payment is due to the Owner Trustee’s acts or omissions amounting to willful misconduct or gross negligence.
(c) Distributions to any Certificateholder shall be subordinated to the creditors of the Trust, including, without limitation, the Noteholders.
Section 4.03. Method of Payment. Subject to Section 8.01(c), distributions required to be made to any Certificateholder on any Payment Date as provided in Section 4.02 shall be made to the each Person who was a Certificateholder on the preceding Record Date either by wire transfer, in immediately available funds, to the account of each such Certificateholder at a bank or other entity having appropriate facilities therefor, if such respective Certificateholder shall have provided to the Certificate Registrar appropriate written instructions at least five Business Days prior to such Payment Date or, if not, by check mailed to each such Certificateholder at the respective address of such Certificateholder appearing in the Certificate Register.
Section 4.04. [Reserved]
Section 4.05. Segregation of Moneys; No Interest. Moneys received by or on behalf of the Owner Trustee hereunder and deposited into the Collection Account will be segregated except to the extent required otherwise by law or the provisions of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement. The Owner Trustee shall not be liable for payment of any interest in respect of such moneys.
ARTICLE V AUTHORITY AND DUTIES OF THE OWNER TRUSTEE; ACTION BY CERTIFICATEHOLDERS
Section 5.01. General Authority. The Owner Trustee is authorized and directed to execute and deliver the Notes, the Certificates, the other Operative Agreements to which the Trust is to be a party, each certificate or other document attached as an exhibit to or contemplated by the Operative Agreements to which the Trust is to be a party and any amendment or other agreement or instrument described herein, all as approved by the Depositor, as evidenced conclusively by the Owner Trustee’s execution thereof, and, on behalf of the Trust, to direct the Trust Administrator to authenticate the Notes. In addition to the foregoing, the Owner Trustee is authorized, but shall not be obligated, to take all actions required of the Trust pursuant to the Operative Agreements.
Section 5.02. General Duties.
(a) It shall be the duty of the Owner Trustee to discharge (or cause to be discharged) all of its responsibilities pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and the other Operative Agreements to which the Trust is a party and to administer the Trust in the interest of the Certificateholders, subject to the Operative Agreements and in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Owner Trustee shall be deemed to have discharged its duties and responsibilities hereunder and under the Operative Agreements to the extent the Trust Administrator has agreed in the Transfer and Servicing Agreement or this Agreement, respectively, to perform any act or to discharge any duty of the Owner Trustee or the
Trust hereunder or under any Operative Agreement, and the Owner Trustee shall not be held liable for the default or failure of the Trust Administrator to carry out its obligations under the this Agreement or the Transfer and Servicing Agreement or any other Operative Agreement, respectively; and
(b) It shall be the duty of the Depositor under the Transfer and Servicing Agreement to obtain and preserve the Trust’s qualification to do business in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is or shall be necessary to protect the validity and enforceability of the Indenture, the Notes, the Collateral and each other instrument and agreement included in the Trust Estate. It shall be the duty of the Owner Trustee to cooperate with the Depositor with respect to such matters.
Section 5.03. Action Upon Instruction.
(a) Subject to Article V and in accordance with the terms of the Operative Agreements, the Ownership Certificate Holder may by written instruction direct the Owner Trustee in the management of the Trust, but only to the extent consistent with the limited purpose of the Trust. Such direction may be exercised at any time by written instruction of the Ownership Certificate Holder pursuant to this Article V.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Owner Trustee shall not be required to take any action hereunder or under any Operative Agreement if the Owner Trustee shall have reasonably determined, or shall have been advised by counsel, that such action is likely to result in liability on the part of the Owner Trustee or is contrary to the terms hereof or of any Operative Agreement or is otherwise contrary to law.
(c) Whenever the Owner Trustee is unable to decide between alternative courses of action permitted or required by the terms of this Agreement or under any other Operative Agreement, or in the event that the Owner Trustee is unsure as to the application of any provision of this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement or any such provision is ambiguous as to its application, or is, or appears to be, in conflict with any other applicable provision, or in the event that this Agreement permits any determination by the Owner Trustee or is silent or is incomplete as to the course of action that the Owner Trustee is required to take with respect to a particular set of facts, the Owner Trustee may promptly give notice (in such form as shall be appropriate under the circumstances) to the Ownership Certificate Holder requesting instruction as to the course of action to be adopted, and to the extent the Owner Trustee acts in good faith in accordance with any written instruction of the Ownership Certificate Holder, the Owner Trustee shall not be liable on account of such action to any Person. If the Owner Trustee shall not have received appropriate instruction within 10 days of such notice (or within such shorter period of time as reasonably may be specified in such notice or may be necessary under the circumstances) it may, but shall be under no duty to, take or refrain from taking such action not inconsistent with this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement, as it shall deem to be in the best interests of each Certificateholder, and the Owner Trustee shall have no liability to any Person for such action or inaction.
Section 5.04. No Duties Except as Specified under Specified Documents or in Instructions. The Owner Trustee shall not have any duty or obligation to manage, make any
payment with respect to, register, record, sell, dispose of, or otherwise deal with the Trust Estate, or to otherwise take or refrain from taking any action under, or in connection with, any document contemplated hereby to which the Owner Trustee or the Trust is a party, except as expressly provided (i) in accordance with the powers granted to and the authority conferred upon the Owner Trustee pursuant to this Agreement, and (ii) in accordance with any document or instruction delivered to the Owner Trustee pursuant to Section 5.03; and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement or any Operative Agreement against the Owner Trustee. Without limiting the foregoing, unless specifically enumerated in any Operative Agreement to which the Owner Trustee is party, the Owner Trustee (i) shall have no duty or obligation to execute, file or deliver, or cause the preparation, filing or delivery by other persons of, any such documents, reports, filings, instruments, certificates or opinions as it shall be the duty of the Trust to prepare, file or deliver pursuant to the Operative Agreements, (ii) shall have no duty or obligation to take, or refrain from taking, any action that is the duty or the obligation of the Trust pursuant to the Operative Agreements and (iii) shall have no duty or obligation to monitor the Trust’s duties and obligations pursuant to the Operative Agreements nor ensure that such duties and obligations are fulfilled by the Trust. The Owner Trustee shall have no responsibility for filing any financing or continuation statement in any public office at any time or to otherwise perfect or maintain the perfection of any security interest or lien granted to the Trust or to prepare or file any Securities and Exchange Commission filing for the Trust or to record this Agreement or any Operative Agreement or to prepare or file any tax return for the Trust. The Owner Trustee nevertheless agrees that it will, at its own cost and expense, promptly take all action as may be necessary to discharge any liens on any part of the Trust Estate that result from actions by, or claims against the Bank that are not related to the ownership or the administration of the Trust Estate.
Section 5.05. Restrictions.
(a) The Owner Trustee shall not take any action that is inconsistent with the purposes of the Trust set forth in Section 2.03. The Ownership Certificate Holder shall not direct the Owner Trustee to take action that would violate the provisions of this Section 5.05.
(b) The Owner Trustee shall not, except as provided herein, convey or transfer any of the Trust’s properties or assets, including those included in the Trust Estate, to any person unless such conveyance or transfer shall not violate the provisions of the Indenture.
Section 5.06. Prior Notice to the Certificateholders with Respect to Certain Matters. With respect to the following matters, the Owner Trustee shall not take action unless at least 30 days before the taking of such action, the Owner Trustee shall have notified each Certificateholder in writing of the proposed action and each Certificateholder shall have notified the Owner Trustee in writing prior to the 30th day after such notice is given that each Certificateholder has consented to such action or provided alternative direction:
(a) The initiation of any claim or lawsuit by the Trust (except claims or lawsuits brought in connection with the collection of cash distributions due and owing under the Collateral) and the compromise of any action, claim or lawsuit brought by or against the Trust (except with respect to the aforementioned claims or lawsuits for collection of cash distributions due and owing under the Collateral);
(b) the election by the Trust to file an amendment to the Certificate of Trust (unless such amendment is required to be filed under the Delaware Trust Statute);
(c) the amendment of the Indenture by a supplemental indenture or of this Agreement, the Swap Agreement or any other Operative Agreement in circumstances where the consent of any Noteholder is required;
(d) the amendment or other change of the Indenture by a supplemental indenture or of this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement in circumstances where the consent of any Noteholder is not required and such amendment materially adversely affects the interests of any Certificateholder;
(e) the amendment of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement in circumstances where the consent of any Securityholder is required;
(f) the amendment, change or modification of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement, except to cure any ambiguity or to amend or supplement any provision in a manner or add any provision that would not materially and adversely affect the interests of any Certificateholder;
(g) the appointment pursuant to the Indenture of a successor Note Registrar, Paying Agent or Indenture Trustee or pursuant to this Agreement of a successor Certificate Registrar or Certificate Paying Agent or the consent to the assignment by the Note Registrar, Paying Agent, Indenture Trustee, Certificate Registrar or Certificate Paying Agent of its obligations under the Indenture or this Agreement, as applicable;
(h) the consent to the calling or waiver of any default of any Operative Agreement;
(i) the consent to the assignment by the Indenture Trustee of its obligations under any Operative Agreement;
(j) except as provided in Article VIII hereof, dissolve, terminate or liquidate the Trust in whole or in part;
(k) the merger, conversion or consolidation of the Trust with or into any other entity, or conveyance or transfer of all or substantially all of the Trust’s assets to any other entity;
(l) the incurrence, assumption or guaranty by the Trust of any indebtedness other than as set forth in this Agreement;
(m) the taking of any action which conflicts with any Operative Agreement or would make it impossible to carry on the ordinary business of the Trust or change the Trust’s purpose and powers set forth in this Agreement;
(n) the confession of a judgment against the Trust;
(o) the possession of the Trust assets, or assignment of the Trust’s right to property, for other than a Trust purpose; or
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(p) the lending of funds by the Trust to any entity.
(q) The Owner Trustee shall not have the power, except upon the written direction of the Ownership Certificate Holder, to (i) remove the Trust Administrator under the Transfer and Servicing Agreement pursuant to Section 7.10 thereof, (ii) appoint a successor Trust Administrator pursuant to Section 7.10 of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement, or (iii) except as expressly provided in the Indenture, to sell the Collateral after the termination of the Indenture. The Owner Trustee shall take the actions referred to in the preceding sentence only upon written instructions signed and authorized by the Ownership Certificate Holder.
Section 5.07. Action by the Holder with Respect to Bankruptcy. The Owner Trustee shall not have the power to commence or consent to a bankruptcy relating to the Trust without the prior approval of the Ownership Certificate Holder and the delivery to the Owner Trustee by the Ownership Certificate Holder of a certificate certifying that the Ownership Certificate Holder reasonably believes that the Trust is insolvent. This paragraph shall survive for one year and one day following termination of this Agreement. So long as the Indenture remains in effect, the Ownership Certificate Holder shall not have the power to institute, and shall not institute, any bankruptcy with respect to the Trust or direct the Owner Trustee to take such action.
Section 5.08. Restrictions on the Ownership Certificate Holder’s Power. The Ownership Certificate Holder shall not direct the Owner Trustee to take or to refrain from taking any action if such action or inaction would be contrary to any obligation of the Trust or the Owner Trustee under this Agreement or any of the Operative Agreements or would be contrary to Section 2.03 nor shall the Owner Trustee be obligated to follow any such direction, if given.
ARTICLE VI CONCERNING THE OWNER TRUSTEE
Section 6.01. Acceptance of Trusts and Duties. The Owner Trustee accepts the trusts hereby created and agrees to perform the same but only upon the terms of this Agreement and the terms of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement. The Owner Trustee also agrees to disburse all moneys actually received by it constituting part of the Trust Estate upon the terms of this Agreement. The Bank shall not be answerable or accountable hereunder or under any other Operative Agreements under any circumstances, except (i) for its own willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith, (ii) in the case of the inaccuracy of any representation or warranty contained in Section 6.04, (iii) for liabilities arising from the failure by the Bank to perform obligations expressly undertaken by it in the last sentence of Section 5.04, or (iv) for taxes, fees or other charges based on or measured by any fees, commissions or compensation received by the Bank in connection with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, any other Operative Agreements or the Notes. In particular, but not by way of limitation:
(a) The Bank shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer of the Owner Trustee;
(b) The Bank shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Owner Trustee in accordance with the instructions of any Certificateholder;
(c) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Bank to expend or risk funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of the Owner Trustee’s rights or powers hereunder or under any other Operative Agreements if the Bank shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured or provided to it;
(d) Under no circumstance shall the Bank be liable for indebtedness evidenced by or arising under any of the Operative Agreements, including the principal of and interest on the Notes;
(e) The Bank shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Depositor, the Trust Administrator, the Master Servicer, the Indenture Trustee, any Officer or the Certificate Paying Agent under this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement or otherwise and the Bank shall not be obligated to perform or monitor the performance of any obligations or duties under this Agreement or the other Operative Agreements which are to be performed by the Certificate Paying Agent under this Agreement, the Trust Administrator under the Transfer and Servicing, the Indenture Trustee under the Indenture or by any other Person under any of the Operative Agreements; and
(f) The Bank shall not be responsible for or in respect of the recitals herein, the validity or sufficiency of this Agreement or for the due execution hereof by the Depositor or for the form, character, genuineness, sufficiency, value or validity of any of the Trust Estate or for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of the Operative Agreements, other than the certificate of authentication on the Certificates, and the Bank shall in no event assume or incur any liability, duty or obligation to any Noteholder, the Depositor or to any Certificateholder, other than as expressly provided for herein.
Section 6.02. Furnishing of Documents. The Owner Trustee will furnish to the Trust Administrator (for distribution to each Certificateholder), promptly upon receipt of a written request therefor, duplicates or copies of all reports, notices, requests, demands, certificates, financial statements and any other instruments furnished to the Owner Trustee hereunder or under the Operative Agreements unless the Trust Administrator shall have already received the same.
Section 6.03. Books and Records. The Owner Trustee shall keep or cause to be kept proper books of record and account of all the transactions under this Agreement, including a record of the name and address of each Certificateholder. The Owner Trustee shall be deemed to have complied with this Section 6.03 by the appointment of the Trust Administrator and the Certificate Paying Agent to perform the duties hereunder.
Section 6.04. Representations and Warranties.
(a) The Bank represents and warrants to the Depositor, for the benefit of each Certificateholder and the Swap Counterparty, as follows:
(i) the Bank is a national banking association, duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the United States and has the power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and (assuming due authorization, execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Depositor and Trust Administrator), has the power and authority as Owner Trustee to execute and deliver the Operative Agreements and to perform its obligations thereunder and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the other parties hereto, this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Bank or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, enforceable against the Bank or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, in accordance with its terms, except that (a) the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, receivership and other similar laws relating to creditors’ rights generally and (b) the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and
other forms of equitable relief may be subject to equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought;
(ii) the Bank has no reason to believe that anyone authorized to act on its behalf has offered any interest in and to the Trust for sale to, or solicited any offer to acquire any of the same from, anyone;
(iii) the execution, delivery and performance by the Bank, either in its individual capacity or as Owner Trustee, as the case may be, of the Operative Agreements will not result in any violation of, or be in any conflict with, or constitute a default under any of the provisions of any indenture, mortgage, chattel mortgage, deed of trust, conditional sales contract, lease, note or bond purchase agreement, license, judgment, order or other agreement to which the Bank is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound;
(iv) the execution and delivery by the Bank of this Agreement, and the performance of its duties as Owner Trustee hereunder, do not require the consent or approval of, the giving of notice to, or the registration with, or the taking of any other action with respect to, any governmental authority or agency of the State of Delaware (except as may be required by the Delaware Trust Statute); and
(v) there are no pending or, to the best of its knowledge, threatened actions or proceedings against the Bank before any court, administrative agency or tribunal which, if determined adversely to it, would materially and adversely affect its ability, either in its individual capacity or as Owner Trustee, as the case may be, to perform its obligations under this Agreement or the Operative Agreements.
(b) Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as Trust Administrator, hereby represents and warrants to the Depositor, for the benefit of each Certificateholder and the Swap Counterparty, that:
(i) it is a national banking association, duly organized and validly existing in good standing under the laws of the United States, and has the power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the other parties hereto, this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trust Administrator, enforceable against the Trust Administrator in accordance with its terms, except that (a) the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, receivership and other similar laws relating to creditors’ rights generally and (b) the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought;
(ii) it has taken all action necessary to authorize the execution and delivery by it of this Agreement, and this Agreement will be executed and delivered by one of its officers who is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Agreement on its behalf; and
(iii) neither the execution nor the delivery by it of this Agreement nor the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby nor compliance by it with
any of the terms or provisions hereof will contravene any federal, governmental rule or regulation governing the banking or trust powers of the Trust Administrator or any judgment or order binding on it, or constitute any default under its charter documents or by-laws or any indenture, mortgage, contract, agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which any of its properties may be bound.
Section 6.05. Reliance; Advice of Counsel.
(a) Except as provided in Section 6.01, the Owner Trustee shall incur no liability to anyone in acting upon any signature, instrument, notice, resolution, request, consent, order, certificate, report, opinion, bond or other document or paper believed by it to be genuine and believed by it to be signed by the proper party or parties. The Owner Trustee may accept a certified copy of a resolution of the board of directors or other governing body of any corporate or partnership entity as conclusive evidence that such resolution has been duly adopted by such body and that the same is in full force and effect. As to any fact or matter the manner of ascertainment of which is not specifically prescribed herein, the Owner Trustee may for all purposes hereof rely on a certificate, signed by the president or any vice president (or the general partner, in the case of a partnership) and by the treasurer or any assistant treasurer or the secretary or any assistant secretary of the relevant party, as to such fact or matter, and such certificate shall constitute full protection to the Owner Trustee for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in reliance thereon.
(b) In its exercise or administration of the trusts and powers hereunder, including its obligations under Section 5.02(b), and in the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement or the other Operative Agreements, the Owner Trustee may employ agents and attorneys and enter into agreements (including the Transfer and Servicing Agreement) with any of them, and the Owner Trustee shall not be answerable for the default or misconduct of any such agents or attorneys if such agents or attorneys shall have been selected by the Owner Trustee with reasonable care. If, and to the extent, the Seller shall have failed to reimburse the Owner Trustee for all reasonable expenses and indemnities incurred pursuant to this Section 6.05(b), as provided in Section 7.01 and Section 7.02, the Owner Trustee may seek reimbursement therefor from the Trust Estate.
(c) In the administration of the trusts and performance of its duties hereunder, the Owner Trustee may consult with counsel, accountants and other skilled Persons to be selected and employed by it, and the Owner Trustee shall not be liable for anything done, suffered or omitted in good faith by it in accordance with the reasonable advice or opinion of any such counsel, accountants or other skilled Persons. If, and to the extent, the Seller shall have failed to reimburse the Owner Trustee for all reasonable expenses and indemnities incurred pursuant to this Section 6.05(c), as provided in Section 7.01 and Section 7.02, the Owner Trustee may seek reimbursement therefor from the Trust Estate.
Section 6.06. Not Acting in Individual Capacity. Except as provided in this Article VI, in accepting the trusts hereby created the Owner Trustee acts solely as trustee hereunder and not in its individual capacity, and all persons having any claim against the Owner Trustee by reason of the transactions contemplated by the Operative Agreements shall look only to the Trust Estate for payment or satisfaction thereof.
Section 6.07. Owner Trustee Not Liable for Certificates or Collateral. The recitals contained herein and in the Certificates (other than the signatures and countersignatures of the Owner Trustee on the Certificates) shall be taken as the statements of the Depositor, and the Owner Trustee assumes no responsibility for the correctness thereof. The Owner Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Agreement, of any Operative Agreement or of the Certificates (other than the signatures and countersignatures of the Owner Trustee on the Certificates) or the Notes, or of any Collateral or related documents. The Owner Trustee shall at no time have any responsibility or liability for or with respect to the legality, validity and enforceability of any Collateral, or the perfection and priority of any security interest created by any Collateral or the maintenance of any such perfection and priority, or for or with respect to the sufficiency of the Trust Estate or its ability to generate the payments to be distributed to Certificateholders under this Agreement or the Noteholders under the Indenture, including, without limitation: the existence, condition and ownership of any Collateral; the existence and enforceability of any insurance thereon; the existence and contents of any Collateral on any computer or other record thereof; the validity of the assignment of any Collateral to the Trust or of any intervening assignment; the completeness of any Collateral; the performance or enforcement of any Collateral; the compliance by the Depositor with any warranty or representation made under any Operative Agreements or in any related document or the accuracy of any such warranty or representation or any action of the Trust Administrator or the Indenture Trustee taken in the name of the Owner Trustee.
Section 6.08. Owner Trustee May Own Notes. The Owner Trustee in its individual capacity may become an owner or pledgee of Notes and may deal with the Depositor, the Trust Administrator and the Indenture Trustee in banking transactions with the same rights as it would have if it were not Owner Trustee.
Section 6.09. Licenses. The Depositor shall cause the Trust to use its best efforts to obtain and maintain the effectiveness of any licenses required in connection with this Agreement and the other Operative Agreements and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby until such time as the Trust shall terminate in accordance with the terms hereof. It shall be the duty of the Owner Trustee to cooperate with the Depositor with respect to such matters.
Section 6.10. Doing Business in Other Jurisdictions. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, neither the Bank nor the Owner Trustee shall be required to take any action in any jurisdiction other than in the State of Delaware if the taking of such action will (i) require the consent or approval or authorization or order of or the giving of notice to, or the registration with or the taking of any other action in respect of, any state or other governmental authority or agency of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware; (ii) result in any fee, tax or other governmental charge under the laws of any jurisdiction or any political subdivisions thereof in existence on the date hereof other than the State of Delaware becoming payable by the Bank or the Owner Trustee; or (iii) subject the Bank or the Owner Trustee to personal jurisdiction in any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware for causes of action arising from acts unrelated to the consummation of the transactions by the Bank or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, contemplated hereby. The Owner Trustee shall be entitled to obtain advice of counsel (which advice shall be an expense of the Trust) to determine whether any action required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement results in the consequences described in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of the preceding sentence. In the event that such counsel advises the Owner Trustee that
such action will result in such consequences, the Owner Trustee will appoint a co-trustee pursuant to Section 9.05 hereof to proceed with such action.
Section 6.11. Sarbanes-Oxley Act Certification. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any Operative Agreement, the Owner Trustee shall not be required to execute, deliver or certify on behalf of the Trust or any other Person any filings, certificates, affidavits or other instruments in connection with certifications required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
ARTICLE VII INDEMNIFICATION AND COMPENSATION
Section 7.01. Trust Expenses. The Seller shall pay the organizational expenses of the Trust as they may arise or shall, upon the request of the Owner Trustee, promptly reimburse the Owner Trustee for any such expenses paid by the Owner Trustee in connection therewith. The Seller shall also pay (or reimburse the Bank for) all reasonable expenses of the Owner Trustee hereunder, including, without limitation, the reasonable compensation, expenses and disbursements of such agents, representatives, experts and counsel as the Owner Trustee may employ in connection with the exercise and performance of its rights and duties under the Operative Agreements.
Section 7.02. Indemnification. The Seller agrees to assume liability for, and indemnify the Bank and its successors, assigns, officers, directors, agents and servants, against and from, any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, taxes, claims, actions, suits, costs, expenses and disbursements (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively, “Expenses”) which may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted at any time against the Bank (whether or not indemnified against by other parties) in any way relating to or arising out of this Agreement, any Operative Agreement, the Collateral, the administration of the Trust Estate or the action or inaction of the Owner Trustee hereunder, except only that the Seller shall not be required to indemnify the Bank for Expenses arising or resulting from any of the matters described in the third sentence of Section 6.01. The indemnities contained in this Section 7.02 shall survive the resignation or termination of the Owner Trustee or the termination of this Agreement. In the event of any claim, action or proceeding for which indemnity will be sought pursuant to this Section, the Owner Trustee’s choice of legal counsel shall be subject to the approval of the Seller, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
Section 7.03. Compensation. The Bank shall receive as compensation for its services hereunder such fees as are set forth in the Fee Letter Agreement between the Bank and the Seller.
Section 7.04. Lien on Trust Estate. The Bank shall have a lien on the Trust Estate for any compensation or indemnity due hereunder, such lien to be subject only to prior liens of the Indenture. The Bank shall not bring any proceedings to foreclose on such lien if and to the extent the Trust Estate is subject to the lien of the Indenture. Any amount paid to the Owner Trustee pursuant to this Article VII shall be deemed not to be part of the Trust Estate immediately after such payment.
ARTICLE VIII TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
Section 8.01. Termination of Agreement.
(a) This Agreement (other than Article VII) shall terminate and the trusts created hereby shall dissolve and terminate and the Trust Estate shall, subject to the Indenture and Sections 4.01 and 7.04 and Section 3808 of the Delaware Trust Statute, be distributed to the Certificateholders, and this Agreement shall be of no further force or effect, upon the earlier of (i) the full payment of principal and interest due on all Classes of the Notes and all obligations under the Swap Agreement; and (ii) the sale or other final disposition by the Indenture Trustee or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, of all the Trust Estate and the final distribution by the Indenture Trustee or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, of all moneys or other property or proceeds of the Trust Estate in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the Transfer and Servicing Agreement and Section 4.02. The bankruptcy, liquidation or dissolution of any Certificateholder shall not operate to terminate this Agreement, nor entitle such Certificateholder’s legal representatives to claim an accounting or to take any action or proceeding in any court for a partition or winding up of the Trust Estate, nor otherwise affect the rights, obligations and liabilities of the parties hereto.
(b) Except as provided in Section 8.01(a), none of the Depositor or any Certificateholder shall be entitled to revoke or terminate the Trust established hereunder.
(c) Notice of any termination of the Trust, specifying the Payment Date upon which Certificateholders shall surrender their Certificates to the Certificate Paying Agent for payment of the final distribution and cancellation, shall be given by the Certificate Paying Agent by letter to the Certificateholders, the Swap Counterparty and the Rating Agencies mailed within five Business Days of receipt of notice of the final payment on the Notes pursuant to the Transfer and Servicing Agreement, stating (i) the Payment Date upon or with respect to which final payment of the Certificates shall be made upon presentation and surrender of the Certificates at the office of the Certificate Paying Agent therein designated, (ii) the amount of any such final payment and (iii) that the Record Date otherwise applicable to such Payment Date is not applicable, payments being made only upon presentation and surrender of the Certificates at the office of the Certificate Paying Agent therein specified. The Certificate Paying Agent shall give such notice to the Owner Trustee and the Certificate Registrar at the time such notice is given to the Certificateholders. Upon presentation and surrender of the Certificates, the Certificate Paying Agent shall cause to be distributed to the applicable Certificateholder amounts distributable on such Payment Date pursuant to Section 5.08 and Section 6.02 of the Transfer and Servicing Agreement.
(d) Upon the winding up of the Trust and its termination, the Owner Trustee shall upon the written request of the Depositor cause the Certificate of Trust to be cancelled by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of Section 3810 of the Delaware Trust Statute.
ARTICLE IX SUCCESSOR OWNER TRUSTEES AND ADDITIONAL OWNER TRUSTEES
Section 9.01. Eligibility Requirements for Owner Trustee. The Owner Trustee shall at all times be a corporation satisfying the provisions of Section 3807(a) of the Delaware Trust Statute; authorized to exercise corporate powers; having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or examination by Federal or state authorities; and having (or having a parent which has) a short-term debt rating of at least “A-1” or the equivalent by, or which is otherwise acceptable to, the Rating Agencies. If such corporation shall publish reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purpose of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. In case at any time the Owner Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Owner Trustee shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 9.02.
Section 9.02. Resignation or Removal of Owner Trustee. The Owner Trustee may at any time resign and be discharged from the trusts hereby created by giving 30 days’ prior written notice thereof to the Depositor, the Swap Counterparty and the Indenture Trustee. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Depositor shall promptly appoint a successor Owner Trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Owner Trustee and one copy to the successor Owner Trustee. If no successor Owner Trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Owner Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Owner Trustee.
Section 9.03. Successor Owner Trustee. Any successor Owner Trustee appointed pursuant to Section 9.02 shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Trust Administrator and to its predecessor Owner Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment under this
Agreement, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the predecessor Owner Trustee shall become effective and such successor Owner Trustee without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become fully vested with all the rights, powers, duties, and obligations of its predecessor under this Agreement, with like effect as if originally named as Owner Trustee. The predecessor Owner Trustee shall upon payment of its fees and expenses deliver to the successor Owner Trustee all documents and statements and monies held by it under this Agreement; and the Trust Administrator and the predecessor Owner Trustee shall execute and deliver such instruments and do such other things as may reasonably be required for fully and certainly vesting and confirming in the successor Owner Trustee all such rights, powers, duties, and obligations.
Section 9.04. Merger or Consolidation of Owner Trustee. Any Person into which the Owner Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Owner Trustee shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Owner Trustee, shall be the successor of the Owner Trustee hereunder, provided such Person shall be eligible pursuant to Section 9.01, without the execution or filing of any instrument or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding.
Section 9.05. Appointment of Co-Trustee or Separate Trustee. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement, at any time, for the purpose of meeting any legal requirements of any jurisdiction in which any part of the Trust Estate or any Collateral may at the time be located, and for the purpose of performing certain duties and obligations of the Owner Trustee with respect to the Trust and the Certificates under the Transfer and Servicing Agreement, the Owner Trustee shall have the power and shall execute and deliver all instruments to appoint one or more Persons approved by the Owner Trustee to act as co-trustee, jointly with the Owner Trustee, or separate trustee or separate trustees, of all or any part of the Trust Estate, and to vest in such Person, in such capacity, such title to the Trust, or any part thereof, and, subject to the other provisions of this Section, such powers, duties, obligations, rights and trusts as the Owner Trustee may consider necessary or desirable. No co-trustee or separate trustee under this Agreement shall be required to meet the terms of eligibility as a successor trustee pursuant to Section 9.01 and no notice of the appointment of any co-trustee or separate trustee shall be required pursuant to Section 9.03.
(a) all rights, powers, duties and obligations conferred or imposed upon the Owner Trustee shall be conferred upon and exercised or performed by the Owner Trustee and such separate trustee or co-trustee jointly (it being understood that such separate trustee or co-trustee is not authorized to act separately without the Owner Trustee joining in such act), except to the extent that under any law of any jurisdiction in which any particular act or acts are to be performed, the Owner Trustee shall be incompetent or unqualified to perform such act or acts, in which event such rights, powers, duties, and obligations (including the holding of title to the Trust or any portion thereof in any such jurisdiction) shall be exercised and performed singly by such separate trustee or co-trustee, but solely at the direction of the Owner Trustee;
(b) no trustee under this Agreement shall be personally liable by reason of any act or omission of any other trustee under this Agreement; and
(c) the Trust Administrator and the Owner Trustee acting jointly may at any time accept the resignation of or remove any separate trustee or co-trustee.
ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS
Section 10.01. Supplements and Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the Depositor, the Trust Administrator and the Owner Trustee, with the consent of each Certificateholder and with the prior written consent of the Swap Counterparty (but only to the
extent such amendment materially adversely affects the amounts, priority or timing of payments under the Swap Agreement and the Swap Agreement is in effect) and with prior written notice to the Rating Agencies, but without the consent of any of the Noteholders or the Indenture Trustee, to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provisions in this Agreement or for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions in this Agreement or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Noteholders or each Certificateholder; provided, however, that such action shall not, as evidenced by an Opinion of Counsel, adversely affect in any material respect the interests of any Noteholder or Certificateholder or adversely affect the tax status of the Trust. An amendment shall not be deemed to adversely affect in any material respect the interests of any Noteholder or Certificateholder and no opinion referred to in the preceding proviso shall be required to be delivered if the Person requesting the amendment obtains a letter from each Rating Agencies stating that the amendment would not result in the downgrading or withdrawal of the respective ratings then assigned to each applicable Class of Notes and Certificates. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, an opinion shall be required with respect to tax matters as set forth in this paragraph.
Section 10.02. No Legal Title to Trust Estate in Certificateholders. The Certificateholders shall not have legal title to any part of the Trust Estate and shall only be entitled to receive distributions with respect to their respective undivided beneficial interest therein pursuant to Section 4.02 once all amounts then owing with respect to the Notes have been paid in accordance with the Indenture. No transfer, by operation of law of any right, title and interest of any Certificateholder in and to its undivided beneficial interest in the Trust Estate or hereunder shall operate to terminate this Agreement or the trusts hereunder or entitle any successor transferee to an accounting or to the transfer to it of legal title to any part of the Trust Estate.
Section 10.03. Pledge of Collateral by Owner Trustee is Binding. The pledge of the Collateral to the Indenture Trustee by the Trust made under the Indenture and pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall bind each Certificateholder and shall be effective to transfer or convey the rights of the Trust and each Certificateholder in and to such Collateral to the extent set forth in the Indenture. No purchaser or other grantee shall be required to inquire as to the authorization, necessity, expediency or regularity of such pledge or as to the application of any proceeds with respect thereto by the Owner Trustee.
Section 10.04. Limitations on Rights of Others. Nothing in this Agreement, whether express or implied (except for Section 7.04), shall be construed to give to any Person other than the Owner Trustee and the Certificateholders any legal or equitable right in the Trust Estate or under or in respect of this Agreement or any covenants, conditions or provisions contained herein.
Section 10.05. Notices. Unless otherwise expressly specified or permitted by the terms hereof, all notices shall be in writing and delivered by hand, by courier or mailed by certified mail, postage prepaid, (a) if to the Owner Trustee or the Trust, addressed to it at the Corporate Trust Office of the Owner Trustee or to such other address as the Owner Trustee may have set forth in a written notice to the Certificateholders and the Depositor addressed to it at the address set forth for such Certificateholders in the Certificate Register; (b) if to the Trust Administrator, addressed to it at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trust Administrator; and (c) if to the
Depositor, Fieldstone Mortgage Investment Corporation, 11000 Broken Lane Parkway, Suite 600, Columbia, Maryland 21044. Whenever any notice in writing is required to be given by the Owner Trustee or the Trust Administrator, such notice shall be deemed given and such requirement satisfied if such notice is mailed by certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed as provided above.
Section 10.06. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.
Section 10.07. Separate Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 10.08. Successors and Assigns. All representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained herein shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the Owner Trustee and its successors and assigns and the Swap Counterparty, the Depositor and each Certificateholder and its respective successors, all as herein provided. Any request, notice, direction, consent, waiver or other instrument or action by any Certificateholder shall bind the successors of each such Certificateholder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Swap Counterparty is an express third party beneficiary of this Agreement.
Section 10.09. Headings. The headings of the various Articles and Sections herein are for convenience of reference only and shall not define or limit any of the terms or provisions hereof.
Section 10.10. Governing Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL IN ALL RESPECTS BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE CONFLICT OF LAWS PROVISIONS THEREOF, INCLUDING ALL MATTERS OF CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY AND PERFORMANCE, AND THE OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS AND REMEDIES OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH LAWS.
Section 10.11. No Petition.
(a) The Owner Trustee and the Trust Administrator, by entering into this Agreement, each Certificateholder, by accepting the Certificates, and the Indenture Trustee and each Noteholder, by accepting the benefits of this Agreement, hereby covenant and agree that they will not at any time institute against the Depositor or the Trust, or join in any institution against the Depositor or the Trust of, any bankruptcy under any United States federal or state bankruptcy or similar law in connection with any obligations relating to the Certificates, the Notes, this Agreement or any of the other Operative Agreements.
(b) The Depositor shall not be liable for the default or misconduct of the Trust Administrator, the Owner Trustee, the Indenture Trustee or the Certificate Paying Agent under
any of the Operative Agreements or otherwise and the Depositor shall have no obligation or liability to perform the obligations of the Trust under this Agreement or the Operative Agreements that are required to be performed by the Trust Administrator under the Transfer and Servicing Agreement or the Indenture Trustee under the Indenture.
Section 10.12. No Recourse. Each Certificateholder by accepting a Certificate acknowledges that such Certificateholder’s Certificate represents a beneficial interest in the Trust only and does not represent an interest in or an obligation of the Depositor, the Trust Administrator, the Owner Trustee, any co-trustee, the Bank or any Affiliate thereof (other than the Trust) and no recourse may be had against such parties or their assets, except as may be expressly set forth or contemplated in this Agreement, the Certificates or the other Operative Agreements.
Section 10.13. Customer Identification. The Depositor’s legal name, principal place of business, local office or other physical location street address is Fieldstone Mortgage Investment Corporation, 11000 Broken Lane Parkway, Suite 600, Columbia, Maryland 21044, and its government issued identification number is 20-2972688. The Seller’s legal name, principal place of business, local office or other physical location street address is Fieldstone Investment Corporation, 11000 Broken Land Parkway, Suite 600, Columbia, Maryland 21044, and its government issued identification number is 54-1873198. In connection with any federal, state or local laws requiring financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person or entity who opens an account, the Owner Trustee may request, and the Seller and the Depositor agree to promptly provide to the Owner Trustee, copies of documentation which substantiates the identity of the Depositor or the Seller, as applicable. Such documentation may include, but is not limited to, financial statements, government licenses, certified copies of formation documents or identification documentation of principals claiming to represent such party.
ARTICLE XI OFFICERS
Section 11.01. Appointment of Officers. The Trust may have one or more Officers who are hereby empowered to take and are responsible for performing all ministerial duties on behalf of the Trust pursuant to this Agreement and the other Operative Agreements, including, without limitation, the execution of the Officers’ Certificate (as defined in the Indenture), the Trust Order (as defined in the Indenture), the Trust Request (as defined in the Indenture), the annual compliance report required under Section 3.09 of the Indenture, and any annual reports, documents and other reports which the Trust is required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Each of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, each Senior Vice President and each Vice President of the Depositor is hereby appointed as an Officer of the Trust. The Depositor shall promptly deliver to the Owner Trustee and the Indenture Trustee a list of its officers who shall become the Officers of the Trust pursuant to this Section 11.01.
Section 11.02. Officers to Provide Information to the Owner Trustee. It shall be the duty of each Officer to keep the Owner Trustee reasonably and promptly informed as to material
events relating to the Trust, including, without limitation, all claims pending or threatened against the Trust, the purchase and sale of any material portion of the Trust Estate and the execution by such Officer on behalf of the Trust of any material agreements or instruments.
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