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): November 17, 2021
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | ||||||
(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212 ) 692-2000
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K 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 Symbols: | Name of each exchange on which registered: | |||||||||||||||
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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
Common Stock Offering
On November 17, 2021, AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. (the “Company”) and AG REIT Management, LLC, the Company's external manager (the “Manager”), entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”), with Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, JMP Securities LLC, and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”), for the issuance and sale of 7,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Common Stock”). The Underwriters agreed to purchase the Common Stock from the Company at a price of $9.9425 per share (or $10.25 per share, in the case of shares of the Common Stock purchased by the Manager and David Roberts, the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, as described below), resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $69.6 million, after deducting estimated offering expenses. In addition, the Company granted the Underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,050,000 shares of Common Stock.
The transaction contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement closed on November 22, 2021 (the "Closing"). In the Underwriting Agreement, the Company made certain customary representations, warranties and covenants and agreed to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
In addition, the Manager and David Roberts, the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, purchased 700,000 and 200,000 shares, respectively, of the shares of Common Stock purchased by the Underwriters. Such shares were purchased at the public offering price, or $10.25 per share, and were not subject to any underwriting discounts or commissions.
The offering and sale of Common Stock were made pursuant to a preliminary prospectus supplement and final prospectus supplement, dated November 15, 2021 and November 17, 2021, respectively, related to the Company’s effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-255931), each of which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A copy of the Underwriting Agreement is filed as Exhibit 1.1 hereto and incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Underwriting Agreement. The legal opinion of Venable LLP relating to the legality of the Common Stock is attached as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.
Management Agreement Amendment
Concurrently with the Closing, the Company entered into a third amendment (the "Amendment") to the Company's management agreement, dated as of June 29, 2011 (as amended from time to time, the "Management Agreement"), with the Manager, pursuant to which the Company will pay the Manager an annual incentive fee in addition to the base management fee. Pursuant to the Amendment, the Manager waived the annual incentive fee with respect to the fiscal years ending December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, and the annual incentive fee will first be payable with respect to the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.
Pursuant to the Amendment, the annual incentive fee with respect to each applicable fiscal year will be equal to 15% of the amount by which the Company's cumulative adjusted net income (as defined in the Amendment) from the date of the Amendment exceeds the cumulative hurdle amount (as defined in the Amendment), which represents an 8% return (cumulative, but not compounding) on an equity hurdle base consisting of the sum of (i) the Company's adjusted book value (calculated in the manner described in the Company's public filings) as of October 31, 2021, (ii) $69.6 million, and (iii) the gross proceeds of any subsequent public or private common stock offerings by the Company. The annual incentive fee will be payable in cash, or, at the option of the Company's board of directors, shares of Common Stock or a combination of cash and shares.
In addition, pursuant to the Amendment, the current term of the Management Agreement was extended until June 30, 2023, unless earlier terminated in accordance with its terms. Thereafter, the Management Agreement will continue to renew automatically each year for an additional one-year period, unless the Company or the Manager exercise its respective termination rights. All other terms and conditions of the Management Agreement continued without change. Following the execution of the Amendment, the Company no longer expects to continue its historical practice of making periodic equity grants to the Manager pursuant to the Company's manager equity incentive plan.
A copy of the Amendment is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amendment.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL) | |||||||
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.
| Date: November 22, 2021 | AG MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, INC. | |||||||
| By: | /s/ JENNY B. NESLIN | |||||||
| Name: Jenny B. Neslin | ||||||||
| Title: General Counsel and Secretary | ||||||||
Exhibit 1.1
7,000,000 Shares
AG MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, INC.
Common Stock
AG MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, INC.
Common Stock
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
November 17, 2021
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
JMP Securities LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
as Representatives of the several Underwriters
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
1. Introductory. AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), agrees with the several Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, JMP Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), to issue and sell to the several Underwriters 7,000,000 shares (the “Firm Securities”) of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), and also proposes to issue and sell to the Underwriters, at the option of the Underwriters, an aggregate of not more than 1,050,000 additional shares of Common Stock (the “Optional Securities”) as set forth below. The Firm Securities and the Optional Securities are herein collectively called the “Offered Securities.”
The term Representatives shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company and Representations and Warranties of the Manager.
(a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the several Underwriters that:
(i) Filing and Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Certain Defined Terms. The Company has filed with the Commission (as defined below) a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-255931), including a related prospectus or prospectuses, covering the registration of the Offered Securities under the Securities Act, which has become effective. “Registration Statement” means such registration statement in the form then filed with the Commission, including any amendment thereto, any document incorporated by reference therein and all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to such registration statement, that in any case has not been superseded or modified. “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means the Registration Statement as of the Effective Time. For purposes of this definition, 430B Information shall be
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considered to be included in the Registration Statement as of the time specified in Rule 430B.
For purposes of this Agreement:
“430B Information” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(e) or retroactively deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(f).
“430C Information” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430C.
“Applicable Time” means 6:05 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement.
“Closing Date” has the meaning defined in Section 3 hereof.
“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Effective Time” of the Registration Statement relating to the Offered Securities means the time of the first contract of sale for the Offered Securities.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Final Prospectus” means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public offering price, other 430B Information and other final terms of the Offered Securities and otherwise satisfies Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.
“General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being so specified in Schedule B to this Agreement.
“General Disclosure Package” means any General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the most recent Statutory Prospectus that is distributed to investors prior to the Applicable Time and the information included on Schedule B hereto, all considered together.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 (“Rule 433”) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Securities Act (the “Securities Act Regulations”), including, without limitation, any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 405”)), relating to the Offered Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Offered Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) (for the avoidance of doubt, including any Pricing Term Sheet (as hereinafter defined)).
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“Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
“Rules and Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission.
“Rule 424(b)” means Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act Regulations.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Securities Laws” means, collectively, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Rules and Regulations, the auditing principles, rules, standards and practices applicable to auditors of “issuers” (as defined in Sarbanes-Oxley) promulgated or approved by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as applicable, the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”).
“Statutory Prospectus” with reference to any particular time means the prospectus relating to the Offered Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to the Registration Statement. For purposes of the foregoing definition, 430B Information shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus only as of the actual time that form of prospectus (including a prospectus supplement) is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and not retroactively.
Unless otherwise specified, a reference to a “rule” is to the indicated rule under the Securities Act.
(ii) Registration Statement and Prospectuses.
(A) Each of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto has become effective under the Securities Act. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the Securities Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any Statutory Prospectus or the Final Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.
(B) The Company meets the requirements for the use of, and has prepared and filed with the Commission the Registration Statement, including a prospectus relating to, among other things, the Offered Securities, to be issued from time to time by the Company.
(C) At the time the Registration Statement initially became effective, at the time of each amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether by post-effective amendment, incorporated report or form of prospectus), at the Applicable Time relating to the Offered Securities or at any Closing Date, the Registration Statement complied or will
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comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations. Each Statutory Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations. The documents incorporated, or to be incorporated, by reference in each Statutory Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and the Exchange Act, as applicable. Each Statutory Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was or will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR (as defined below), except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(iii) Accurate Disclosure.
(A) At the time the Registration Statement initially became effective, at the time of each amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether by post-effective amendment, incorporated report or form of prospectus), at the Applicable Time relating to the Offered Securities and, at the Closing Date, the Registration Statement did not contain or will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit or will not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, neither (A) the General Disclosure Package nor (B) any individual Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Neither the Final Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto (including any prospectus wrapper), as of its issue date, at the time of any filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and, at the Closing Date, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(B) The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the General Disclosure Package or any Statutory Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use therein. For purposes of this Agreement, the only information so furnished shall be the Underwriter Information (as defined below).
(iv) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Prospectus Supplement and any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section
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2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act, the Company (including its agents and representatives) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act with respect to each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus including, without limitation, all prospectus delivery, filing, record retention and legending requirements applicable to any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the offering and sale of the Offered Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representative, did not, does not and will not include any material information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any documents incorporated by reference therein, or any prospectus supplement relating to this offering deemed to be part thereof that has not been superseded or modified, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus.
(v) Independent Accountants. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the accountants who certified the financial statements and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus are independent registered public accountants as required by the Securities Act, the Rules and Regulations, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Exchange Act.
(vi) Financial Statements. The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified. Said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in all material respects and in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus fairly present the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Rules and Regulations applicable thereto. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or the Rules and Regulations.
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(vii) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement or the General Disclosure Package or otherwise publicly disclosed in the case of clause (C) below, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the financial condition, or in the earnings, business affairs, properties or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Company Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and (C) there has been no distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.
(viii) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly formed and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(ix) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each subsidiary of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) has been duly organized and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Company Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through Subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity. None of the outstanding capital stock of any Subsidiary were issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary.
(x) Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus as of the respective dates thereof. The outstanding capital stock of
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the Company has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and non-assessable. None of the outstanding capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.
(xi) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken.
(xii) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(xiii) Authorization and Description of Offered Securities. The Offered Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable; and the issuance of the Offered Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company. The Common Stock conforms to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and such descriptions conform to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same. No holder of Offered Securities will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.
(xiv) Descriptions of the Agreement and Other Matters. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus. The Company’s operating policies and investment guidelines described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus accurately reflect in all material respects the current intentions of the Company with respect to the operation of its business, and no material deviation from such guidelines or policies is currently contemplated.
(xv) Registration Rights. There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights that have not been waived that are applicable to the offering of the Offered Securities.
(xvi) Absence of Violations, Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (A) in violation of its charter, bylaws or similar organizational document, (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and
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Instruments”), except for such defaults that have been waived or would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect, or (C) in violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”), except for such violations that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect. The execution, delivery and performance of each of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities as described therein under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations under this Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that have been waived or would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter, bylaws or similar organizational document of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any Governmental Entity. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
(xvii) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent.
(xviii) Absence of Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, there is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any Governmental Entity now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which might result in a Company Material Adverse Effect, or which might materially and adversely affect their respective properties or assets or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; and the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any such subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final
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Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not result in a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(xix) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been so described and filed as required.
(xx) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the Securities Act, the Rules and Regulations, the rules of the NYSE or state securities laws.
(xxi) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate Governmental Entities necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the failure so to possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect. All of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(xxii) Title to Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by them and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (A) are described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus or (B) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of
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the Company or any subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.
(xxiii) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(xxiv) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus or would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Company Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or known threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no known events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or Governmental Entity, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
(xxv) Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls.
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(A) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain effective internal control over financial reporting (as defined under Rule 13-a15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act and the Rules and Regulations) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, since the Company’s formation, there has been (1) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (2) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(B) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act and the Rules and Regulations) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.
(xxvi) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of Sarbanes-Oxley and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(xxvii) Payment of Taxes. All United States federal income tax returns of the Company and its subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been filed and all taxes shown by such returns or otherwise assessed, which are due and payable, have been paid, except assessments against which appeals have been or will be promptly taken and as to which adequate reserves have been provided. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all other tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, state, local or other law except insofar as the failure to file such returns would not result in a Company Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its subsidiaries, except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been
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established by the Company. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(xxviii) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance, with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks as is generally maintained by companies engaged in the same or similar business, and all such insurance is in full force and effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Company Material Adverse Effect. Neither of the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.
(xxix) Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(xxx) Absence of Manipulation. Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company has taken, nor will the Company or any affiliate take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed, or would be reasonably expected, to cause or result in, or which has constituted, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Securities or to result in a violation of Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”).
(xxxi) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries: (i) has used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) has made any direct or indirect unlawful contribution or payment to any official of, or candidate for, or any employee of, any federal, state or foreign office from corporate funds; (iii) has made any bribe, unlawful rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment; or (iv) is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the OECD Convention on Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “FCPA”) or any similar law or regulation to which the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person
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associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject. Each of the Company, the Subsidiaries and their affiliates have conducted its businesses in compliance with the FCPA and any applicable similar law or regulation and has instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(xxxii) Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company, and its subsidiaries and, to the Company’s knowledge, affiliates of the Company, are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), as amended, and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding (including any inquiries or investigations by any court or governmental agency, authority or body, domestic or foreign, or any arbitrator) with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated.
(xxxiii) OFAC Sanctions.
(A) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Entity”) nor any director, officer or employee thereof, nor, to the Entity’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Entity, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea region, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
(1) The Entity will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person: (A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or (B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any
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Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(2) The Entity has not knowingly engaged in, is not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(3) For the past 5 years, the Entity has not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(xxxiv) Lending Relationship. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(xxxv) Statistical and Market-Related Data. Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate and, to the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.
(xxxvi) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, shareholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents and in the General Disclosure Package.
(xxxvii) Listing. At the First Closing Date, the Offered Securities will have been approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to notice of issuance.
(xxxviii) Employment; Noncompetition; Nondisclosure. Except as would not be material to the Company, the Company has not been notified that any executive officer or key employee of the Company, AG REIT Management, LLC (the “Manager”) or Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P. (“Angelo, Gordon”), or significant number of members of the residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) or commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) investment teams of the Company, the Manager or Angelo, Gordon plan to terminate his, her or their employment with his, her or their current employer. Neither the Manager, Angelo,
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Gordon, nor any executive officer or key employee of the Manager or Angelo, Gordon is subject to any noncompete, nondisclosure, confidentiality, employment, consulting or similar agreement that would be violated by the present or proposed business activities of the Company, the Manager or Angelo, Gordon as described in the Management Agreement, dated June 29, 2011, by and between, the Company and the Manager (as amended, the “Management Agreement”), the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus.
(xxxix) Real Estate Investment Trust Status. The Company has made a timely election to be subject to tax as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) pursuant to Section 856 through 860 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for its taxable year ended December 31, 2011. Commencing with its short taxable year ended December 31, 2011, the Company has been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and the Company’s actual and proposed method of operation as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus does and will enable it to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. All statements regarding the Company’s qualification and taxation as a REIT and descriptions of the Company’s organization and proposed method of operation set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus are true, complete and correct in all material respects.
(xl) Description of Organization and Method of Operation. The description of the Company’s organization and actual and proposed method of operation and its qualification and taxation as a REIT set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus is accurate and presents fairly the matters referred to therein in all material respects. The Company has no present intention of changing its operations or engaging in activities which would cause it to fail to qualify, or make economically undesirable, its qualification as a REIT.
(xli) No Rated Securities. None of the outstanding securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries are rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act).
(xlii) Actively Traded. The Common Stock is an “actively-traded security” excepted from the requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M by subsection (c)(1) of that rule.
(xliii) Cybersecurity; Data Protection. The Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with, the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, and to the Company’s knowledge free and clear
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of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. The Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards designed to maintain and protect their material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and data (including all personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Personal Data”)) used in connection with their respective businesses, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or access to the same, except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any other person, nor any material incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. The Company and its subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification except where such non-compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its subsidiaries have taken all necessary actions to materially comply with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation if and to the extent applicable (and to prepare to materially comply with all other applicable laws and regulations with respect to Personal Data that have been announced as of the date hereof as becoming effective within 12 months after the date hereof, and for which any non-compliance with the same would be reasonably likely to create a material liability) as soon they take effect except where such non-compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
Any certificate signed by or on behalf of the Company and delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
(b) The Manager represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Underwriters that:
(i) Certain Information. The information regarding the Manager and Angelo, Gordon and the funds and accounts managed by Angelo, Gordon and its affiliates in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus is true, correct and complete in all material respects. The Manager has no present plan or intention to materially alter its investment policy or investment allocation policy with respect to the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
(ii) Good Standing of the Manager. The Manager has been duly organized and is validly existing as a limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property
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or the conduct of business, and has all power and authority necessary to own or hold its properties and to conduct the businesses in which it is engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not result in a material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs, properties or business prospects of the Manager and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business.
(iii) Due Authorization. The Manager has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken.
(iv) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Manager.
(v) Other Agreements of the Manager. The Management Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered in accordance with its terms by each of the parties thereto and constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Manager enforceable against the Manager in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability.
(vi) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Except as otherwise stated therein, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in the financial condition, or in the earnings, business affairs, properties or business prospects of the Manager, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Manager Material Adverse Effect”).
(vii) Absence of Violations, Defaults and Conflicts. The Manager is not (A) in violation of its charter, bylaws or similar organizational document, (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it or its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of it or any of its subsidiary is subject, or (C) in violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over it or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations, except, in the case of clauses (B) and (C) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
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(viii) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Manager of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, (A) conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Manager, or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it or its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of it or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (B) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter, bylaws or similar organizational document of it or any of its subsidiaries or (C) result in any violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over it or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations, except, in the case of clauses (A) and (C) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
(ix) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Manager of its obligations under this Agreement, in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the Securities Act, the Rules and Regulations, the rules of the NYSE or state securities laws.
(x) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Manager and its subsidiaries possess such Governmental Licenses issued by the appropriate arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency, except where the failure so to possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect. The Manager and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect. All of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect. The Manager and its subsidiaries have not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
(xi) Absence of Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, there is no
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action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency now pending or, to the knowledge of the Manager, threatened, against or affecting the Manager or any of its subsidiaries, which might result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect, or which would materially and adversely affect their respective properties or assets or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by it of its obligations hereunder.
(xii) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Manager nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Manager, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Manager or any of its subsidiaries: (i) has used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) has made any direct or indirect unlawful contribution or payment to any official of, or candidate for, or any employee of, any federal, state or foreign office from corporate funds; (iii) has made any bribe, unlawful rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment; or (iv) is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the OECD Convention on Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, the FCPA or any similar law or regulation to which the Manager, any of its subsidiaries, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Manager or any of its subsidiaries is subject. Each of the Manager, its subsidiaries and their affiliates have conducted its businesses in compliance with the FCPA and any applicable similar law or regulation and has instituted and maintained policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(xiii) Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Manager, and its subsidiaries and, to the Manager’s knowledge, affiliates of the Manager, are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), as amended, and the Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and no action, suit or proceeding (including any inquiries or investigations by any court or governmental agency, authority or body, domestic or foreign, or any arbitrator) with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Manager’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated.
(xiv) OFAC Sanctions.
(A) None of the Manager nor any of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Manager Entity”) nor any director, officer or employee thereof, nor, to the Manager Entity’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Manager Entity, is a Person that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is the subject of any Sanctions, or
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(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea region, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
(1) The Manager Entity will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person: (A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or (B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(2) The Manager Entity has not knowingly engaged in, is not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(C) For the past 5 years, the Manager Entity has not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(xv) Financial Resources. The Manager has the financial and other resources available to it necessary for the performance of its services and obligations as contemplated in the Management Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and under this Agreement.
(xvi) Employment; Noncompetition; Nondisclosure. Except as would not be material to the Company, the Manager has not been notified that any executive officer or key employee of the Company, the Manager or Angelo, Gordon, or a significant number of members of the RMBS or CMBS investment teams of the Company, the Manager or Angelo, Gordon plan to terminate his, her or their employment with his, her or their current employer. Neither the Manager, Angelo, Gordon, nor any executive officer or key employee of the Manager or Angelo, Gordon is subject to any noncompete, nondisclosure, confidentiality, employment, consulting or similar agreement that would be violated by the present or proposed business activities of the Company, the Manager or Angelo, Gordon as described in the Management Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus.
(xvii) Accounting Controls. The Manager maintains systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act
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and the Rules and Regulations) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, there are no material weaknesses in the Manager’s internal controls. The Manager’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Manager have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Manager’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Manager’s internal controls over financial reporting.
(xviii) Investment Advisers Act. The Manager is not prohibited by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder, from performing its obligations under the Management Agreement as contemplated by the Management Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
Any certificate signed by or on behalf of the Manager and delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Manager to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
3. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of Offered Securities.
On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of $9.9425 per share, the respective number of shares of Firm Securities set forth opposite the names of the Underwriters in Schedule A hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to the 900,000 Firm Securities that are identified as not being subject to any underwriting discounts or commissions in the most recent Statutory Prospectus that was distributed to investors prior to the Applicable Time, the purchase price shall be $10.25 per share.
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The Company will deliver the Firm Securities to or as instructed by the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representatives against payment of the purchase price by the Underwriters in Federal (same day) funds by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to the Representatives drawn to the order of the Company at the office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, at 10:00 a.m., New York time, on November 22, 2021, or at such other time not later than ten full business days thereafter as the Representatives and the Company determine, such time being herein referred to as the “First Closing Date.” For purposes of Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, the First Closing Date (if later than the otherwise applicable settlement date) shall be the settlement date for payment of funds and delivery of securities for all the Offered Securities sold pursuant to the offering. The Firm Securities so to be delivered or evidence of their issuance will be made available for checking at the above office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP at least 24 hours prior to the First Closing Date.
In addition, upon written notice from the Representatives given to the Company from time to time not more than 30 days subsequent to the date of the Final Prospectus, the Underwriters may purchase all or less than all of the Optional Securities at the purchase price per Security to be paid for the Firm Securities; provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Optional Securities shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Securities but not payable on such Optional Securities. The Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the number of shares of Optional Securities specified in such notice and the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase such Optional Securities. Such Optional Securities shall be purchased for the account of each Underwriter in the same proportion as the number of shares of Firm Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name bears to the total number of shares of Firm Securities (subject to adjustment by the Representatives to eliminate fractions). No Optional Securities shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Securities previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Optional Securities or any portion thereof may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Representatives to the Company.
Each time for the delivery of and payment for the Optional Securities, being herein referred to as an “Optional Closing Date,” which may be the First Closing Date (the First Closing Date and each Optional Closing Date, if any, being sometimes referred to as a “Closing Date”), shall be determined by the Representatives but shall be not later than five full business days after written notice of election to purchase Optional Securities is given. The Company will deliver the Optional Securities being purchased on each Optional Closing Date to or as instructed by the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representatives against payment of the purchase price therefor in Federal (same day) funds by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to the Representatives drawn to the order of the Company at the above office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. The Optional Securities being purchased on each Optional Closing Date or evidence of their issuance will be made available for checking at the above office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP at a reasonable time in advance of such Optional Closing Date.
4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Offered Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Final Prospectus.
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5. Certain Agreements of the Company and the Manager.
(a) The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(i) Filing of Prospectuses. The Company has filed or will file each Statutory Prospectus (including the Final Prospectus) pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 424(b)(2) (or, if applicable and consented to by the Representatives, subparagraph (5)) not later than the second business day following the earlier of the date the Statutory Prospectus is first used or the execution and delivery of this Agreement. With respect to the offering of the Offered Securities, the Company has complied and will comply with Rule 433.
(ii) Filing of Amendments; Response to Commission Requests. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or any Statutory Prospectus at any time and will not effect such amendment or supplementation without the Representatives’ consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld; and the Company will also advise the Representatives promptly of (A) the filing of any such amendment or supplement, (B) any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment to any Registration Statement, for any supplement to any Statutory Prospectus or for any additional information, (C) the institution by the Commission of any stop order proceedings in respect of a Registration Statement or the threatening of any proceeding for that purpose, and (D) the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Offered Securities in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceedings for such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the suspension of any such qualification and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(iii) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is (or but for the exemption in Rule 172 would be) required to be delivered under the Securities Act by any Underwriter or dealer, any event occurs as a result of which the Final Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives of such event and will promptly prepare and file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and the dealers and any other dealers upon request of the Representatives, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such compliance. Neither the Representatives’ consent to, nor the Underwriters’ delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the conditions set forth in Section 7 hereof.
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(iv) Rule 158. As soon as practicable, but not later than 16 months, after the date of this Agreement, the Company will make generally available to its securityholders an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months beginning after the date of this Agreement and satisfying the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158.
(v) Furnishing of Prospectuses. The Company will furnish to the Representatives copies of the Registration Statement, including all exhibits, any Statutory Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents, in each case as soon as available and in such quantities as the Representatives reasonably request. The Final Prospectus shall be so furnished on or prior to 3:00 p.m., New York time, on the business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or at such time as otherwise agreed to by the Representatives. All other documents shall be so furnished as soon as available. The Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the Underwriters all such documents.
(vi) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will arrange for the qualification of the Offered Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives designate and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(vii) Reporting Requirements. During the period of two years after the date of this Agreement, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, a copy of its annual report to shareholders for such year; and the Company will furnish to the Representatives as soon as available, a copy of each report and any definitive proxy statement of the Company filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act or mailed to shareholders. However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and is timely filing reports with the Commission on its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”), it is not required to furnish such reports or statements to the Underwriters.
(viii) Payment of Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including, but not limited to, (A) any filing fees and other expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters) incurred in connection with qualification of the Offered Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives designate and the preparation and printing of memoranda relating thereto, (B) costs and expenses (if any) related to the review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) of the Offered Securities (including filing fees and the fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to
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such review) with such costs not to exceed $15,000, (C) costs and expenses relating to investor presentations or any “road show” in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Securities including, without limitation, (1) any travel expenses of the Company’s officers and employees, and (2) any other expenses of the Company, (D) the fees and expenses incident to listing the Offered Securities on the NYSE, (E) the fees and expenses in connection with the registration of the Offered Securities under the Exchange Act, (F) expenses incurred in distributing preliminary prospectuses and the Final Prospectus (including any amendments and supplements thereto) to the Underwriters, (G) expenses incurred for preparing, printing and distributing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses to investors or prospective investors, (H) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company, (I) all fees for clearance, settlement and book-entry transfer of the Offered Securities through The Depository Trust Company, and (J) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.
(ix) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Securities in the manner described in the “Use of Proceeds” section of the General Disclosure Package and, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the Company does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Offered Securities hereunder.
(x) Absence of Manipulation. The Company will not take, and will cause its subsidiaries and affiliates not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Securities.
(xi) Restriction on Sale of Securities. For the period specified below (the “Lock-Up Period”), the Company and the Manager will not, directly or indirectly, take any of the following actions with respect to its Common Stock, any securities substantially similar to its Common Stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any of its Common Stock (“Lock-Up Securities”): (A) offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of Lock-Up Securities, (B) offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, contract to purchase or grant any option, right or warrant to purchase Lock-Up Securities, (C) enter into any swap, hedge or any other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequences of ownership of Lock-Up Securities, (D) establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position in Lock-Up Securities within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, or (E) file with the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to Lock-Up Securities, or publicly disclose the intention to take any such action, without the prior written consent of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and JMP Securities LLC; provided, however, notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the Company will, without the prior written consent of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and JMP Securities LLC be permitted to make awards with respect to shares of
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Common Stock pursuant to the AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. 2020 Equity Incentive Plan or the AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. 2021 Manager Equity Incentive Plan, and (ii) the Manager will, without the prior written consent of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and JMP Securities LLC, be permitted to transfer or otherwise dispose of shares of Common Stock as necessary in connection with awards of shares of Common Stock to employees of the Manager or its affiliates pursuant to a compensatory plan adopted by the parent of the Manager. The Lock-Up Period will commence on the date hereof and continue for 90 days after the date hereof or such earlier date that Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and JMP Securities LLC consent to in writing.
(xii) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. No subsidiary is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company or any of its subsidiaries any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or any of its subsidiaries or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
(xiii) Qualification and Taxation as a REIT. The Company will use its best efforts to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for its taxable year ending December 31, 2021, and the Company will use its best efforts to continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code unless the Board of Directors of the Company determines that it is no longer in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to be so qualified.
(xiv) The Company will complete all required filings with the NYSE and other necessary actions in order to cause the Offered Securities to be listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the NYSE by the First Closing Date.
(b) The Manager agrees with the several Underwriters that the Manager will not take, and will cause its subsidiaries and affiliates over which the Manager exercises control not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Securities.
6. Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Offered Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any
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Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping. The Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show.
7. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Firm Securities on the First Closing Date and the Optional Securities to be purchased on each Optional Closing Date will be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Manager herein (as though made on such Closing Date), to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company, the Manager and their respective subsidiaries made pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and the Manager of their obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:
(a) Accountants’ Comfort Letter. The Representatives shall have received letters, dated the date hereof and each Closing Date, of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (independent registered public accountants for the Company since 2011) confirming that they are a registered public accounting firm and independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Laws, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to financial statements and certain financial information of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.
(b) Chief Financial Officer’s Certificate. At the time of the execution of this Agreement and at the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a certificate, dated as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, respectively, of the Chief Financial Officer of the Company in substantially the form set forth on Annex I hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(c) Filing of Prospectus. The Final Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with the Rules and Regulations and Section 5(a) hereof. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Underwriter, shall be contemplated by the Commission.
(d) No Material Adverse Change. Between the date of this Agreement and the applicable Closing Date, there shall not have occurred (i) any change, or any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole which, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impractical or inadvisable to market the Offered Securities; (ii) any downgrading in the rating of debt securities, if any, of the Company by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act), or any public announcement that any such organization has under surveillance or review its rating of any debt securities of the Company (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading, and no implication of a possible downgrading, of such rating); (iii) any
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change in either U.S. or international financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impractical to market or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Offered Securities, whether in the primary market or in respect of dealings in the secondary market; (iv) any suspension or material limitation of trading in securities generally on the NYSE, or any setting of minimum or maximum prices for trading on such exchange; (v) any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market; (vi) any banking moratorium declared by any U.S. federal or New York authorities; (vii) any major disruption of settlements of securities, payment, or clearance services in the United States or any other country where such securities are listed or (viii) any attack on, outbreak or escalation of hostilities or act of terrorism involving the United States, any declaration of war by Congress or any other national or international calamity or emergency if, in the judgment of the Representatives, the effect of any such attack, outbreak, escalation, act, declaration, calamity or emergency is such as to make it impractical or inadvisable to market the Offered Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Offered Securities.
(e) Opinion of Counsel for the Company and the Manager. The Representatives shall have received an opinion and a negative assurance letter, dated such Closing Date, of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, counsel for the Company and the Manager, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(f) Opinion of Maryland Counsel for Company. The Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated such Closing Date, of Venable LLP, Maryland counsel for the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) Tax Opinion. The Representatives shall have received a tax opinion, dated such Closing Date, of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(h) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The Representatives shall have received from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion and a negative assurance letter, dated such Closing Date, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(i) Company Officers’ Certificate. The Representatives shall have received a certificate, dated such Closing Date, of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company in which such officers shall state that: the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct; the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing Date; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of any Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the best of their knowledge and after reasonable investigation, are contemplated by the Commission; and subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package, there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a
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prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package or as described in such certificate.
(j) Manager Officers’ Certificate. The Representatives shall have received a certificate, dated such Closing Date, of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Manager in which such officers shall state that: the representations and warranties of the Manager in this Agreement are true and correct; and the Manager has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing Date.
(k) Lock-Up Agreements. On or prior to the date hereof, the Representatives shall have received a lock-up letter in the form of Annex II hereto from each of the Company’s directors and executive officers.
The Company will furnish the Representatives with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as the Representatives reasonably request. The Representatives may in their sole discretion waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, whether in respect of an Optional Closing Date or otherwise.
8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, members, directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Indemnified Party”), against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other Federal or state statutory law or regulation or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any part of any Registration Statement at any time, any Statutory Prospectus as of any time, the Final Prospectus, an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending against any loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not such Indemnified Party is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, and in connection with the enforcement of this provision with respect to any of the above as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement, in or omission or alleged omission from any of such documents, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below.
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(b) Indemnification by the Underwriters. Each Underwriter will severally and not jointly indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and each of its officers who signs a Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”), against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other Federal or state statutory law or regulation or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any part of any Registration Statement at any time, any Statutory Prospectus as of any time, the Final Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, and will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending against any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not such Underwriter Indemnified Party is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission as such expenses are incurred, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Final Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: (i) the information relating to stabilizing transactions, penalty bids and syndicate covering transactions contained in the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting” (the “Underwriter Information”).
(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under subsection (a) or (b) above, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof; but the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under subsection (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided further that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under subsection (a) or (b) above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other
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than reasonable costs of investigation. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened action in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party unless such settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such action and (ii) does not include a statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of an indemnified party.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Offered Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the (i) total net proceeds from the offering of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and (ii) the difference between (x) the aggregate price to the public received by the Underwriters and (y) the aggregate price paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Offered Securities, bear to the aggregate price to the public received by the Underwriters. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Offered Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by
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reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8(d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 8(d).
9. Default of Underwriters. If any Underwriter or Underwriters default in their obligations to purchase Offered Securities hereunder on either the First Closing Date or any Optional Closing Date and the aggregate number of shares of Offered Securities that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed 10% of the total number of shares of Offered Securities that the Underwriters are obligated to purchase on such Closing Date, the Representatives may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered Securities by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by such Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder, to purchase the Offered Securities that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase on such Closing Date. If any Underwriter or Underwriters so default and the aggregate number of shares of Offered Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occur exceeds 10% of the total number of shares of Offered Securities that the Underwriters are obligated to purchase on such Closing Date and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Offered Securities by other persons are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement will terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except as provided in Section 10 hereof (provided that if such default occurs with respect to Optional Securities after the First Closing Date, this Agreement will not terminate as to the Firm Securities or any Optional Securities purchased prior to such termination). As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section. Nothing herein will relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
10. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could
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be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
As used in this Section 10:
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
(a) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(b) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(c) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
11. Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, the Manager or their respective officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company, the Manager or any of their respective representatives, officers or directors or any controlling person, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities. If the purchase of the Offered Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated for any reason other than solely because of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9 hereof, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and reasonable disbursements of counsel) reasonably incurred by them in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities, and the respective obligations of the Company and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8 hereof shall remain in effect. In addition, if any Offered Securities have been purchased hereunder, the representations and warranties in Section 2 and all obligations under Section 5 shall also remain in effect.
12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and, if sent to the Underwriters, will be mailed or delivered and confirmed to the Representatives, c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010-3629, Attention: IB CM&A Legal, JMP Securities LLC, 600 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100, San Francisco, California 94111, Attention: Walter Conroy, Chief Legal Officer, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 30 Hudson Yards, 500 West 33rd Street - 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, or, if sent to the Company or the Manager will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at 245 Park Avenue, 26th Floor, New York, New York 10167, Attention: Jenny B. Neslin, General Counsel and Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8 will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to such Underwriter.
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13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 8, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14. Representation of Underwriters. The Representatives will act for the several Underwriters in connection with this financing, and any action under this Agreement taken by the Representatives jointly will be binding upon all the Underwriters.
15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
16. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company and the Manager acknowledge and agree that:
(a) No Other Relationship. The Representatives have been retained solely to act as underwriters in connection with the sale of Offered Securities and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and the Manager and the Representatives has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Final Prospectus, irrespective of whether the Representatives have advised or is advising the Company or the Manager on other matters;
(b) Arms’ Length Negotiations. The price of the Offered Securities set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company following discussions and arms’ length negotiations with the Representatives, and the Company or the Manager is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) Absence of Obligation to Disclose. The Company and the Manager have been advised that the Representatives and their affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company or the Manager, and that the Representatives have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company or the Manager by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(d) Waiver. Each of the Company and the Manager waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims they may have against the Representatives for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agree that the Representatives shall
34
have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company or the Manager in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company or the Manager, including shareholders, employees or creditors of the Company or the Manager.
17. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
Each of the Company and the Manager hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Each of the Company and the Manager irrevocably and unconditionally waives any objection to the laying of venue of any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York and irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit or proceeding in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
If the foregoing is in accordance with the Representatives’ understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company one of the counterparts hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement among the Company and the Manager and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
35
Very truly yours,
AG MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, INC.
By: /s/ Thomas J. Durkin
Name: Thomas J. Durkin
Title: President
Name: Thomas J. Durkin
Title: President
AG REIT MANAGEMENT, LLC
By: /s/ Frank Stadelmaier
Name: Frank Stadelmaier
Title: Authorized Signatory
Name: Frank Stadelmaier
Title: Authorized Signatory
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written.
CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC
By: /s/ Renos Savvides
Name: Renos Savvides
Title: Managing Director
Name: Renos Savvides
Title: Managing Director
JMP SECURITIES LLC
By: /s/ Tosh Chandra
Name: Tosh Chandra
Title: Managing Director
Name: Tosh Chandra
Title: Managing Director
WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC
By: /s/ A Wedderburn-Maxwell
Name: A Wedderburn-Maxwell
Title: Managing Director
Name: A Wedderburn-Maxwell
Title: Managing Director
Acting on behalf of themselves and as Representatives of the several Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
| Underwriter | Number of Firm Securities | ||||
| Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. | 1,855,000 | ||||
| JMP Securities LLC. | 1,855,000 | ||||
| Wells Fargo Securities, LLC | 1,855,000 | ||||
| Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. | 1,225,000 | ||||
| JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC | 210,000 | ||||
| Total | 7,000,000 | ||||
Schedule A-1
SCHEDULE B
General Use Free Writing Prospectuses (included in the General Disclosure Package)
None.
Information included in the General Disclosure Package
Price per share: As to each investor, the initial offering price to the public.
Firm Shares: 7,000,000
Option Shares: 1,050,000
Schedule B-1
ANNEX I
Form of CFO Certificate
Annex I-1
ANNEX II
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
Annex II-1
Exhibit 5.1
[LETTERHEAD OF VENABLE LLP]
November 22, 2021
AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc.
245 Park Avenue, 26th Floor
New York, New York 10167
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-255931)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have served as Maryland counsel to AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with certain matters of Maryland law relating to the sale and registration of up to 8,050,000 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Company including up to 1,050,000 Shares which the Underwriters (as defined below) have the option to purchase, in an underwritten public offering covered by the above-referenced Registration Statement, and all amendments thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
In connection with our representation of the Company, and as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following documents (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Documents”):
1.The Registration Statement and the related form of prospectus included therein and the supplement thereto, each in the form in which it was filed with the Commission under the Securities Act;
2.The charter of the Company (the “Charter”), certified by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “SDAT”);
3.The Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;
4.A certificate of the SDAT as to the good standing of the Company, dated as of a recent date;
5.Resolutions (the “Resolutions”) adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, and a duly authorized committee thereof, relating to, among other matters, the sale and issuance of the Shares, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;
6.The Underwriting Agreement, dated November 17, 2021 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), by and among the Company, AG REIT Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and JMP Securities LLC, Credit Suisse (USA) LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named in Schedule A thereto;
AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc.
November 22, 2021
Page 2
7.A certificate executed by an officer of the Company, dated as of the date hereof; and
8.Such other documents and matters as we have deemed necessary or appropriate to express the opinion set forth below, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein.
In expressing the opinion set forth below, we have assumed the following:
1.Each individual executing any of the Documents, whether on behalf of such individual or another person, is legally competent to do so.
2.Each individual executing any of the Documents on behalf of a party (other than the Company) is duly authorized to do so.
3.Each of the parties (other than the Company) executing any of the Documents has duly and validly executed and delivered each of the Documents to which such party is a signatory, and such party’s obligations set forth therein are legal, valid and binding and are enforceable in accordance with all stated terms.
4.All Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic. The form and content of all Documents submitted to us as unexecuted drafts do not differ in any respect relevant to this opinion from the form and content of such Documents as executed and delivered. All Documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the original documents. All signatures on all Documents are genuine. All public records reviewed or relied upon by us or on our behalf are true and complete. All representations, warranties, statements and information contained in the Documents are true and complete. There has been no oral or written modification of or amendment to any of the Documents, and there has been no waiver of any provision of any of the Documents, by action or omission of the parties or otherwise.
5.The Shares will not be issued or transferred in violation of the restrictions on transfer and ownership contained in the Charter.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein, it is our opinion that:
1.The Company is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Maryland and is in good standing with the SDAT.
2.The issuance and sale of the Shares have been duly authorized and, when and if issued and delivered in accordance with the Registration Statement, the Resolutions and the Underwriting Agreement against payment of the purchase price therefor, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc.
November 22, 2021
Page 3
The foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of Maryland and we do not express any opinion herein concerning federal law or the laws of any other jurisdiction. We express no opinion as to compliance with any federal or state securities laws, including the securities laws of the State of Maryland, or as to federal or state laws regarding fraudulent transfers. To the extent that any matter as to which our opinion is expressed herein would be governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Maryland, we do not express any opinion on such matter. The opinion expressed herein is subject to the effect of any judicial decision which may permit the introduction of parol evidence to modify the terms or the interpretation of agreements.
The opinion expressed herein is limited to the matters specifically set forth herein and no other opinion shall be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated. We assume no obligation to supplement this opinion if any applicable law changes after the date hereof or if we become aware of any fact that might change the opinion expressed herein after the date hereof.
This opinion is being furnished to you for submission to the Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (the “Current Report”), which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Current Report and the said incorporation by reference and to the use of the name of our firm therein. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Venable LLP
Exhibit 10.1
Execution Version
THIRD AMENDMENT TO
MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
This THIRD AMENDMENT TO MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”) is made as of November 22, 2021 by and between AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. a Maryland corporation (the “Company”) and AG REIT Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Manager” and together with the Company, the “Parties”).
WHEREAS, the Parties entered into that certain Management Agreement, dated as of June 29, 2011, as amended by the first amendment thereto, dated as of April 6, 2020, and the second amendment thereto, dated as of September 24, 2020 (as amended, the “Management Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, the Company is obligated to pay the Manager a Base Management Fee and reimburse the Manager for certain expenses.
WHEREAS, the Parties wish to amend the Management Agreement through this Amendment in order to include an incentive fee.
WHEREAS, capitalized terms used in this Amendment and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Management Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the recitals and mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereto hereby covenant and agree as follows:
The Company and the Manager wish to amend the Management Agreement pursuant to Section 17(d) thereof through this Amendment with effect on and after the date hereof (the “Effective Date”).
1. Amendments to the Management Agreement. The Parties agree, from and after the Effective Date, that:
(a)Section 1. Definitions.
i.Above the definition for “Advisers Act,” the following definition is hereby added:
“Adjusted Net Income” means, for any period, the Company’s consolidated net income (loss) available to common stockholders over such period calculated in accordance with GAAP, excluding (i) the Incentive Fee, (ii) non-cash equity compensation expenses, (iii) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP, and (iv) after discussion between the Manager and the Independent Directors and approval by a majority of the Independent Directors, certain non-recurring or extraordinary events or non-cash charges. For purposes hereof, the Adjusted Net Income for the period from the date of this Amendment through the end of the month ending November 30, 2021 shall be deemed to be equal to the Adjusted Net Income for the month ended November 2021 multiplied by a fraction the
1
numerator of which shall be the number of days in such month from and including the date of this Amendment through the last day of such month, and the denominator of which shall be the number of days in such month. For the avoidance of doubt, Adjusted Net Income may be a positive or negative number.
ii.Above the definition for “Effective Termination Date,” the following definition is hereby added:
“Cumulative Hurdle Amount” means, as of the end of the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, eight percent (8%) of the Equity Hurdle Base as of December 31, 2021, and as of the end of each subsequent fiscal year, the sum of (i) eight percent (8%) of the Equity Hurdle Base as of the end of such fiscal year plus (ii) beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, the Cumulative Hurdle Amount as of the end of the prior fiscal year.
iii.Above the definition for “Excess Funds,” the following definition is hereby added:
“Equity Hurdle Base” means, as of the end of any fiscal year, the sum of (i) the Company's adjusted book value (calculated in the manner described in the Company’s public filings) as of October 31, 2021 (ii) the aggregate amount of net proceeds to the Company from the public offering of Common Shares consummated on the date of this Amendment, (iii) the aggregate gross proceeds of all offerings and private placements of Common Shares by the Company (without any deduction for underwriting or similar discounts or fees or other costs and expenses incurred in connection with such offering or placement) that occurs subsequent to the date of this Amendment and prior to the beginning of such fiscal year, and (iv) the aggregate gross proceeds of each offering and private placement of Common Shares by the Company (without any deduction for underwriting or similar discounts or fees or other costs and expenses incurred in connection with such offering or placement) that occurs during such fiscal year multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which shall be the number of days in such fiscal year from and including the date of the closing of such issuance through the last day of such fiscal year, and the denominator of which shall be the total number of days in such fiscal year. The determination of the Equity Hurdle Base shall be appropriately adjusted to take into account any declaration or payment of a dividend in Common Shares, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, share exchange or other similar corporate transaction or event.
iv.Above the definition for “Indemnified Party,” the following definition is hereby added:
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“Incentive Fee” has the meaning set forth in Section 7(e) hereof.
(b)Section 2. Appointment and Duties of the Manager.
i.Section 2(f) is hereby amended by deleting clause (2) and replacing it with the following:
(2) shall not result in an increased Base Management Fee, Incentive Fee or expenses payable hereunder and
(c)Section 7. Compensation.
i.Section 7(a) is hereby deleted and replaced with the following paragraph:
(a) For the services rendered under this Agreement, the Company shall pay to the Manager the Base Management Fee and the Incentive Fee. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision contained in this Agreement, in the event that any of the services provided hereunder by the Manager are rendered to or for the benefit of any Subsidiary, then a portion of the Base Management Fee and/or the Incentive Fee shall be payable by such Subsidiary.
ii.Section 7(e) is hereby deleted and replaced with the following paragraph:
(e) After each fiscal year of the Company beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023, the Company shall pay the Manager annual incentive compensation (“Incentive Fee”) with respect to such fiscal year in an amount equal to the product of (A) 0.15 and (B) the dollar amount by which (1) the Adjusted Net Income of the Company for the period beginning from the date of this Amendment through the last day of the applicable fiscal year, exceeds (2) the Cumulative Hurdle Amount as of the end of such fiscal year.
iii.Below Section 7(e), the following paragraphs are hereby added:
(f) The Manager shall compute the Incentive Fee, if any, with respect to each fiscal year beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 within 30 days after the end of such fiscal year. A copy of the computations made by the Manager to calculate the Incentive Fee with respect to such fiscal year shall thereafter, for informational purposes only, promptly be delivered to the Board of Directors and, upon such delivery and acceptance thereof by the Board of Directors, payment of the Incentive Fee with respect to such fiscal year shown therein shall be due and payable no later than the date which is five (5) Business Days after the date of delivery to, and acceptance by, the Board of Directors of such computations.
(g) The Incentive Fee shall be payable to the Manager in cash; provided that, by written notice from the Board of Directors to the Manager delivered no earlier than 45 days, and no later than 10 days, prior to the end of a fiscal year, the Incentive Fee with respect to such fiscal year may be paid in Common
3
Shares or a combination of cash and Common Shares as determined solely by a majority of the Board of Directors (including a majority of the Independent Directors), as set forth in the applicable written notice; provided further, any Incentive Fee payable in Common Shares is subject to the following: (1) the ownership of such shares by the Manager does not violate the limit on ownership of Common Shares set forth in the Company’s charter, after giving effect to any waiver from such limit that the Board of Directors may grant to the Manager in the future and (2) the Company’s issuance of such shares to the Manager complies with all applicable securities exchange rules and securities laws (including, without limitation, prohibitions on transfers and insider trading). Notwithstanding such restriction and subject to compliance with all applicable securities laws (including, without limitation, prohibitions on insider trading), the Manager shall have the right to allocate any Common Shares received hereunder in its sole and absolute discretion to its officers, employees and other individuals who provide services to it at any time. The number of Common Shares payable as Incentive Fee shall be equal to the dollar amount of the portion of the Incentive Fee payable in Common Shares (as set forth in any applicable notice) divided by the average of the closing prices of the Common Shares on the NYSE over the five (5) Business Days prior to the date on which the Incentive Fee is paid. The Manager will promptly provide documentation and information as reasonably requested by the Board of Directors in connection with any determination regarding the form of payment of the Incentive Fee.
(h) Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Manager hereby waives any right to receive any Incentive Fee payable in respect of the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.
(d)Section 11. Term; Termination.
i.Section 11(a) is hereby deleted and replaced with the following paragraph:
(a) Initial Term. Unless terminated in accordance with the terms hereof, this Agreement shall be in effect until June 30, 2023 (the “Initial Term”).
(e)Section 17. Miscellaneous.
i.Section 17(a) is amended to delete the following address:
with a copy to: McDermott Will & Emery LLP
340 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10173
Attention: Stephen Older
Fax: (212) 547-5444
and add the following addresses in its place:
4
with a copy to: Jenny B. Neslin, Esq., General Counsel and Secretary
AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc.
245 Park Avenue, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10167
with a copy to: Robert K. Smith, Esq.
Hunton Andrew Kurth LLP
2200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20037
Tel: (202) 955-1500
2. Full Force and Effect. Except as specifically amended by this Amendment, the Management Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
3. No Further Amendment. This Amendment, which may be executed in multiple counterparts, constitutes the entire agreement of the Parties regarding the matters contained herein and shall not be modified by any prior oral or written discussions.
4. Governing Law. This Amendment shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
[Signature page follows]
5
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Amendment as of the date first written above.
AG MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, INC.
By: /s/ Jenny B. Neslin
Name: Jenny B. Neslin
Title: General Counsel & Secretary
AG REIT MANAGEMENT, LLC
By: Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P., its sole member
By: /s/ Christopher Moore
Name: Christopher Moore
Title: Authorized Signatory
[Signature Page to Third Amendment to Management Agreement]